Angus Richards

The opportunities to grow, network and succeed offered by the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) to graduating student Angus Richards is what he believes sets the career-focused higher education institute apart from the rest.

These fundamental attributes of ICMS, which focuses on mentoring individual students to personal success in their professional lives, is woven into the ethos of the college, located in Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW, and in the city of Sydney.

Angus Richards shares his journey of mentorship and growth at ICMS

“At ICMS, I’ve had so many more opportunities to grow, network and succeed then I ever thought I would have. Every step of the way I was mentored to succeed as a professional, so I could continue doing so after my studies,” Richards said.

Richards graduates with an ICMS Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) in April 2022. He is graduating with experience in the industry of his choice thanks to the ICMS Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program after industry placements at GWS Giants and Tirian Innovative Solutions.

The WIL program, which is built into every degree offered at ICMS, is run by a dedicated team where each student is placed in an internship role that will give valuable practical experience to supplement academic skills and knowledge.

“The first person I spoke to was my Student Advisor Nadia who was excellent in outlining the benefits of ICMS as an institution that cares about each student as an individual person. She explained the opportunities to grow as a young professional and the ability to gain experience and network within the sports industry. ICMS didn’t have just one specific thing that stood out but rather a collective which made the institution the one for me,” Richards said.

Angus Richards gained valuable industry training before graduating

Working in the ticketing and membership departments at the GWS Giants and an internship assisting accounts, social media and online workshops at Tirian, a global company specialising in organisation transformation through strategic innovation, helped Richards gain real world experience.

“I aim to continue building my career within the sports industry through the connections I made in my degree and industry training. My ultimate goal is to either run my own company as a sports professional or work as an executive in a large national sporting organisation,” he said.

While the industry training offered as part of his ICMS degree was a major drawcard, Richards said the support he felt throughout his student experience at the beautiful natural environment of ICMS’ main campus in Northern Beaches was equally important.

“There were numerous lecturers who had an impact on me. They would be more than happy to offer their time outside of the classroom, meet up for a coffee on campus or provide feedback on draft assignments. On top of that they wanted me to succeed as a person after my studies. I genuinely believe that sort of help and care for students is unique to ICMS and is certainly something I am very grateful for.” Richards made use of the Student Success Centre (SSC), a part of the broader mentorship ecosystem put in place by ICMS to enable students to access help and support with academic and wellness issues.

“I visited the SSC numerous times for extra class materials to help with essay writing and presentations. Also, at the start of every trimester, I would sit down with one of the staff members and work out a study plan.”

Individual attention is also given to students in preparation for future job interviews, something which Richards appreciated and which has helped him have confidence in his ability to secure his future dream job.

“The WIL interview process and personal mentoring helped me to pinpoint my weaknesses and how to go about combatting them, while putting in place practices to address them. The help I received has made me confident with my ability to present and sell my individual brand.” Angus Richards shared.

Beside industry connections, ICMS’ smaller class sizes presented networking opportunities among fellow domestic and international students who could all feasibly become future career connections as well. “Not only does ICMS provide the opportunity to build new connections during the nine months industry training but also in your own classrooms. Personalised learning allowed me to build stronger connections with classmates, which fostered a culture where students would push each other to improve,” he said.

“Being able to make friends with people from all over the world during my time living on ICMS campus is something I will never forget. I continue to keep in touch with many of them, and plan to visit many of them when I travel through Europe.”

Richards appreciated, in hindsight, the various ways in which ICMS was big enough to connect him, but small enough to connect with him. “Now that I’m graduating, looking back over my three years I was able to participate in Open Days, School talks and ICMS events, be a part of the student ambassador and residential leadership programs, work at the GWS Giants, Tirian Innovation Solutions and at ICMS,” he said.

“Industry training, location, personalisation, diversity, and opportunities to succeed set ICMS apart right from the time I began exploring higher education study options.”