• Charles Sturt University in Bathurst will host a free workshop for Year 11 and Year 12 students considering a career in the communication industry
• The interactive workshop is on Friday 21 June and will cover three strands of the Bachelor of Communication, including News and Media, Design and Content Creation and Strategic Communication
• A special address will be delivered by Charles Sturt Alumni and PR specialist Isabel Anderson

High school students interested in studying communication have the chance to get the inside scoop on their options for a career in the media industry through an interactive workshop held at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

Charles Sturt Communication lecturers will host the ‘Making it in Media’ workshop for Year 11 and 12 students, their teachers, careers advisors and families on Friday 21 June where they can learn more about the unique courses and study options offered at the Bathurst campus.

Lecturer in Communication in the Charles Sturt School of Information and Communication Studies Dr Roslyn Cox said there was no better place to learn the profession than at Charles Sturt.

“Communication at Charles Sturt University has long been recognised by industry for its winning combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills and the current degree program has been developed in conjunction with alumni and industry,” Dr Cox said.

“Our philosophy is that you learn by doing, through opportunities to hear from people who work in industry, through the analysis and interrogation of real-world case studies and through working for real-world clients.

“All of this happens within the important backdrop of key communication theory, so our students understand the ‘why’ of communication and how to identify and serve audiences.”

Students attending the workshop will work in small teams to learn about the three strands of the Bachelor of Communication:

• News and Media (journalism, recognising a story, interviewing and production skills)
• Design and Content Creation (design and production of content for a range of media channels)
• Strategic Communication (strategy, achieving outcomes, advertising, public relations, event management, promotion)

Dr Cox said there was an element of ‘inside knowledge’ needed to understand exactly what is involved in communication studies, which is exactly what the workshop will help explain.

“It can be challenging to understand the exciting career paths on offer for graduates of communication studies and how to work out which aspect of communication someone may wish to pursue,” she said.

“We also realise that the best way to showcase the unique approach of our university is by bringing young people into our TV studio and classroom spaces for the day, allowing them to meet their future lecturers and work on a real-world project - with the help and support of some of our own Communication students.”

Dr Cox said the Communication team has developed an engaging and interesting scenario where students will gain insights into the work of journalists, what happens at media conferences, how to develop communication strategy to achieve outcomes and the many and varied creative aspects that produce effective communication.

“We are keeping the details of the scenario a secret for the moment so that we can show students on the day how a real media brief comes together and what can be produced through energy, enthusiasm and creative flair,” she said.

The event will run from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Friday 21 June in the TV Studio (Building 1399) on Bathurst campus. A welcome address at 10am will give attendees the opportunity to hear from Charles Sturt University Alumni Isabel Anderson, a client partner at a major communications firm - Ogilvy PR Australia.

The workshop and the event itself will be filmed and shared with other interested students.

“We are also hosting a lunch and inviting our current Communication students so prospective students, their parents and teachers can mingle and find out first-hand what it is like to study Communication at Charles Sturt University,” Dr Cox said.

If you are interested in attending the Making it in Media workshop, please RSVP by registering here.

ENDS