At OES, we believe in investing in the future and that starts with our interns. Our interns bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to the table, and we value their contributions to our teams. Not only do they gain valuable hands-on experience in their field, but they also have the opportunity to work on real projects and make an impact on our company.
In this blog, we chat with Niraj Perera, a Senior Multimedia Specialist who completed an internship in the Digital Learning Specialist team in 2019, before continuing on full time.
What were you studying at university? How did the responsibilities of your role relate to your studies?
I studied a Bachelor of Film and Television (Honours). The internship taught me real-life workplace skills that I would not normally encounter in a classroom, I also had the opportunity to experience situations firsthand which taught me how to come up with the best solutions.
What responsibilities were given to you as an intern?
My job was to consult and collaborate closely with Learning Designers and the Learning Design team to streamline the design of multimedia assets. My key responsibility was to deliverer high quality multimedia across all our partners.
When I joined OES as an intern there wasn’t an established multimedia department for learning design. I was the first Multimedia specialist to join the DLS team and my key responsibility was to build efficiencies in our production workflow and be proactive in servicing all of the avenue’s OES delivers to our partners.
I was also given the opportunity to create solutions and engaging narrative experiences outside of the Learning Design team working with HR, Growth, Teaching teams, Marketing, and the Executive for staff engagement projects.
What made you choose OES to do your internship?
There were many jobs that matched my experience in film/video production. Since I have never worked in the education industry, I was willing to commit to a career in this sector. the Multimedia specialist role offered by OES was a career that I have never thought about before, and I believed it would provide invaluable experience and help me to establish a professional network in the industry.
What skills did you gain from the experience?
- Producing Multimedia assets for education
- Consulting and Collaborating
- Taking ownership and responsibility
- Stakeholder management
- Communication skills
What were your goals after completing your internship?
By the end of my internship, I wanted to develop all the skills required to be a Multimedia specialist and apply for a permanent position at OES.
I was offered a permanent role as a Multimedia specialist at the end of my internship.
Have you found that your mentors have been/were supportive during your internship and towards your future career?
My Mentor provided me with invaluable career guidance navigating me to a better career path.
What do you like the most about working at OES?
As an intern I liked the great culture and good work life balance with a blended style of working from home.
Management makes a genuine effort to create a positive environment with development opportunities.
Lots of learning opportunities to gain knowledge for career growth.
How do you combine your studies with your internship commitments?
During my internship I worked 5 days and sometimes found less time to work on my studies, however while balancing my studies and an internship it gave me an opportunity to develop my time-management skills.
I found that it was doable if I stuck to a strict schedule. And it payed off in the end…
What does the future look like for you?
I have been working for OES since 2019, and I’m looking forward to gaining more experience and grow my career in multimedia to support the education industry.
