The first of 250 Griffith University student interns have officially joined the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC).
As Griffith is an official partner of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, incoming students will have the unique opportunity to apply for Games internships and scholarships over the next two years. Find out more about how to apply for a scholarship.
Griffith communication students Hayley Payne and Natasha Hoppner are the first interns to experience Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) from a whole new perspective.
Second year Bachelor of Public Relations and Communication student, Hayley Payne said she is honoured to have a once in a generation opportunity and to have the chance to be part of the Commonwealth Games preparation is amazing.
“I will be learning from some of the best professionals from the Gold Coast and from across the world — including some who have worked on previous Commonwealth Games.
“There is such a wealth of knowledge here that I can learn from and take back into my studies and enhance my future career prospects.”
Hayley and Natasha will join GOLDOC’s Digital Content team for 12 weeks with credit points from the internship applied to their degrees.
Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Ian O’Connor said the internship opportunities, available to students from all study areas means Griffith students will integrate a powerful professional experience to their academic studies.
“As the leading university for the Gold Coast, Griffith University is dedicated to creating possibilities for our students and the community,” he said.
“We are proud to be part of this important milestone for the Gold Coast and for Griffith and we are proud of what our students will be able to offer the community over the next three years.”
GOLDOC has also offered two engineering students internships with an additional three Griffith University architecture graduates commencing full-time employment with the Venue Design team.
Griffith University graduates will continue to benefit from employment opportunities as GOLDOC grows from 160 employees today to over 1,000 in 2018.
Bachelor of Environmental Design graduate and national rowing champion Emma Bunn said she was looking forward to combining her passion for sport with what she had learnt studying.
“The Commonwealth Games is a fabulous opportunity for growth on the Gold Coast,” she said.
“I have had the privilege of living here for five years so to be able to contribute to the sporting growth of this city through working with GOLDOC is an amazing way to give back to a city I love.”
GOLDOC Head of Workforce, Jess Platts said Griffith University’s partnership with GOLDOC creates an unprecedented volume of student opportunities as preparations continue to stage Australia’s largest major event this decade.
Griffith University and GOLDOC have been recruiting for student interns and graduate placements since the 6th October announcement of Griffith’s GC2018 sponsorship.