It was a Flinders Work-Integrated Learning placement that took Katherine Baldwin to South Adelaide Football Club – two years on, she’s still submitting copy for the Panthers’ newsletter.
Ms Baldwin is one of 16 students from a range of courses including physiotherapy, nutrition and dietetics, accounting, creative writing and teaching to undertake 100-hour industry placements with the football club, as part of the University’s partnership with the Panthers.
The placement program is co-ordinated by the Southern Knowledge Transfer Partnership office.
As a Creative Writing student, Ms Baldwin took up the opportunity at South Adelaide in 2010 to hone the journalistic side of her writing skills.
As part of her placement, she interviewed and wrote stories about past and present players, officials, volunteers, members and sponsors, and found the work so enjoyable that she has kept it up after graduating.
Panthers CEO Mr Ben Kavanagh said Ms Baldwin creates first-class stories that give the readership a great insight into the different types of people and personalities that make up a club, while providing her with practical experience and a portfolio of work.
”She is yet another example of the many benefits that are flowing to the South Adelaide Football Club, Flinders University and the students of Flinders through this partnership,” Mr Kavanagh said.
While some courses, such as nursing, law, medicine and teaching, require mandatory professional placements in order to qualify, Flinders is continually working to establish work placements for other courses, according to Work-Integrated Learning program manager Ms Jody Hannah.
“Every year Flinders University places over 5,000 students in one or more work placements directly related to their course of study,” Ms Hannah said.
“Many of these placements are professionally mandated, while others are initiated by the University to give students an opportunity to gain experience in their chosen field and operate across Flinders’ range of courses, including business, cultural tourism, international studies, archaeology, and screen and media studies.
“It is one of the University’s goals to give every student in any program the opportunity for Work-Integrated Learning.”
Prior to her placement Ms Baldwin had some interest in football, but not at local level. Now a Panthers member, she continues to write articles for the newsletter while working as a relief English teacher.
“I’ve got into it quite a bit,” she said.
“There’s a community feel and spirit at the Club that I really enjoy and admire.”
The University’s partnership with the Panthers, which began in 2010, also covers educational and professional development opportunities for Panthers staff, players and members, and support for the club’s outreach and mentoring programs, as well as sponsorship by Flinders of the club’s senior team.