The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Outdoor Recreation program takes students from the classroom into nature to better promote healthy lifestyles and positive relationships with the outdoors.
Notre Dame’s Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation degree is designed to meet a growing demand in Western Australia for individuals who aspire to work in the outdoor industry.
Throughout the program, students experience training in white-water kayaking, sea kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, abseiling, bushwalking and other outdoor activities to best prepare them for a career in the great outdoors.
The course, delivered on the university’s Fremantle campus, is also intended to provide students with unparalleled opportunities to build their leadership skills and apply them in the outside world for the benefit of others.
Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation graduate and current Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) student, Laura Upton, says studies in Health Sciences have allowed her to confidently pursue her dream career in Outdoor Recreation.
“Outdoor education offers a setting for experiential learning, personal development, group development and leadership development to take place. When I started the degree, I was very shy and self-conscious when interacting with professional outdoor leaders in the industry and leading student groups. Now that I am equipped with many useful skills, I am confident that I can be a good leader in any setting,” Ms Upton said.
Designed to incorporate a unique balance of theory and practice, the aim of the course is to build students’ skills in developing and implementing needs-based, enjoyable and safe outdoor programs for clients of all ages.
Outdoor education can open up a number of career prospects: developing adventure tourism and eco-tourism attractions; instructing in outdoor recreation and outdoor education in the school setting; and a number of recreation roles within government, to name a few.
Coordinator of the Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation program, Duncan Picknoll, said students are required to undertake at least 300 hours of work in the field, which includes group leading expedition programs, made possible by strong partnerships with peak industry bodies.
“The degree has attracted the support of the outdoor industry to ensure we have quality outdoor leaders for future generations. We have strong relationships with independent, Catholic and government schools, the Department of Sport and Recreation and leading outdoor providers of educational and tourism-based programs,” Mr Picknoll said.
The highlight of the degree for many students is the Final Expedition stage, where third-year students plan and implement their own five-day expedition. In 2015, Outdoor Recreation students planned a bushwalking expedition, including roping-based activities, to Dales Gorge in the Karijini National Park.
“It was great to practically apply and improve the skills we learnt over the course of our degree. I thought there was something really special about directly using the resources of the land to meet our needs for survival, such as filling up fresh water from the Gordon Falls,” Ms Upton said.
To learn more about how you could pursue a meaningful career in outdoor recreation, visit www.nd.edu.au/fremantle/schools/healthsci/outdoor-recreation.
Applications are still open for 2016! Apply direct – notredame.edu.au.