Real life experiences for students on the New Academic Street project
The New Academic Street (NAS) project transformed the heart of the RMIT City campus creating laneways, gardens, new student spaces and better library facilities. The NAS project offered RMIT students a unique opportunity to learn and interact with a major construction project. The Student Experience initiatives concentrated on mitigating any issues affecting students by celebrating the launch of new spaces and activating new ideas with a strong focus on Work Integrated Learning (WIL).
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is an activity or program that integrates academic learning with its application in the workplace. The practice may be real or simulated and can occur in the workplace, at the university, online or face-to-face. Other opportunities arising from the NAS construction included voluntary placements, industry based projects, and simulated work experiences.
WIL is critical for increasing student employability and ensuring tertiary graduates make productive transitions into the Australian workplace. There has been an increased national focus on WIL and the development of the National WIL Strategy (2015) by key industry groups and Universities across Australia. A crucial part of RMIT University’s commitment to work related education is delivered through WIL.
Over the past three years the NAS project has employed RMIT students in roles related to communications, engineering, sustainability, urban planning, information technology and project management University wide from the Colleges of Design and Social Context, Science and Engineering and Business.
