Student input informs WIL learning strategy

Thanks to skills acquired during her studies, Bachelor of Finance student Vanessa Mykolajenko has helped improve the process for students to apply for placements with the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team within the College of Business, Government and Law.

Bachelor of Finance student Vanessa Mykolajenko

Vanessa, who has worked in the banking and finance sector for 15 years, undertook a placement with the WIL team to focus on promoting elective business placements – and through doing this, Vanessa highlighted areas for improvement within the process.

She produced a Work Integrated Learning report to identify procedural issues from initial student engagement, and she made recommendations to streamline the process while considering workload demands on the WIL team. She also began implementing approved recommendations.

Vanessa now explains why she would recommend a WIL placement to other students:

Why did you choose to undertake a placement within the WIL team at Flinders?
Choosing a placement that was outside of my current skill set was intentional, to challenge myself in a different way by broadening my experience and extending my business skills to improve future career opportunities.

What have your learned from the experience?
I learned to apply skills learned in my degree to the workplace in tasks I would not have had access to otherwise. Reviewing the pre-placement process was an excellent opportunity that I wouldn’t experience in my current role, or even as a new graduate. In my current workplace, these are tasks assigned to more senior members of staff.

What benefits do you see emerging from this experience?
Undertaking these higher-level activities gave me invaluable experience to draw upon in the future if given the opportunity to perform a similar role. On a personal level, it was very satisfying to see recommendations made in my report being implemented.

Would you recommend a placement at Flinders University to other students?
Yes – it puts the skills that a student has learned during their degree into use and demonstrates their ability in the workplace. They can gain experience through performing a senior role, which is invaluable to demonstrate to any future employer. It shows that you have potential, and just need to be given an opportunity to prove yourself.

As a mature-age student with work, study and family commitments, I found that Flinders University offered me the flexibility to complete my placement over two days per week and, due to COVID-19 restrictions, I was also able to continue my placement via flexible work options working from home.

• To discuss hosting a placement student within your department at Flinders University, please contact kahlene.michalanney@flinders.edu.au

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College of Business Government and Law Students Work Integrated Learning