You are here

Liverpool campus creating student opportunities

February 15, 2017

Liverpool campus creating student opportunities

A pathway to education and helping people navigate the legal system has opened up for Melisa Camdzic.

Melisa, from Prestons in south-west Sydney, is among the first students to start their degrees at the University of Wollongong’s new South Western Sydney campus in Liverpool.

The 20-year-old Bachelor of Arts student said she’s always had the desire to study, but put it off to join the workforce.

“I left school and thought I’d work for a bit then go back to study but it kept getting pushed back because I needed the money,” she said.

“I knew I couldn’t keep putting it off because it was something I really wanted to do.” She jumped at the chance to get into university, a process made easier through UOW College’s University Access Program (UAP).

The 14-week course helps prospective student brush up on fundamental study skills to give them the best chance of success.

“It’s a great way to refresh your study skills and meet new people,” Melisa said. “It’s made going to university after a break from school feel a little bit easier.

“At the time I left school I don’t think I was ready for university. I’m a bit older now and I’m more determined.

"I have a different outlook on life. When you have goals it gives you the motivation to succeed when you have the opportunity.”

Melisa said she has an interest in law and would eventually like to earn a law degree to help people navigate the legal system.

“We studied a little bit of law at high school and I really liked it.

"Speaking to people and hearing their stories about what happened to them when they had legal issues, that’s where I can see myself working and helping people.”

Melisa is the first in her family to go to university, a decision the location of the new campus made much easier.

“When my father migrated to Australia he had to get on with working and making a living and never really had the opportunity to study.

“Now he’s telling our whole family and all of our relatives overseas that I’m going to uni. He’s really proud.

“At the Liverpool campus, people are very easy to speak to and get information about courses, and how to get in. It’s how I made my decision, it was just so different to any other institution.”

Melisa welcomed the addition of the South Western Sydney campus, which is the first fully fledged campus in Liverpool, and the opportunity to be part of the growth and economic transformation of South Western Sydney.

“People in Sydney’s west, particularly young people, need education opportunities,” she said.

“A lot of people try to get in and for different reasons they don’t and they give up. They feel the door has closed on them.”

Together, the UOW campus and Liverpool City Council facilities provide a capacity for up to 900 students, depending on courses and scheduling arrangements.

This provides a solid base to grow towards UOW’s target of 7000 students at its South Western Sydney Campus by 2030, which will eventually relocate to a new purpose-built facility.

For the 2017 academic year, UOW’s South Western Sydney campus is offering Bachelors of Arts, Business, Business Information Systems, Computer Science and Information Technology, with time still remaining for students to amend their Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) preferences to study at the new campus.

In 2018, UOW plans to also offer Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Laws double degrees.

In 2019, UOW will open its Western Sydney Nursing Education and Research Centre (WeSNER) to help train the nurses needed to serve the Liverpool area’s growing population.