Our partners
We have a long history of building partnerships that strengthen the learning experience for our students, foster beneficial research opportunities and solve workforce challenges.
Educational partners
La Trobe Mildura Education staff pioneered the Teaching Schools Program – an internship-style program where student teachers work in pairs and buddy up with a local school teacher for two days a week, for six months. This experience is in addition to the mandatory placement program in schools. This program is why La Trobe teachers are more classroom ready in their grad years and have high employment success. Hear interviews with students and school staff in this video. Our Teaching School Partners in Mildura are:
- Ranfurly Primary School
- Mildura Primary School
- Merbein P-10 College
- Red Cliffs East Primary School
- Mildura West Primary School
The Nexus program is a revolutionary path into secondary teaching. Nexus students receive a salary while studying the Master of Teaching (Secondary), as well as access to mentoring and professional development. Our Nexus partner schools in Mildura are:
La Trobe University and SuniTAFE have a long shared working history of providing higher education pathways for students. The organisations are co-located in Mildura, giving students the benefits of a large educational precinct, shared facilities and a vibrant student community. SuniTAFE pathways provide students with the opportunity to use their TAFE qualification as a stepping stone to a university degree.
Our Educational Partnerships Program (EPP) works collaboratively with schools to raise awareness of higher education and help high-school students to meet their career aspirations. The program provides access to a range of activities that engage students and their school communities. Each year, we welcome over 1200 students on campus to take part in range of fun and engaging activities through the program. In the Mildura region, our partner schools in the program are:
- Chaffey Secondary College
- Coomealla High School
- Irymple Secondary College
- Merbein P-10 College
- Mildura Senior College
- Red Cliffs Secondary College
Our close links with Mildura Senior College sees us present Futures Day each year – where La Trobe takes over the school. The day encompasses a number of interactive student panels and then break-out sessions led by La Trobe academics. Futures Day concludes with a Food Truck Festival lunch and a dedicated expo area for students and parents to chat with La Trobe staff. 2019 was the inaugural event, you can visit our YouTube channel to view a video on the day's activities.
Health partners
We have a proud history as one of the early pioneers in nursing education in Australia. We have close links with a range of Mildura hospitals and health providers that provide placements for our students. They include:
- Mildura Base Hospital
- Sunraysia Community Health Services
- Mildura Health Private Hospital
- Swan Hill and District Hospital
- Regis Aged Care Sunraysia
- Princes Court Homes
- Chaffey Aged Care
- Mallee Track Health and Community Services
- Dareton Primary Health Services
- and many more
Mildura nursing students often take up study abroad opportunities to undertake international placements and can undertake placements in metropolitan hospitals such as Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.
La Trobe has designed its social work courses with your future career in mind and partners with professional organisations locally for placements. Mildura social work placement agencies include:
- Mallee Family Care
- Sunraysia Community Health Services
- Mallee Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Services
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Mildura Base Hospital's Mental Health Services
Community and research partners
There are an array of community and research organisations that work alongside La Trobe in Mildura.
La Trobe and Mallee Family Care have a long history of working together on local workforce needs. Mallee Family Care fund scholarships for Mildura students, they employ local graduates and provide clinical placements for our social work students. Our organisations often collaborate on important community events such as 'Foster Care: Let's make it better' and our Women in Leadership series.
We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mildura Rural City Council that sees us work together on research opportunities, economic growth and work force needs.
We collaborate with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC) on research projects, such as Pacific Islanders in regional Victoria. SMECC's Executive Officer Dean Wickham is an Adjunct Professor of La Trobe.
Sunraysia Community Health Services (SCHS) work with La Trobe to improve health outcomes in the community. SCHS is home to a community dental clinic that includes training facilities for our dental students. They also support many of our health science students on placement in disciplines such as nursing, social work, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry and oral therapy. We collaborate on research projects that look to improve local health outcomes, such as looking at new and better ways to do palliative care, and investigating how people from low-socioeconomic backgrounds manage chronic pain.
Hear from our partners
I studied here at La Trobe University Mildura and it gave me so much for my career. I employ La Trobe graduate teachers, because I know they are ready. I know the energy levels of the students, the energy levels of the staff at the Mildura Campus and I know the level expectations required from the degree. I have consistently employed La Trobe students every year since I've been a principal.
La Trobe is critical to Mallee Family Care here in Mildura. Recruitment and retention are huge issues for us. The students that commit themselves to do any study in a regional campus means they have a drive to really want to be there. That is very evident when we have them as a student on placement.