It was a day of mixed emotions for staff from the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts at CQU Mackay, as they celebrated with another cohort of students who have completed the Bachelor of Learning Management degree.

In a moving ceremony, the Sub-dean of Education and Creative Arts, Ms Cecily Knight addressed the 65 third-year students and talked about the origins of the Bachelor of Learning Management (BLM) degree, which has quickly become recognised by senior educators as a superior qualification that ensures students are ‘workplace ready and futures orientated’.

“The BLM was designed to be a new degree that would transform for relevance in the 21st century,” said Ms Knight. “Key features of this degree are that it is authentic and dynamic in response to the ever-changing needs of industry partners. Students have a capacity to understand what it means to be leaders and innovators, to be creative and entrepreneurial and to see problems as opportunities rather than threats”.

Emotions ran high as Ms Knight concluded her speech and wished the students well in their future endeavours, however the celebrations didn’t end there.

The ceremony was followed by an afternoon tea and speech by the Human Resources Manager from Education Queensland, Mr Chris Cook, who further praised the BLM degree and encouraged students to be “positive and persistent” as they leave university and begin looking for employment.

The afternoon concluded with a student showcase in the Cook Theatre, in which the students presented the outcomes from BLM courses “The Entrepreneurial Professional” and “e-Learning Manager".

As part of these subjects, students were asked to identify a challenge they could assist their school to address and then present the outcome at the student showcase.

The student showcase was attended by students and their learning managers, i.e. school principals and teachers, and demonstrated the creative talents of BLM graduates.

According to CQU education lecturer Pam Gargett, there were some totally amazing outcomes.

“One student developed a breakfast program for students, which involved canvassing local businesses to ensure students ate breakfast and had a healthy start to their day,” said Ms Gargett.

“Other challenges identified were re-vamping a school’s basketball courts and the development of an ‘Edible Curriculum’, where students learn literacy through cooking".

Photo (above): Sub-dean of Education and Creative Arts, Ms Cecily Knight and the Human Resources Manager from Education Queensland , Mr Chris Cook, address students at the farewell afternoon tea.

Photo (left): The cutting of the cake symbolised the successful completion of Bachelor of Learning Management degrees.