Innovative Startups and Software Engineers among students recognised at Employability Excellence Awards
The University of Newcastle last night celebrated the achievements of seven students during their Career-ready Placements and the invaluable contributions of staff and industry partners who provided exceptional workplace experiences, at the annual Employability Excellence Awards.
University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Alex Zelinsky, explained that the awards reflect the university’s commitment to producing life-ready graduates.
“A university degree is about more than just the skills learnt from a textbook. We want our graduates to have the skills and attributes that help them to be leaders who are career-ready, community-minded and culturally responsive - skills that will make them highly employable and successful when they enter the workforce.
“We introduced a Career-ready Placement program that means every undergraduate student gains experience in the workforce before they graduate.
“The awards recognise the students who have either made a strong impression or achieved something exceptional during their placement or extra-curricular activities, and the staff and industry who have gone above and beyond to make these placements possible.
“This year we had almost 220 nominations for the awards, which reflects the effort we have placed on creating the right kind of placements for students,” Professor Zelinsky said.
With 18 organisations inducted into the Hall of Fame at the awards night, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Hoffman acknowledged industry have been instrumental in helping students to have valuable placement experiences.
“We shape our degrees to meet the workforce needs of employers so our graduates go into the workforce with the knowledge and skills to be agile and future-thinking employees,” Professor Hoffman said.
“For businesses, taking on Career-ready Placement students can also help employers to identify emerging talent that can bring fresh ideas and perspectives into the workplace.
“Our most recent graduate outcome survey results show that more than 90% of our undergraduates are employed within four months of graduating. This demonstrates that our focus on practical experience and embedding key attributes that employers value, is providing students with the skills they need to enter the workforce.”
See the full list of winners and find out more about the awards here.
Contact
- Kali Somerville
- Phone: 02 4055 0295
- Email: kali.somerville@newcastle.edu.au
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Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
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.