The McCusker Centre for Citizenship at The University of Western Australia has been recognised as a finalists in the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards Community Engagement category, presented yesterday in Sydney.
The Centre has now partnered with more than 650 not-for-profit, community, local government and public sector hosts in delivery of its flagship Internship program, which has provided over 4,600 students with opportunities to make meaningful contributions to community-focussed projects while earning academic credit.
Image: Michelle Scott OAM, Dr Kate Jutsum and Joanne Somerville, from UWA Medical School, Nicole Austin, Operations Manager Woodside FutureLab, and Professor Scott Draper, from UWA Oceans Institute and School of Engineering.
The Centre’s recognition this year follows awards for teaching and learning excellence in 2018 and 2024, a rapid growth in student demand for internship roles, and 97 per cent recommendation rates from interns and supervisors who have been involved in the program.
UWA McCusker Chair in Citizenship and Director, Michelle Scott OAM, said the success of the program reflected the motivation of students to learn how they can make a positive difference during their studies and into the future.
“Our internship program reflects the importance The University of Western Australia places on giving students opportunities to grow as active citizens and put the skills and knowledge they are developing into practice,” Ms Scott said.
“We are seeing many of our interns carrying what they learn about positive social change through our program into employment, volunteering and civic leadership.
“Through our internships and other programs, we aim to increase connectivity and collaboration between students, the University, industry partners and the community with a view to address contemporary challenges facing our society.”
Riverlab, a partnership between UWA and Woodside, was nominated for the Teaching & Learning Excellence category.
RiverLab is a hands-on teaching and learning innovation ecosystem that connects engineering students, world-leading researchers, and industry partners to tackle emerging challenges in offshore engineering.
UWA Medical School’s Ward Sim program was nominated in the Employability category. Ward Sim places pre-graduate doctors in an interprofessional simulated ward for a ‘shift’, managing patients, working with student nurses and pharmacists and responding to emergencies in real time.