Students from across the country have been given a taste of the hospitality world thanks to King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) team members.
Just under 30 high school students from regional and rural New South Wales (NSW) took part in The Smith Family’s Work Inspiration program, which saw them pair up with people across KWM to discuss their career journeys, as well as pathways into the world of work.
Work Inspiration is just one of the education charity’s mentoring programs, which allows students to broaden their horizons and be more engaged with prospective career options. This is based on research which shows that the more meaningful interactions young people have with the world of work in school, the more likely they are to finish school and get a job.
In the past, students from rural and regional areas are paired with local companies for the workshop, but thanks to the adoption of ZOOM, these students had the opportunity to speak with people from many different locations and gained an insight into the world of global corporate hospitality.
Year 9 student Ali is set on being a nurse, however, he said he gained a lot of insight into different careers.
“I learned lots about what different opportunities exist in the hospitality sector and how I could break into them.
The virtual events were really good, and I enjoyed being able to take part from home.”
Year 12 student Simadra also took part in the program and said it was really helpful when thinking about her future career path.
“Before I joined the Work Inspiration workshop, I’d never even considered the hospitality industry, but I think it really opened my eyes to the opportunities within that sector.
It has helped me consider it as an option for my future. I especially liked getting to talk to so many people who all had different roles in the company – this made me aware of the various work opportunities that are available,” she said.
Julie Kassal works as a receptionist for KWM and found that helping students with interview preparation was particularly rewarding.
“We discussed looking for jobs, applying for a job and then attending interviews, as well as how the whole process can be quite stressful. By giving the students some tips, I hope I made them feel a bit at ease and also motivated and inspired them.”
Julie also said the Q&A session – where students asked her about her career path – was really fun, and hoped her insights conveyed the diversity of work within the sector.
“I am from Germany and I completed an apprenticeship as a restaurant specialist there. Since then, I have lived in four different countries, Switzerland, Canada, the Netherlands, and now I’m in Australia. This industry gave me a fantastic opportunity to travel and work in restaurants and hotels.
I hope my story gave students a better insight into what opportunities are out there,” she said.
KWM has been a partner of The Smith Family since 1993 and proudly takes part in a number of programs developed to inspire and engage our students in the world of work.