Students gain hands on experience to follow their dreams

For students seeking real-world experience, Haileybury’s Industry Partnerships program allows Year 12s to gain practical skills and knowledge that can shape their future pathways. The program is part of a choice of extensive co-curricular offerings that students choose in addition to their academic studies.

“The program allows students to gain hands on insights into the career they are interested in. They also develop essential skills by organising their own placements, which can include seeking assistance from the Old Haileyburian Association to tap into our extensive alumni network to secure an opportunity,” explains Mia Haravitsidis, Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The opportunity is designed for Year 12 students who will benefit from industry experience to assist with exploring future pathways or post-school prospects.

For Laura, who completed her fortnight-long Industry Partnership placement at Holmesglen Hospital, the experience was eye opening. During her placement she learnt about surgery and medicine more broadly and observed a range of bariatric and general surgeries, from routine endoscopies to cholecystectomies.

“I wanted to gain further work experience in a healthcare field as I would like to study medicine,” she says.

“A highlight of my placement was being able to observe surgeries firsthand and ask the surgeons lots of questions throughout the experience,” says Laura. She says the experience also gave her insight into working in a hospital environment and the collaboration that is needed between medical professionals. “Completing this placement also strengthened my motivation to study medicine as it allowed me to envision myself working in a similar environment in the future,” she says.

For Hamish, who is interested in a career in finance, completing an industry placement was a strategic choice to help achieve his future career goals. He completed his Industry Partnerships with SG Hiscock and Company, a boutique fund manager in Melbourne. “It was a great experience and the people there were super friendly and accommodating,” he says. He found the placement so valuable that he aims to complete another placement in the next school holiday break.

“The main reason I wanted to do it is that I am very interested in entering a career in Finance and was looking to differentiate myself early on to help open doors to more opportunities in the future, such as selective clubs and societies at university,” he says.

During the placement Hamish had access to the Bloomberg terminal throughout the whole week, including on the morning of the Iran War ceasefire announcement in April. This allowed him to observe how the markets reacted to the announcement.

“Given the major world events that were occurring at the time and are still occurring to this day, the main thing I was able to begin learning was how to analyse the effect of macro trends on a company’s performance,” he reflects.

During his placement he was able to build on his qualitative analysis skills, complementing his VCE Economics studies. He also completed a financial case study which culminated in presenting an investment recommendation to the team he was working with.

“To any other students looking at doing the Industry Partnerships program, I would definitely recommend it as something to do in the later years of Senior school if you have a good idea of what degree you’re wanting to do,” says Hamish.