Indigenous students explore life beyond school
by Vincent Ciccarello
A new program is introducing UniSA to a group of Indigenous students as more than a great place to study.
UniSA is not only the State’s largest university - it is also one of South Australia’s biggest employers, as 18 Indigenous students from Rostrevor College recently discovered.
They visited UniSA, getting familiar with various teaching facilities and administration departments as part of the new School & Beyond work experience program.
UniSA Indigenous Employment and Development Consultant, Eddie Cubillo said the program was a new and dynamic approach to work placements.
"We want to give kids a feel for the University. Many of these Indigenous kids from remote communities feel tertiary education is out their reach," he said.
"School & Beyond is designed to help students understand there is a range of opportunities available to them at uni which doesn’t just involve study."
This scheme complements a range of initiatives undertaken by the University in order to meet its obligation to provide programs that meet the needs of Indigenous communities.
And as part of its Indigenous Employment Strategy (Yaitya Warpulai Tappa), UniSA aims to reach a target of two per cent Indigenous employment across the University by 2010.
"Thinking through the transitions from study to training to employment is a critical part of this work," Cubillo said.
Cubillo said some of the students had never been in an office environment before, let alone a university environment.
"The one-day immersion tour was an eye-opening experience for the boys," he said. "They came away feeling very positive about the possibilities for study or work the Uni can offer them."
One of the students, Matthew, said he was excited about studying business and the chance of doing work experience at UniSA.
Fellow student, Curtly enjoyed using the sports testing equipment.
"I never thought I could use my interest in sport to further my studies at university," he said.
Students will be selected for School & Beyond placements through a competitive process that seeks to ensure that they are ready to cope in the University environment.