Mr Oliver Batten1
1University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
Networking After 5 (NA5) was established in 2012 with the aim of providing students from the University of Wollongong (UOW) with the opportunity to engage with local business professionals and develop their communication skills. Now in its seventh year, this event has assisted with creating purposeful connections between over 500 local industry professionals and more than 1,500 students. The event is organised by the International Student Programs team at UOW and in recent years has involved collaborations with Careers Central and the UOW Innovation Campus. This collaboration across university units/sectors has assisted in broadening the events exposure whilst creating a holistic learning experience for students at the University of Wollongong. It has also provided an opportunity to engage UOW alumni. NA5 has been run biannually since it first started with one NA5 event being held each university semester. In 2018 there has been a shift, with 2/3 of the funding being used to coordinate one larger event on the UOW main campus with the aim to further grow industry engagement. The remaining funding will be utilised to establish a NA5 event on a UOW satellite campus. The event regularly engages over 200 people, has a guest speaker/s and is facilitated by an MC from local organisation – Junior Chamber International (JCI) Illawarra. This presentation highlights the benefits of engaging with local community, collaborating across university services and optimising the learning experience for students. I will share the process of developing an established event at a university and share student insights collected through post-event feedback surveys.
Biography:
A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Oliver Batten was an international student himself when completing a year of exchange in Valencia Spain during his Bachelor’s degree. With a passion for student engagement and international relations, Oliver is looking to make an impact in his field at the University of Wollongong.