"These new skills will help me in my future career and life in general."

Deakin Business School students are taking advantage of an exciting business internship opportunity – the Enterprise Geelong Tertiary Business Skills Program – to gain invaluable knowledge, industry experience and credit towards their degree.

Offered in partnership with local council, participants are given the opportunity to experience first-hand the demands of professional environments.

For more information about the program visit our Work Integrated Learning website. 

Rebecca Symmonds (Bachelor of Commerce) – Upstart Entrepreneurial Challenge

‘I wanted to gain first-hand experience in the workforce and do something more than just going to lectures, tutorials, studying and sitting exams. I wanted an internship that would help me develop the skills I will need in the future. Working with a Geelong-based, small business was a great option and I knew instantly that it would provide what I wanted.

After applying to participate, I was matched to a not-for-profit organisation called Upstart Entrepreneurial Challenge. Upstart runs programs that educate and inspire students into thinking about entrepreneurship, but it is also so much more than that and any description given here really would not do justice to the benefits Upstart provides participating students.

My internship has been wonderful and a definite learning curve and experience. I have worked on many different tasks including financial work, administrative work, document reviews, researching and report drafting. The work I have done has often been challenging but always interesting, and seeing it in use at Upstart certainly gives me a feeling of accomplishment and pride. I am pleased to see that what I worked on has actually helped the business.

The people are definitely the most enjoyable aspect of my internship. Upstart’s directors (my supervisors) are welcoming and friendly and I always feel that if I have any questions, I can ask them and that my input is valued and welcome.

I also love the challenge of getting to work on tasks pertaining to many different areas of business. The variety is interesting and certainly keeps me on my toes. I never know whether my next task will be similar to what I just did or in completely different.

Because of this internship experience I have learned how to multi-task more efficiently and how to meet deadlines without rushing to get it done at the end. I have also gained a lot of confidence in what I can do and the work that I produce. I am confident that these are all skills that will help me in my future career and life in general.

I now certainly feel like I am a part of Upstart. I have experienced meetings, I have completed work and then seen that work being used as part of the business, I have been asked to give my input and opinions and ultimately I have had a wonderful learning experience that I will be sad to see come to an end.’