Wilma's worth as TECC Coordinator on our Sydney Campus
Published on 02 July, 2009
When Wilma Woortman joined CQUniversity's Sydney International Campus as TECC (Training Employment & Career Coaching) Coordinator last year, she brought to the position valuable and practical career coaching and HR industry experience...
Story by Dr Chris Keane
She has quickly won over many reticent students with her organising energy and personable approach.
"I just love working with our students, helping to make them more job-ready and building links with industry employers," Wilma says.
Arriving from Holland, where she studied personal communications and strategic business management, Wilma jumped at the chance to run TECC. Indeed, she had managed her own job agency and worked in several HR roles including industry consultant, staff recruitment and training.
For Wilma the ‘friendly work environment' at the Sydney Campus of CQUniversity is a world away from the stern and authoritarian work culture she knew back home.
"Australian managers are easy going...," she says, while work relations and communications between senior managers and subordinates in Holland were "far more distant and direct".
In fact, Wilma found the more round-about ‘Aussie style of communication' rather bemusing at first. She has now adjusted to the language and admits to having embraced what she calls her ‘life change experience'.
How does she see her role as TECC coordinator?
Wilma explains that ‘job preparation' skills are essential for the students. She is currently engaged in planning, designing and rolling out a template of student workshops for all CQUniversity campuses based on 4 themes;
- student orientation;
- resume design;
- cover letter writing
- mock job interviews.
Inviting industry employers to share their interview and employment tips with CQUniversity students is another of Wilma's objectives. For instance, HR representatives from Westpac Bank recently visited the Sydney Campus to conduct student interviews and Wilma plans to bring more big employers on board.
She was especially pleased with the big turnout of CQUniversity student volunteers at the Happiness and its Causes Conference, held at Sydney's Convention Centre in May this year.
The Conference Coordinator noted that "...the students provided much needed additional resources to the Conference...and were willing to learn and help wherever and whenever they were asked...".
As a way of coping with her busy work schedule at TECC, Wilma has begun a stress reduction and personal relaxation program. Weekly meditation classes are now in full swing and students and staff are encouraged to relax and release those muscular and mental tensions.