Think Education's Industry Connect Health Trade Day 2022

We were delighted to come together on the 4th and 7th of October, for the first Industry Connect Health Trade Day since the COVID lockdowns. Held at the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide campuses, the Trade Day provided our Think Education Nursing course students with the opportunity to connect with our industry partners, network with professionals, and hear what the Nursing associations can offer them. There were also clinic tours, lucky door prizes and even suppliers’ goody bags full of information and samples.

Beck Hockin, Think Education and Torrens University’s Industry Consultant for Health & Education, and her team organised this national event and received, ‘Excellent feedback from our industry partners and the students.’

Connect, network and gather industry information with Health partners

As Beck explains, ‘The Trade Day provided students with the opportunity to connect with industry partners, professional associations and industry suppliers.

‘Students could find out about the professional associations in their field, such as the Australian College of Nursing. The ACN offers free membership to students that provides them with access to online resources, seminars, webinars and networking events, as well as keeping them up to date with relevant information regarding their chosen sector.

‘Talking with our Health industry partners helped students gain a practical understanding of what it's like to work in the industry – complementing what they're learning in class.’

A feature of the Trade Day was the chance to start building networks. ‘I think a lot of people undervalue the importance of creating those networks early on when they are students,’ Beck says. ‘Don’t miss any opportunities to connect in a face-to-face capacity with people who are already working in your chosen sector. This provides you with a chance to make an impact and connect with people who could potentially be your employers when you graduate. It is part of building your professional profile. It’s also a chance to chat with people who can share their lived experiences and stories about working in the industry.’

Our Health industry partners

We work closely with our industry partners to ensure our courses meet real-world needs and to help our students make industry connections. This was a key aim for the Trade Day, when students could meet with professionals from the Australian College of Nursing, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Catholic Healthcare, Ramsay Health Care, NurseU, and other industry associations and providers.

‘Our industry partners were really excited to get a lot of interest from students, who signed up for memberships, collected information about the sector, and registered their expressions of interest for employment when they graduate,’ Beck explained.

The Industry Connect Health Trade Day is for all our Nursing students

‘We cater for students who have just started their nursing courses and those who are in their final year,’ Beck says. ‘Many of the industry partners have information for graduating students, giving these students the tools to help them take that next step once they finish. It's also really important for students in the early stages of their courses to connect with their associations and find out about their chosen sector.’

Becks Hockin’s student experience at Torrens University

‘I completed the Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical Myotherapy in 2018 at Fitzroy, at what used to be the Southern School of Natural Therapies (SSNT) campus. I then commenced my role as the Industry Consultant for Health & Education in January 2019. It was a really nice transition from being a student to taking on a full-time position and still being connected to a discipline that I'm passionate about.’

‘My role is externally facing, and I liaise with our industry partners regarding work-integrated learning, clinical placements, employment opportunities, seminars, workshops, internships and industry connections. Part of that includes organising industry events such as trade days. It's quite a diverse role.’

Reflecting on the importance of the Health Trade Day

‘I think any opportunity where you can connect with Health professionals in a face-to-face capacity, especially while you're learning and building your network, is not to be missed,’ Beck says. ‘Start building your profile, start making those connections, having conversations. Also, for students who don't quite know what direction they want their career to go in, networking allows them to find out what other people are doing within the industry. There are so many pathways that you can venture down once you graduate.’

‘At events such as the Trade Day students can meet people in the industry who are not working in the typical roles you would expect upon graduating from their courses. For example, they could be working as a sales rep for a supplier company or in regulation, product development or even education.’

‘It is an ideal way to discover the opportunities that are open to you.’