A decade since becoming the first Australian university to sign a 10-year agreement with CareerTrackers, QUT is committing another three years to the national non-profit organisation which links Indigenous university students with private sector internship opportunities.
Professor Wesley Enoch, QUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Australians, said the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last night (Wednesday June 10), would see QUT continue to play a key role in creating meaningful pathways toward future career opportunities for the university’s Indigenous Australian students.
“This reinforces our long history in providing transformative, real-world experiences for our students,” Professor Enoch said.
“We are a practical people who like to see our people succeed in the real world. QUT is committed to working with CareerTrackers to provide culturally relevant programs grounded in Indigenous knowledge, identity and lived experience.
“QUT helps build confidence, strengthen identity, and ensures students can see themselves succeeding in every space they enter. The signing of our MOU reinforces something QUT stands firmly behind, that Indigenous success and excellence are not aspirations, but priorities.”
Established in 2009, CareerTrackers has supported over 9000 internships through a program which combines work-integrated learning, hands-on experience, mentoring, and genuine connections through collaborations with Australia’s leading universities and companies.
CareerTrackers CEO Adam Davids said the partnership with QUT represented a shared vision for the future.
“By renewing our partnership with QUT, we are deepening our commitment to enriching the student experience, driving academic success and investing in the immense potential of these future leaders,” Mr Davids said.
“Together, we are ensuring students are fully supported as they transition from the lecture theatre into meaningful careers where they can thrive as industry role models.”
Robert Wolski, a Darumbal man with strong family and emotional ties to Lardil and Gurindji people and land, is a QUT graduate in film and business who had a very positive experience with CareerTrackers. The co-founder of Halftone Digital, a design and software agency, he is also the co-founder of Keepsake, a platform to create printed books from shared memories, and is building Always Will Be, a project for discovering music by Aboriginal artists and the language groups and culture of the place you are in.
“The CareerTrackers program was pivotal in my career because it showed me that working in higher-paid corporate environments was actually possible,” Robert said.
“My first internship was in 2017 and my last in 2021. Another intern, Kayla, and I were the first interns placed at Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, now the Queensland Fire Department. I worked in the strategic content team, which served QFES, the Queensland Police Service and the Public Safety Business Agency equally, so I got to see and work on a huge range of projects.”
In 2019, Robert won a CareerTrackers' Project Excellence Award for his contribution to the media handling of the 2018/2019 bushfires that were devastating Queensland and New South Wales.
“Career Trackers students are far more likely to finish their degree and find paid work than university students who are not in the program. It also gives you a community of people who can help connect you to culture, which I think matters more than ever in the current political climate,” he said.
“Now, as an alumnus, CareerTrackers offers something just as valuable: a sense of community and a connection to culture that can be hard to find in south-east Queensland.
His experience is one Paige Thomas can relate to. A First Nations student at QUT undertaking a Bachelor of Architectural Design, she has completed two professional paid internships through CareerTrackers within the construction industry.
“My CareerTrackers advisor offers support throughout the semester with monthly check-ins, notifies me with opportunities and helps me to make informed decisions about what company I would like to work for,” Paige said.
“After my second year at QUT, I was placed with Stockland as a civil and infrastructure construction consultant. Then, after my third year of university, I was placed with Cox Architecture as a student designer.”
Once she finishes her degree, Paige hopes to find work with an architectural firm before embarking on a masters degree.
“CareerTrackers aims to give First Nations real world experience within their field study. This experience can help to inform students of their chosen career, what pathway they want to take and for them to have experience to put on their resume before they graduate,” Paige said.
“Career Trackers also host workshops throughout the year on areas including culture, how to be interview ready, preparing your resume, and networking. Having this knowledge refreshed every year helps students to be prepared not only for interviews but for once they are in office.”
Brigette Sancho, Executive Director, University Engagement, CareerTrackers, said the collaboration with QUT had already delivered incredible, tangible results for students.
“With 1190 internships completed by QUT students to date, including 340 students supported just over the last summer and winter periods, the impact of this relationship is undeniable,” Ms Sancho said.
“This MoU allows us to scale that success, opening even more doors for students to gain vital industry experience, professional development and build strong foundations for their future careers.”
Main image: left-right - Brigette Sancho, Executive Director University Engagement CareerTrackers, CareerTrackers CEO Adam Davids, Robert Wolski, Paige Thomas, Professor Wesley Enoch, QUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Australians, and Megan Harrison, Indigenous Australian Senior Student Success Educator at the signing of the QUT/CareerTrackers MOU, with a painting by Blak Douglas presented to Wesley. Photo: Anthony Weate
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver
QUT Media
07 3138 2361 / 0407 585 901 (After Hours)
