Local Student Gets Real Experience in the Corporate World
4 May 2007
As an accounting student at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT), Macleod resident Tara Shannon never expected to deal with the reality of corporate business.
But Tara, 33, has just been elected as NMIT student representative on the NMIT Council which meets every two months to discuss business on a corporate level.
Tara, a single mother with two young children, Darby, 3 ½ and Riley 2, is a second-year student in the Diploma of Accounting and enrolled at NMIT after a peripatetic lifestyle that involved roughing it in shearing sheds around Australia and horse studs in NSW and Victoria.
She needed to provide a more secure home for her two children and opted for a more sedate existence as an accountant.
She said that as a member of the NMIT Council, a tenure until early next year, she will gain practical insights into how the business world actually works and would contribute to her personal development as well as her professional development.
'I really have no idea of how big business operates and this a great opportunity for networking with successful business people on the Council where I can see for myself how it all works,' Tara said.
Tara will have the opportunity to present a report of recent student activities by the Department of Student Services. She will also be a voice for students and raise issues that are brought to her.
'I'll also see financial reports and being an accounting student, I've always been dealing with textbook reports so seeing the real thing will enable me to achieve a greater level of understanding and appreciation of the financial dealings of a corporate entity.'
Tara added that being in an environment with successful business people would also boost her confidence and enhance her communication skills and knowledge on a business level.
'It will be a positive learning experience from all aspects.'
