MAKE HOLIDAYS WORK

THE summer study break is the ideal time to get a headstart on your career because of opportunities to undertake university placements or seek out an apprenticeship.

Far from winding down for Christmas, summer represents one of the peak work periods for many in the vocational sector and can be a good time for hopeful apprentices and trainees to hunt job openings.

For example, TAFE Queensland interim chief executive Mary Campbell says cookery apprentices and hospitality students are in high demand over the Christmas holiday period.

“Many are rostered on for split shifts — starting from 5am for breakfast services, working through the lunchtime rush until 2pm and returning for dinner services at 5pm, only to finish around midnight,’’ she says.

With energy consumption at its peak, Campbell says electricians, as well as airconditioning and refrigeration technicians, are also in high demand during summer and urges those considering vocational training to make the most of the increased demand.

“It’s an ideal time for people interested in an apprenticeship or traineeship to start looking for a potential host employer or to seek casual work (or) work experience to gain skills in industries they aspire to build a career in,’’ she says.

Macquarie University career and employment manager Julie Doherty says the summer study break is a chance for university students to undertake an internship, away from the busyness of semester study time.

Doherty says summer intern applications for large organisations often close midyear but it is not too late to apply for a placement at many small to medium companies.

“There’s been a big shift towards employers preferring to try before they buy (when it comes to hiring potential employees) and internships are a good way of letting them do that,’’ Doherty says.

“But if you’re not doing an internship, then do something else that counts — it might be community service or volunteering, or it might be travelling overseas with a student club or society. Do something that will look good on your resume and shows you haven’t frittered the three months (before study resumes next year) away.’’

Kirsten Quach, in the third year of a double degree in commerce and law, says internships are much easier to undertake during semester breaks.

Quach, 19, is nearing the end of a year-long internship with technology giant IBM and says university holidays is when she has benefited the most from her work placement.