First Nations Work Experience Program
A partnership between Architectus and Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) is giving Year 10 and 11 students the opportunity to experience a career in design, through the First Nations Work Experience Program.
MITS is a Year 7 and 8 transition school for First Nations students from remote and regional communities in the Northern Territory and Victoria. Through a variety of ongoing programs, it supports young people as they pursue away-from-home schooling in Melbourne and creates pathways to greater opportunity for these students.
The students, MITS Alumni who now attend Siena and Kingswood College, will spend a week in our Melbourne studio and experience a jam-packed program that offers a glimpse into what it’s like to be a designer.
“As the saying goes, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’,” says Program Coordinator, Courtney Aarons.
“Through our partnership with MITS we’re offering students who have expressed an interest in design a closer look at what that involves, and the prospects it can open up.”
Students will spend time with architects, interior architects and our Urban Design team and experience a range of hands-on activities. They’ll tour the city, go behind the scenes at our State Library of Victoria project, learn more about sustainability, try their hands at model making and don the VR headsets. They’ll also hear about the various pathways into the industry from some of our designers, and finish with a presentation of their work.
As we renew our 2022 Reconciliation Action Plan, we are reaffirming our commitment to reconciliation through deeper relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, groups, organisations and businesses. Our First Nations Work Experience Program is a critical element in our ambition to build and promote reconciliation, and we look forward to expanding the program across the country.
Keep an eye on Instagram throughout the week to see highlights from the program.
