St Mary's College students visit HSBC offices
After watching Hasduk Berpola (The Patterned Neckerchief) as part of the Indonesian Film Festival, 10 students from St Mary's College Seymour had the opportunity to visit three Asia Literacy Ambassadors – all working at HSBC – at their office in Melbourne on a workplace visit.
It was a great opportunity for my students to meet successful young people who use their knowledge of Asia in their work. It was great that [the Ambassadors] shared some of their personal story, as well as some tips for professional success. My students came away with some insights into the corporate world and the importance of Asia within it.
– Angela Molinaro, Indonesian teacher, St Mary's College Seymour
Winter Xu, relationship executive at HSBC, discussed Australia’s engagement with Asia through trade, explaining the role that the bank plays in facilitating this. Together with Sienty Wijaya, premier relationship manager, and Delan Daniels, business development manager, she shared with students how they started working for the bank, which countries they worked in, and how they use their language skills in their everyday work.
Angela's students enjoyed and learnt a lot from the visit, with one remarking that 'Asia is a very important part of our lives because no matter what we do we will always have something to do with it.'
Another student commented that 'to be able to truly understand the culture and economy of the country or place, you have to learn the language ... Language and communication is vital in anything that we do and will ultimately lead to the betterment of our future and growth.'
This visit was held as part of the students' VET Applied Languages Certificate, supporting the workplace units and cultural awareness aspects of the course.