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Heading towards the conclusion of his secondary education, Patrick Fry had only really thought about applying himself to a trade beyond high school.
However, once he started this journey, he quickly realised it wasn’t for him, leaving him in a difficult spot as to what to do next in terms of setting himself up for a career.
“I always thought that I would go into a trade after high school and that’s what I did at Holmesglen Vocational College, but I soon realised that that wasn’t for me,” Patrick said.
“Wanting a change, I looked at pursuing something in event management, tourism and hospitality, and that came alongside with me watching a lot more NBL and following it a lot more closely.”
Luckily for Patrick, an opportunity tocombine his love of sport, while learning the ins and outs of all the aspectssurrounding what makes an elite organisation successful through the MelbourneUnited Sports and Business Program.
“I came home from work one day and I hadbeen sent a social media post about the Program and as soon as I saw it Ithought ‘why not?’.
“It offered everything I was looking for and gave me an opportunity to work in a sport I loved.”
Offering both a Diploma of Sport and Diploma of Business, the Program offers the opportunity to work alongsideMelbourne United as students develop their skills and knowledge across a variety of areas including sponsorship, project and event management, talent identification protocols, social media and marketing.
With so much on offer and being delivered and assessed by SEDA Group, Patrick was able to learn so much more than he anticipated, opening up a wide range of pathways for him to pursue down the track.
“Being able to learn within such a professional and elite level environment within the Program and within Melbourne United made me realise that this might be what I wanted to do for a career,” he explained.
“There were so many things that I had never thought about doing like coaching, membership or media, but the Program allowed me to see how they operated and learn so much more than I anticipated.”
Whether those coming into the Program are basketball fans or not, Patrick said simply being surrounded by an elite organisation like Melbourne United and its players, while getting to hear their stories and work alongside them at practices.
“There’s no words to describe what the opportunity to work alongside these elite athletes is like,” he said.
“At the start I know I was really in awe of the guys around us. Getting to hear from the likes of Dean Vickerman and ChrisGoulding, it was really special. It was amazing to get an opportunity to go on placement and work with them and the United staff.”
With so many students like Patrick havingcome away from the Program having learnt so much, the Melbourne United Sportsand Business Program is perfect for those wanting to gain a broad knowledgeabout a range of professional aspects.
To find out more about the Program, register your interest for our information evening at Hoop City Cheltenham on 7 June.
Melbourne United works in collaboration with SEDA Group RTO: 22503 on marketing and promotional services relating to the recruitment of prospective students for this Program.
