How work placement can lead you to travel to new destinations

Hear from our hotel management student, Madeleine Shultz, on her experience completing an industry placement in Uluru.

Industry work placement can give you a competitive edge in the workplace once you graduate. The hospitality and hotel management industry is a fast-paced and creative work environment that encompasses a wide range of business areas. Completing an industry placement allows you to apply the skills you’ve developed during your studies in a real-life practical environment. It allows you the opportunity to have first-hand interactions with diverse people and cultures, creating lasting memories and experiences.

Madeleine Shultz is currently in her first year of studying a Bachelor of Business (International Hotel and Resort Management) and decided to complete her work placement in Yulara, Northern Territory, better known as Uluru. “I secured my placement at Ayers Rock Resort and am currently working as a food and beverage attendant at the ‘Sails in the desert’ hotel.”

How to secure an industry placement

“A group of us reached out to our Career Advisor on campus, who supported us in contacting the resort. We completed our resumes, and our Advisor sent them to his contact at the resort. We had to wait for about a month until we heard back and then proceeded to complete interviews and online requirements to secure the job.”

“Our Career Advisor was instrumental in helping us prepare by hosting mock interviews and providing us with past or common questions to practice for. This support was invaluable in securing my industry placement, as I didn’t have much experience.”

Day in the life of industry placement

“As a full-time employee, an average week consists of a minimum of 40 hours of work, 5 days a week. I have recently been working the lunch and dinner shifts at the resort bars and catch the shuttle bus around the resort to get to and from work.”

“I’ve met some really amazing people through my placement and have been able to put everything I’ve learnt from the course into practice. It’s been great to watch myself grow in new areas and take my skills beyond the classroom.”

“The Ayers Rock Resort is such a unique experience, as it’s nothing like working in the city. You work in your own bubble, which creates an easy environment to learn and grow and helps to form strong bonds and learning experiences. The company also offers a ‘multi-hire’ program, which allows you to work across departments and pick up extra hours of working in a different area. It has presented me with even more opportunities to explore and grow in my field.”

The benefits of industry placement

Industry placement allows you the opportunity to apply your learnings from class in a real-life environment. This helps to improve your employability and build up your resume with industry experience. You will also meet a host of new people and build connections that you can take with you throughout your career.

“I have so many fond memories from my placement experience, from dancing in the kitchen after a rainy night to learning the difficulties management works through and how to adapt in those situations.”

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the value of having happy staff. Employees are a direct reflection of a company, and customer satisfaction mirrors the staff. This experience has taught me about the type of manager and leader I aspire to become.”

“Without the first term at Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS), I don’t think I would have had the confidence to dive straight into working and relocating to Central Australia. It helped me develop the foundational skills needed for a hospitality environment and revealed the personal growth I was experiencing.”

Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School offers paid industry placements with some of the most prestigious and dynamic organisations in Australia. You will undergo an immersive, practical learning experience in a simulated hotel campus, setting you up for an international career.

Madeleine’s advice to other students about to commence industry work placement is ‘to try and embrace it all. It may be different to what you imagine, but by embracing the experience, you will uncover new possibilities about yourself.”