Designing a project management career

One of the best things was that my course coordinator had really good industry connections, which led to career opportunities for us. It feels really amazing that I've already found a job in my field.

Lahiru Gunawardena
Master of Project Management

Studying project management at Victoria University (VU) gave Lahiru Gunawardena in-demand skills and industry connections that advanced his civil engineering career.

“I’m from Sri Lanka and I was working there as a site engineer before I came to Melbourne for postgrad studies.

“I chose VU for the Master of Project Management because the course is endorsed by the Australian Institute of Project Management, and it includes real-world applications and experiences. I also saw that VU offers great facilities and has so many services.

“Our teaching staff were all experienced engineers who managed to tie everything into real-world examples, which made it really interesting.”

Support to succeed

“With the VU Block Model, you only do one subject at a time, which helps you manage and balance your study, professional and personal life.

“While I was studying, I had a lot of support from the VU Learning Hubs. They helped me with referencing and provided other academic support.

“I also used VU Employ and the Career Hub, which helped me write my cover letters and improve my resume. They also helped me prepare for interviews, which definitely increased my employability.”

Industry connections & opportunities

“One of the best things about my degree was that my course coordinator had really good industry connections.

“He constantly introduced us to industry professionals, which gave us great career opportunities. I believe almost everyone in my cohort got job opportunities because of that.

“At one of our workshops, I met someone from Aurecon, which is an engineering, project management and design consultancy, so even before graduating, I got the opportunity to work part-time with them.”

Building his own future

“Now that I've graduated, I work full-time at Aurecon as a project design coordinator. It's really great that I am able to apply everything I learned at VU in my work.

“Project management really comes down to relationships and I'm constantly negotiating with my colleagues and stakeholders to ensure that projects get delivered within budget, time and scope.

“It feels really amazing that I've already found a job in my field and I'm really thankful to VU that it provided me with all the skills and support I need to succeed.”