Diploma to Degree: How Work Integrated Learning supported success

Fleur Hardisty found her Diploma of Business (Public Relations) provided a strong, practical foundation to lean on as she took on the Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations).

Fleur Hardisty finished school with an ambition to explore how she could use her creative skills in her future career.

Once she had decided to study a Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) degree as her first-choice preference, she investigated the multiple pathways RMIT offered to enter the course via the College of Vocational Education.

She ended up deciding to complete the one-year Diploma of Business (Public Relations), before moving into the second year of the bachelor’s.

A woman standing in front of a black background

Fleur Hardisty says the skills she gained in her diploma have been beneficial as she’s been studying the Bachelor of Communication (PR).

“This pathway seemed like the best option, as I was able to complete two qualifications in three years and gain a really good practical foundation from the diploma,” she said.

“I’m now halfway through the second year of the bachelor’s degree and have been able to apply my practical skills I gained from the diploma to my current assignments.”

A large part of the diploma was the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) projects Fleur completed throughout the year.

One such project, a campaign for Cancer Council Victoria, resulted in Fleur presenting her assignment to the client and discussing her response to the brief.

“This experience was incredibly rewarding, as I was able to share my ideas with professionals who do this kind of work full-time,” she said.

The project she worked on for Cancer Council Victoria was called the Rethink Sugary Drink campaign. Its goal was to decrease the high levels of sugary drinks consumed by 14 to 24-year-old men in Australia.

Her approach to the campaign was called Fuelling Success and utilised well-known professional Australian athletes to encourage young Australians to make better choices for themselves.

Three men dressed as athletes stand in front of a wall, with the words ‘Rethink Sugary Drink, Fuelling Success, Cancer Council Victoria’ overlayed in front of them

Fleur’s approach to the campaign involved using well-known Australian professional athletes as spokespeople, portrayed in this mock campaign poster by her classmates.

This campaign was very different from the Cancer Council‘s current approach, with Fleur pursuing a more positive, values-based angle that empowered the end user instead of scaring them.

“Through target audience research and knowing members of the audience personally, I didn’t believe that a scare campaign would resonate in the same way as a more positive campaign about making better choices,” Fleur said.

Fleur credited her WIL experience for giving her a diverse range of communications and marketing experiences and allowing her to explore the different creative pathways for a career in communications.

“The WIL projects also gave me the experience to work with live briefs, and raised the stakes in terms of final outcomes, encouraging my class to create a final product intended for real clients to view it,” she said.

Fleur’s tenacity and work ethic led to her being nominated and ultimately awarded the 2023 Vocational Education (VE) Student of the Year Award.

“Winning the award has been quite surreal and impacted my life greatly,” Fleur said.

To be recognised in this way has been incredibly rewarding and has given me lots of valuable experiences, such as being nominated for the Victorian Training Awards for the Vocational Education Student of the Year.

Fleur particularly liked that through winning the award, she was able to share her work with bigger audiences.

“The experience of winning this award has been incredible, as I have been able to demonstrate the benefits of WIL whilst being an advocate for Vocational Education, which has been my biggest takeaway from the diploma.”

One such forum where Fleur was able to speak about her work was the recent VE staff town hall, where she presented to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Vocational Education Mish Eastman and College of VE staff at Storey Hall.

Fleur spoke about her experience completing her WIL projects and her pathway from VE to Higher Education (HE).

“It was an amazing experience presenting my work at the town hall, as I was able to share my achievements with the College staff, and learn about the future of VE at RMIT,” she said.

A website mockup for Rethink Sugary Drink, including the mockup campaign poster with three male athletes, and the words ’Fuelling Success’ overlayed on top.

Fleur was able to present the creative outputs from her WIL project, including the Rethink Sugary Drink website she redesigned using the brand colours of the Fuelling Succes campaign.

When asked what Fleur would say to a prospective student looking to study a Diploma of Business (PR), she highlighted the importance of embracing the opportunities presented to you.

She said the practical experiences she gained in the diploma were largely due to the types of assignments she worked on, and the approach she took when completing them.

“There are many projects that encourage the students to use all their skills, through written, visual and verbal communication, so it is very important to use these opportunities to prepare you for your career.”

Find out more about the Diploma of Business (Public Relations) and the pathways it creates

Story: Sheridan Van Gelderen

28 June 2023

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Diploma to Degree: How Work Integrated Learning supported success