Passport: citizen of the world
by Vincent Ciccarello
Two UniSA students can already see the benefits of Global Experience.
The future-seers might be forecasting strong global competition in coming years among employers looking for people with the right skills and experience, but that’s no cause for complacency for UniSA students Carolyn Wall and Pattabhiraman Perambalam.
Both have enrolled in Global Experience as a way to round out their university education and to gain a competitive edge.
"Coming to UniSA isn’t just about gaining a degree, it is also about sharing your skills and knowledge across different countries with different languages and cultures," Perambalam, an international bachelor of nursing student, says.
"Learning how to do this, I feel, is one of the big challenges we face in the coming global employment market. And I reckon Global Experience is the passport for me to travel around the world in my chosen field."
Science
and education double degree student, Carolyn Wall agrees.
"The Global Experience program is designed to give students skills and attributes – such as how to network, how to work with people from different backgrounds – that you don’t necessarily get with your undergraduate qualification," she says.
"I’ll be looking at going on exchange through Global Experience, and so I’ll be doing lots of activities that will help me adapt to different cultures that in the end will enable me to work in different countries."
Perambalam is also looking forward to the opportunity to share his experiences with other students.
"I’m planning to take work as a mentor, or volunteer or whichever way I can to give new students a helping hand and to make a guiding pathway for future students."
Carolyn urges other students to get involved in Global Experience.
"I certainly recommend the Global Experience program to anyone doing any degree. It is going to give you an edge, and lots of skills, so that you’re well-prepared when you enter the workforce - and you’re going to have something that most other employees won’t have."