COUNTRY Universities Centre Ovens Murray (CUC-OM) held their first careers expo at the Performing Arts Centre in Mansfield on Tuesday, September 10.
220 people were in attendance, including parents and Year 10, 11, and 12 students from Mansfield Secondary College (MSC) and Mansfield Steiner School.
A range of local businesses took part, including the Delatite Hotel, Koala Cherries, Delatite Veterinary Services, Mt Buller Ski Lifts, Mansfield Veterinary Clinic, MACE, and Mansfield Autism Statewide Services (MASS).
Also represented from the local area were Goulburn Valley Water, Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, Landcare Alliance, CFA, Victoria Police, Mansfield and District Hospital, Mansfield Shire Council, Findex, and Alpine Resorts Victoria.
GOTAFE, La Trobe University, and Charles Sturt University also got involved.
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Mansfield District Hospital Physiotherapist Susan McCormack set up an interactive stall showing the diversity of what her role involves.
“I brought in river rocks which we use to test people’s balance and I set up mini-golf tic-tac-toe,” she said.
"I also brought the grip strength measure, because grip strength tells us a lot about everyone’s physical function, and it gives us a score which we can correlate with falls risk."
Financial planner Jac Holmes from Findex spoke to the students about what it looks like to work in the business industry.
“You get to see the natural progression of businesses and people’s natural wealth and as they grow and you get to grow with them,” he said.
Charles Sturt University students Clodagh Friedlieb and Laura Van Keulen shared some of the experiences they have had while completing studies.
“We provided students with ideas of what they can study and how they can go about it,” they said.
“The closest campus to Mansfield is in Albury, so it’s about a two-hour drive which is pretty close.
“We have campuses all throughout regional New South Wales, so it depends what you want to study and where the campus runs it.”
Caroline Trenfield from MASS said they have got quite a lot of options for school-based apprenticeships alongside entry-level roles.
"We can support young people with gaining experience while they potentially do further studies and continue to develop their careers," she said.
CUC-OM was given initial Federal Government funding as part of a pilot program to support widening participation in higher education.
Centre manager Mark Van Bergen said MSC felt a careers expo would benefit their students, as they had not had one before and they also had missed some university outreach programs in the recent past, due to the impacts of COVID.
“Career expos offer students a one-stop shop to expose them to lots of different career and study options and have become an important feature of educational outreach in regional areas,” he said.
“The initial round of funding was extended, and the CUC-OM was able to organise the expo for MSC with valuable input from the school.
“The expo offered a great opportunity for these local businesses and organisations to actively recruit young people into part-time and possible full-time roles, as well as giving students the opportunity to see the range of future employment opportunities available locally and potential career paths.
“Meeting face-to-face is a great way for students to really get a feel for the business and its people.”
Mansfield Secondary College expressed their gratitude to CUC Mansfield for hosting the event, emphasising its value for local students.
“The careers expo helps all the students of Mansfield to engage with a range of employers and providers of tertiary education,” said Shelly Comben, Careers Advisor at Mansfield Secondary College.
“It showcases the breadth of employment opportunities available in our community and beyond.
"Students and past students have the opportunity to speak directly to employers, gaining valuable knowledge and insight into their future careers.”
“We are well regarded in our capacity to find post-secondary pathways for every student," added Principal Timothy Hall.
"This is another great outcome for our students.”
