Canterbury students tackle career options as interns for the Crusaders
Students at the University of Canterbury are getting valuable, real-life experience working for one of the country’s leading rugby teams, the Crusaders.
University of Canterbury student Cameron Clement (second from left) with other Crusaders interns and members of the Crusaders franchise, including Chief Executive Colin Mansbridge (far right), next to University of Canterbury Director of Marketing, Recruitment and International Relations Tracey Wilson.
Most of the students are in their final year of a Bachelor of Sport Coaching degree – the only one of its kind in New Zealand – but one is studying Journalism and two are studying towards postgraduate degrees in Sport Science.
The student interns have taken on different projects for the Crusaders, such as performance analysis, strength and conditioning training, event management and communications and media work.
They’ve worked for the team for more than 120 hours this year on top of their regular studies, including helping out at every Crusaders home game.
Cameron Clement, 21, who is in his final year of a Bachelor of Sport Coaching majoring in Sport Leadership and Management with a minor in Marketing, has been working on digital content creation, analytics and event management for the Crusaders as part of the internship programme. “I think the biggest thing for me was that I don’t feel like an intern, I feel like I can add value to the organisation which is really awesome.”