Breaking the stereotype of the Arts degree

Oct 28, 2003

A unique offering from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wollongong has been instrumental this last semester in providing students with the capacity to make the connection between their Arts degree and a multitude of career opportunities.

The Arts Internship subject, in effect, acts as a two-way mirror -- the students can reflect on their degree, the skills and attributes they have developed, and their career intentions while also enabling them to gain a clearer picture of where they might go in the workplace with their degree. And best of all, they can get a taste for their chosen career path through their Internship Placement.

"The innovative mix of guest speakers (all Arts alumni), coursework and work placement was conceived by the University and the Faculty of Arts in response to the hundreds of people who purely wish to study subjects that ignite their passions - such as philosophy, history, communications and languages," according to Subject Co-ordinator, Dr Glenn Mitchell.

"Too often prospective students are turned off the degree as an option because of a perceived lack of career outcomes. This subject breaks that stereotype!" Dr Mitchell said. Twenty three students recently completed the subject and their work placement, and will celebrate with a small graduation event to mark the occasion. Employers who hosted the students from sectors such as the media, public relations, education and government will attend. Their response has been one of pleasant surprise as to the range of skills and knowledge that the Arts degree delivers to the undergraduates.

"For Year 12 students who are faced with making critical decisions about their future course choices, it is timely for them to recognise that the Arts degree is a valued qualification in various workplace settings," saidMr Martin Smith, Manager of the UOW Careers Service.

When and where: The event will be held at 3.30pm tomorrow (29 October) in the McKinnon Dining Room (Bldg 67). The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton, will be the guest speaker. For further enquiries: Dr Glenn Mitchell, on 4221 3723 or Mr Martin Smith on 4221 3324.

Intern graduation ceremony

Meanwhile, the Careers Service will conduct its Intern Graduation ceremony at the Careers Service Office, lower ground floor of the UniCentre Bldg (Bldg 11) at 12.30pm tomorrow (29 October).The Careers Service Internship Program was developed to offer a group of 12 students the opportunity to be part of the Careers Service activities throughout the year. The final year students are selected from across a range of faculties and gain skills in administration and IT by assisting with the maintenance of the job boards and online job service. The interns also assist students accessing the Careers Service resources, in marketing and communication through promotional activities such as careers fairs, liaising with faculties and general events co-ordination.

It all aims to help their employability on graduation while the Careers Service benefits enormously from the assistance of the Interns in periods of peak activity. For further information contact Robyn Gleeson on 4221 3970.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128