As one of Melbourne’s premier arts and cultural organisations, RISING Melbourne provides a professional environment where La Trobe students can apply classroom learning in practice while contributing to the organisation’s operations.
For Sonam Chawla, Head of Finance and Governance at RISING Melbourne, the motivation to offer a placement for a La Trobe student was grounded in talent development and industry collaboration.
"The main drivers for taking on a student from La Trobe were to support the development of emerging talent and strengthen the connection between industry and education," she said. "In a finance and governance context, it also provides a valuable opportunity to share real-world experience while benefiting from the fresh perspectives and current academic thinking students bring to the organisation."
The placement also forms part of RISING’s broader commitment to capability building across its teams.
"Students bring fresh perspectives and current academic knowledge, while placements give us the opportunity to share real-world experience and contribute to their professional development," Sonam said.
Through the partnership, Navjot Kaur Dhaliwal, a Master of Extended Professional Accounting student, joined the RISING Finance and Governance team, where she was able to apply her academic learning in a professional setting.
Navjot said the placement was highly relevant to her degree, allowing her to translate accounting concepts into practical workplace experience.
"It provided an opportunity to apply the accounting concepts and knowledge I learned at university in a real workplace environment," she said. "It helped me develop a stronger understanding of accounting processes, industry practices, and the practical use of accounting software."
Beyond technical skills, the placement also gave Navjot insight into professional expectations and the day-to-day responsibilities of accounting roles across different levels of an organisation.
La Trobe University played a key role in facilitating the placement, working closely with RISING to promote the opportunity and support the recruitment process.
"The university worked closely with RISING to create placement opportunities for students and informed us about the available positions," Navjot said. "After we prepared our applications, La Trobe assisted with shortlisting suitable candidates and submitting applications on our behalf, which made the process much more accessible."
For Navjot, the experience has been instrumental in preparing her for future employment, strengthening her communication skills, workplace confidence and ability to apply accounting knowledge in practice.
"My supervisors were supportive, approachable, and provided valuable guidance throughout the internship," she said. "The workplace environment was welcoming and professional, which made it a great learning experience and helped me build confidence in my abilities."
From an organisational perspective, the placement also delivered value beyond student learning outcomes.
According to Sonam, the student contributed meaningfully to operational work while supporting broader team capability development.
"The placement has contributed positively by supporting operational workload while also adding value through engagement with established processes and systems," she said. "It has helped reinforce internal capability through knowledge sharing and provided opportunities to develop coaching and mentoring skills within the team."
Reflecting on the experience, Sonam described the partnership with La Trobe as seamless and rewarding.
"It has been a genuinely positive experience working with La Trobe through this placement program," she said. "The structure and support provided have made the process seamless, and it has been rewarding to see the student contribute while developing their skills. We value the relationship with the University and would be pleased to continue building on it."
For students considering a placement, Navjot encourages early preparation and a proactive approach.
"Start preparing early and make sure your resume and cover letter clearly highlight your relevant skills and experience, building professional networks and being proactive can make a real difference in securing valuable industry opportunities."
The partnership between La Trobe University and RISING Melbourne continues to demonstrate the value of industry placements in building workforce-ready graduates while supporting organisations to develop emerging talent and strengthen internal capability.
If you are a member of industry and interested in La Trobe’s student industry placement program, connect with La Trobe Talent.
La Trobe Talent will support your business throughout the process, from creating a placement description to promoting it to students and finalising the agreement.
For general industry engagement inquiries, please reach out to industry.engagement@latrobe.edu.au
