Rohit Mankame is an international student from India currently pursuing a Master of International Tourism and Hospitality Management at Griffith University. Recently he commenced an internship at Service.com.au to increase his skill levels while providing work experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Having heard mixed reviews from my friends about their own internship experiences, I didn’t know what to expect from an internship in Australia, but I was excited to join a new organisation and upskill”, Rohit said.

So, you’re fresh out of university and you land your first job. You have all the theory you need in your chosen profession, but not the experience. How do you gain an understanding about the way your new employer operates their business? What are their expectations of you in your new job? What’s the team culture like and will you be able to confidently apply yourself in the organisation?

From an employer’s perspective they face a similar dilemma. How can they quickly get their new employee up to speed on how the business runs? Will the graduate be familiar with their systems and processes? Does the new employee understand business etiquette and will they be able to successfully communicate their ideas within the team?

In short, you can have all the knowledge in the world, but there’s no substitute for experience. But how do you gain experience and the confidence to operate within a real world situation when you’ve just spent the last few years studying?

Business administration tends to be dominated by women, but that hasn’t stopped Jett Podesta from seizing his opportunity in the field. The Year 11 Merrimac State High School student is currently undertaking a traineeship with the Aurora Training Institute as part of his Certificate III in Business Administration.

Aurora’s General Manager of Operations for South East Queensland Kim Little illustrates the gender imbalance in business administration from experience. “Jett is just the second male trainee we’ve had in the 10 years we’ve been doing this. We have an office full of females, so the girls get excited when a male shows interest in working here. It’s nice to see young men like Jett apply for these positions.”