Career Development & Employability (Sport & Exercise Science)

The College of Sport, Health and Engineering at Victoria University offers core Career Development and Employability (CDE) units as part of our undergraduate courses.

The units with placement are designed to prepare you for a career related to your course of study, in the following fields:

sport and exercise science
sport management
sport coaching
recreation
exercise physiology.

Career development & lifelong learning

Career Development & Employability units teach you career skills by providing sport, exercise and recreation industry placements linked to our curriculum. These core units are offered during the second and/or final years of most degree courses within the College.

During your placement, you'll gain a level of self-understanding that will help you to target a job that matches your personality, career values, interests and preferred job skills.

You'll also develop a career portfolio of real work achievements while studying. These will be acquired during your course through:

class-based learning in the workplace
70 or 140 hours of career placement
voluntary or paid work opportunities provided by more than 350 sport, exercise and recreation organisations.

All placements are covered by a current Career Development & Employment (CDE) placement contract that formally recognises the your involvement with a community organisation.

Check out the CDE website for the College of Sport & Exercise Science.

VU’s partnerships gave me opportunities for placements in the sporting industry. This helped me create contacts with professionals and has ultimately led to my current role.

Sharna Naidu — Master of Sports Science (Football Performance)

Sharna's story

Benefits of CDE

The CDE units and assessments will guide you to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to manage your own career progression during and following your degree. They will help you to gain self-awareness, along with a clear understanding of the career opportunities available to you.

In your applied learning, you'll develop job skills and workplace achievements. You'll also establish valuable networks in the sport, exercise science, coaching and active-recreation industry.

These networks and job skills can lead to work opportunities. Our students often find part-time jobs in industry thanks to the experience gained in their first placement. Then, in your final year, your career placement will help to position you for full-time sport, exercise, coaching and active-recreation jobs after you graduate.

All of these work opportunities mean that you graduate with an industry 'professional identity and career portfolio'. This portfolio of work achievements will help you to effectively self-market to potential employers as a standout job candidate.