Swinburne University of Technology’s Adobe Digital Coaches help bring your study and research to life

As Australia’s first Adobe Creative Campus, all Swinburne students and staff have free access to the full suite of Adobe design programs.

Swinburne’s Adobe Digital Coaches have played a key part in delivering our student engagement program. The coaching team regularly runs workshops and daily drop-in sessions for students to raise awareness on how they can use the Adobe Creative Cloud to enhance their learning.

The Digital Coaches have also been involved in a number of other Swinburne initiatives and student-led engagement programs such as screen printing workshops, portfolio workshops, showcasing student work, Pride Week, Orientation and more.

Meet the team
Emily Gittins
Proud Gumbaynggirr/Barkindji woman Emily Gittens started a UniLink Diploma of Design in 2019 and went on to pursue a Bachelor of Design and a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Communication Design and Marketing.

Emily Gittins with a graphic background and text reading ‘meet emily gittens’ by adobe digital coaches
Emily joined as an Adobe Digital Coach in 2021 and has since been instrumental in promoting student engagement through student workshops, O Week events and designing social media campaigns to promote Adobe Hub activities.

“What I really like is the student engagement part of the role. I love just collaborating with students, seeing what they have to offer and help elevating their knowledge and skills.”

Upon graduating, Emily plans to enrol in a Masters of Education to become a secondary teacher.

Emily says that becoming an Adobe Digital Coach has helped her grow and connect with her professional purpose.

“A lot of jobs require digital skills, so being a coach has given me the confidence to apply my skills through presenting and facilitating workshops for students. I think this will definitely help me in my teaching career.”

Rohan Gerrard
Rohan studied a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Communication Design and User Experience & Interaction Design. He also has a successful freelance design business alongside his role as an Adobe Digital Coach.

Photo of Rohan with graphics labelling ‘meet’ rohan gerrard from adobe digital coaches
Starting from the conception of the Adobe Hub, Rohan has seen how the program has evolved, and with it, students’ digital fluency.

“It’s been amazing to see the transformation of the digital skill level across the university, which is really evident in the questions being asked in our workshops drop-in sessions. During my first year as an Adobe Digital Coach, at least half these questions were about how to sign into an app or how to get a general sense of what the Adobe tools can do and why students should use them. Now, students have a particular project in mind and are coming to us with questions on how they can innovate and bring it to life with Adobe apps. Seeing this change has been the best part of being a coach.”

Speaking of the personal and professional growth he has experienced from being an Adobe Digital Coach, Rohan says that the capabilities he has developed align closely with Swinburne Graduate Attributes.

“Working in a really tight team has been great and has certainly given me collaborative skills and capabilities that I can take into other roles, such as project management and financial literacy.”

Sylvio Abisha
Having completed a Bachelor of Design degree in 2016, and a Master of Design in 2020, Sylvio now shares his knowledge and journey of being a designer with Swinburne students to inspire their creativity.

Sylvio Abisha with a graphic reading ‘meet sylivio abisha’ by adobe digital coaches
“It’s been wonderful to return to campus and see how students want to visit the Adobe Hub to explore new ways of using the Adobe suite. It’s really been taken to a new level this year and it feels like the types of things they want to ask and share… they’re really engaged and passionate about what they are doing”.

With a natural flare for design, Sylvio is a go-to for all things design within the Adobe Digital Coach team and loves collaborating on new and exciting projects.

“I learn a lot from all the coaches, everyday I’m learning new things as I’m working in the team. I’m always pushed out of my comfort zone, which really motivates me to keep learning.”

With many diverse interest and skillsets, Sylvio also works as a Kindergarten educator, inspiring the next generation of creative problem solvers.