(Note - this blog was written a couple of weeks ago but has had to go through a process to confirm that all of the details are correct and not breaching confidentiality).
It’s nearly the end of semester and my work experience time is drawing to a close. For those people doing this unit in future I would definitely recommend trying to get as many days done as possible outside of semester time.
I have found juggling my studies with two days of work experience a week quite hard, but I am finally getting through them.
Following on from my last blog entry I have been working on many different projects as well as my main assignment – the Visitor Information Brochure.
In my previous blog entry I mentioned that I am doing my placement with BHP Billiton Nickel West and that I may be attending some of the sites to experience different types of Public Relations jobs.
After writing a media release (so really we did need to spend all that time learning about and practising writing them in class!) about BHP Billiton’s increased sponsorship of the Clontarf Foundation (a local foundation that sets up football academies across WA and the NT to increase the attendance and retention levels of indigenous male students) I was sent out to spend a day at the Kwinana Nickel Refinery (KNR) where one of the Clontarf graduates now works as an apprentice.
While at KNR I was to interview and photograph the apprentice for my release and spend time with Lorna Petchell, Community Relations and Communications Coordinator, finding out about her role at the refinery.
Unfortunately due to circumstances I wasn’t able to meet with the apprentice and get the interview and photographs, despite having booked a photographer for the day. It was still a great learning experience though because it really shows the kinds of things that PR people have to deal with all the time. In order to arrange this Alison (my supervisor) and I had to ensure that the talent and all of the props required for the photo shoot were ready, also we had to make sure that all of the people knew when they had to be where, questions for the interview needed to be prepared and so did a photo brief for the photographer. Clearly, despite this level of planning, things can still go wrong, like the interviewee not showing up for work on the day of the interview and shoot.
This experience really showed me that even though planning is important you still need to accommodate for changes outside of your control. Luckily, a photo shoot was planned for the next week which meant we were able to get the photos we needed for the media release.
Regardless of these issues I was still able to spend time with Lorna and experience the role that she plays.
I was also sent out to the Mt Keith Operation (MKO), which is in central WA for a day. I caught the plane from the domestic airport at 5.30am with the Fly-In, Fly-Out (FIFO) workers.
When the plane landed at Mt Keith I was greeted by the lady I would be working with for the day, Jen Scott – Community and Aboriginal Affairs Coordinator for the Northern Goldfields operations.
Jen works with the Aboriginal communities of Wiluna and Leonora to create mutually beneficial relationships between the communities and BHP Billiton. MKO is on Aboriginal land and so BHP Billiton wants to build good relationships with the communities.Not only promoting the relationship between BHP Billiton and the communities, Jen too works on the Indigenous Participation Strategy. This means that she encourages locals to apply for jobs with BHPB and also works with community leaders to create sustainable community programmes. Some of the projects she is working on at the moment involve developing the schools and showing community members how to grow fresh fruit and vegetables, something that they have little access too in such a remote area.
I found working with Jen really amazing; driving out to Wiluna was a particularly interesting experience. We went out to the community on a day that happened to be a funeral day on which the entire community stops to attend the funeral, which sometimes doesn’t start for hours because they have to wait for the most important community members to attend.
When we got out to Wiluna – which is the location where the last of the Australian nomads settled – we met with the Chairpersons of the community to discuss the projects that Jen is working on with them.
After this we went out to the police station to liaise with them and find out about the occurrences of the last week – since Jen’s last visit – and then we went to the school.
The school is an important part of the visit because BHP Billiton works with the school to promote education - through their literacy program. At the school we visited the pre primary class where Jen was clearly well known to the children and I was also greeted enthusiastically. I took photos while Jen worked with the kids on class activities.
Both of my experiences with the communications professionals at these locations were very rewarding and showed me the different ways that communications can be applied in comparison to the way it is applied in the Central Park offices.
Next time I will tell you about the things I have been doing in the office, such as media releases, speeches and articles for newsletters,
That’s all for now,
Jordan Pieterse
13635084
Curtin University Bentley Campus
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