Communication and Creative Industries
At the University of Newcastle, career-ready placements enable you to work directly with industry and community partners by undertaking a placement relevant to your area of study through your degree.
Placements are a compulsory requirement for graduation for all Communication and Creative Industries degrees including the Bachelor of Communication, the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts (including honours), and the Bachelor of Visual Communication Design, for those students commencing in 2023.
This practical experience is critical in helping you transition into the workforce upon completion of your degree. Placements provide an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on training and experience in real world situations.
Please refer to the Student Professional Experience Policy and your program handbook for more information regarding the placement requirements of your degree.
What you need to do
As a compulsory requirement for graduation, you will complete a minimum 140-hour placement within the third year of your study. There will be a variety of opportunities available to acquire a placement in your desired career field, including media, journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, theatre production, musical ensembles, performing arts and visual communications, to name a few. These opportunities are available through a range of private business, local, state and commonwealth government, SME’s, start-ups and not-for-profit organisations.
The industry placement course CIND3500 provides an opportunity for students to undertake workplace experience relevant to their study. Completing this course will allow you to apply the theories learned throughout your studies and build your understanding of contemporary business practices.
Student-sourced placements
CIND3500 is predominately a student-driven course, and you are encouraged to organise your own placement opportunity. If you have the opportunity to find your own placement, take the initiative and organise your experience as soon as you can.
University-sourced placements
There are a number of placement opportunities that have been pre-approved by university staff. The Course Coordinator for CIND3500 will notify students of these opportunities as they become available.
Detailed information about the steps required for the placement application and approval process will be updated soon.
Insurance
If you are undertaking approved, unpaid workplace experience, you are covered for personal accident and public liability insurance under university insurance. For further clarification, please contact the University’s Insurance Team (insurance@newcastle.edu.au).
Sourcing your experience
Now you understand the requirements of a career-ready placement experience, the next step is to prepare yourself to connect with employers. To do so, you will need to put together a strong application to ensure you stand out in a competitive job market.
CareerHub is the university's online job board that links you with industry and provides you with resources to help you with job-seeking.
On CareerHub you can find resources and tools to help you:
- Refine your job search
- Write a job application
- Prepare for an interview
- Develop a LinkedIn profile
- Learn more about an industry
Being confident and well prepared is essential when approaching a potential employer.
As a student, you aren’t expected to know everything. However, doing preliminary research, going in with a positive attitude, and taking initiative will go a long way. Try to find the best contact person in the organisation and approach them directly.
Here are our top tips for approaching employers:
- Use LinkedIn: Complete a search on LinkedIn, using the organisation name and browsing the listed employee with a title that mentions ‘Human Resources’, ‘Hiring Manager’, ‘Recruitment Specialist’, ‘Talent Acquisition' or other similar titles related to the Human Resources function.
- Find the right contact: If you are unable to find the most appropriate person, call the general contact phone number. In the call, ask if there is a specific contact you can speak with about a work placement opportunity within the organisation.
- Contacting via email: Keep your email concise, direct, courteous, and professional. You may find this resource helpful as a guide.
- Contacting via phone: Make sure you look and sound professional. Prepare your spiel ahead of time and be sure to show your passion and interest for the organisation. A Zoom or Skype call can be a great alternative to a phone call and can add a level of personalisation.
- Keep a record: It’s essential to keep yourself organised by keeping track of who you contacted and the status of the conversation. This will be particularly helpful if you’re asked to call back or follow up via email. This Prospective Host Communication Tracker (EXCEL, 21KB)
can help you stay on track.
When sourcing your career-ready placement experience, you may be asked some questions from your host supervisor about their requirements, roles, and responsibilities. You can refer employers to the 'Career-ready placements for Industry' page to aid those discussions and ensure they understand their commitment.
The Application Pack (CHSF) (PDF, 175KB)
As an international student, you may find it tricky to navigate the Australian work environment. However, you have access to information and resources that have been developed specifically to help support you in sourcing and preparing for placement experience.
Support and resources
The Careers Service is available to provide guidance for finding a placement if required – make the most of their services including:
- Access to CareerHub, an online portal with discipline-related work and work experience opportunities
- Information about job and placement searching strategies
- Assistance aligning your studies and interests with industry opportunities
- Drop-in and appointment-based resume and application checking, plus an interview preparation service
Explore job vacancies in CareerHub
Read more
Access job application and interview resources
Read more
Professional Bodies
It is also recommended that you join relevant professional bodies to your degree with the added benefit of retaining connections within your industry. Take the opportunity to network at professional events, attend career fairs, and most importantly, seek help if and when you need it.
Below is a list of major communication and creative industries associations available in Australia:
- Australian Museums and Galleries Association
- Public Relations Institute of Australia
- Australian Publishers Association
- Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
- Digital & Technology Collective
- Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
- Public Relations Institute of Australia
- Australian Screen Editors Inc.
- Australian Society of Authors
- Australasian Performing Right Association Limited / Australasian mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited
- Australian Music Association
- Australian Society for Music Education
- Music Australia
- Musicians Union of Australia
- Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society Sydney
- Australian Network for Art & Technology
- National Association for the Visual Arts
- Sydney Art Galleries and Art Community
Contact us
If you are unable to obtain, or finding it difficult to source an opportunity, please email the Course Coordinator.
CIND3500 Course Coordinator
Dr Andrea Cassin
Email: andrea.cassin@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4921 6765
For all other enquiries, including SONIA enquiries, please contact:
Professional Experience Unit - College of Human and Social Futures
Email: CHSFWIL@newcastle.edu.au
Need extra help?
The Careers Service offers free support to all current and past students of the University of Newcastle. Visit Careers to learn more and to get in touch.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.