Industry ready & industry connected: creating the next generation of innovators and leaders

As Linda Brown represents Australia and Torrens University Australia on the global stage at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year, it seems timely to reflect on our commitment to be industry’s university - a commitment we have made as an organisation to our students and stakeholders and one that we take very seriously.

Students are out of the classroom and working with industry

Right now, in Sydney, our design and hospitality students and staff are displaying their incredible talent to hundreds of thousands of people at VIVID Sydney 2022. This collaboration unites three of our key Torrens University Institutions - Billy Blue College of Design, Billy Blue Creative Studio, and William Blue Dining, in partnership with Destination NSW, with our students putting theory and knowledge into practice with stunning results.

After a COVID-induced hiatus, our MBA Sports Management students returned to Madrid, completing two weeks of study at Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea, an extraordinary opportunity to work with excellent lecturers and take part in masterclasses, and tour some of the best sports facilities globally, including the Ciudad Real Madrid, Wanda Metropolitano and the Centro Nacional de la Real Federación Española de Golf.

Media Design School continues to foster strong relationships both in New Zealand and internationally, with the school recently winning the DHL Express Success and Innovation Award for Bilateral Connections with the USA at the 2021 American Chamber of Commerce Awards. It also hosted Grid/Auck, a public showcase of the work of independent game developers, which brought together students, graduates, staff, independent developers, industry professionals and tech entrepreneurs. It gave MDS students the chance to gather public and industry feedback and make valuable industry connections.

Students are participating in employability challenges like the National Innovation Games, which brings together emerging talent, small to medium businesses, corporates, industry, and the research sector to innovate in the economic and social interest of the nation. In the most recent round, held in May, we had two students in the winning team and one student in the team that placed second, which is an incredible achievement.

We have also recognised the awesome talent within our growing global network of alumni from the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School at the 2020-21 BMIHMS Alumni Awards, welcomed internationally renowned Swedish creative agency SNASK to Ultimo Campus to speak to a captivated audience of budding designers, and we’ve seen staff and alumni flying the flag at the recent NHAA Herbal Medicine Summit 2022.

All these activities and events have happened in the past two months and are just a snapshot of the incredible opportunities our students have to connect with industry throughout their studies.

Collaboration and commitment key to student happiness

Such opportunities are made possible by the collaboration happening every day across the organisation. From Product Innovation to our academics, Success Coaches, Employability Services and industry consultants, each person and team is working together to ensure our students are both employable and sought after by industry.
It is these opportunities and achievements that not only make us stand out as a university, but make our students and graduates stand out as prospective employees, and as the future generation of innovators and change-makers and that is something I am immensely proud of.