Community Services students engage with industry partners

VU Polytechnic’s Certificate IV in Mental Health CHC43315 students had the opportunity to engage with industry partner, MIND Australia’s HR team about their organisational values, types of roles and programs on offer, their recruitment processes and expectations of applicants.

Students received valuable feedback and advice on how to best communicate their skills and interests should they be interested in pursuing a role with MIND Australia. MIND Australia continues to be an employer of choice for students as one of the largest providers of community-managed psychosocial services in Australia, a leading employer of people with lived experience of mental ill-health, and as a registered NDIS provider.

MIND Australia’s Team Leader, Nahisha Williams-Wynn, discussed the day-to-day experiences of staff in the Supported Independent Living program, including the skills and behaviours that set the team up for success and the types of outcomes their work can help generate for consumers of the service.

These discussions allowed students to reflect on their training at VU Polytechnic, especially around the importance of person centred, strengths based, recovery oriented approaches and a belief in each individual’s capacity to pursue a meaningful life of their choice.

VU Polytechnic’s Community Services Manager, Priscilla Fowler says, “It was a really good event for us to offer students, especially in the community services and mental health space. Industry partners can come, meet students, do a panel discussion, and tie in teacher-industry engagement. It all seeks to benefit our students.”

VU Polytechnic thanks MIND Australia for their support.