UWA Master of Information Technology student Peitong (David) Du applied his technical skills to strengthen internal systems and improve service delivery during his McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with People Who Care.
The McCusker Centre for Citizenship partners with People Who Care, an organisation that directly impacts positively on the lives of older people, veterans and people with disabilities.
This aligned with David’s goal to connect his studies to benefit the community.
“I wanted the practical side of my degree to connect with something that genuinely helps people, rather than completing another classroom project,” he said. “It felt like a meaningful way to contribute to Perth while building real industry experience.”
During his internship, David worked on an IT Project Forms and Workflow initiative, developing a Supplier Compliance Management System for the organisation. He replaced a manual, spreadsheet-based process with a streamlined digital solution using Microsoft Power Platform tools, including Power Apps, Dataverse, Power Automate and SharePoint, supported by a Power BI dashboard.
In addition, David implemented an automated vendor document approval workflow, supported the rollout of Multi-Factor Authentication to strengthen data security, and contributed to cleaning and analysing service data linked to community programs.
His supervisors, Tracey Davenport and Monique Douglas, highlighted both his capability and impact.
“David is a reliable team player—kind, thoughtful, and always willing to help,” they said. “His ability to learn quickly and apply practical solutions had a positive impact in a short period of time.”
A key highlight for David was seeing the practical application of his work within the organisation.
“The most rewarding part was seeing something I built actually being used,” he said. “Turning a fragile, manual spreadsheet process into a working digital system made the work feel real in a way university assignments don't.”
Reflecting on his experience, David said the internship broadened his understanding of how technology supports frontline community services.
“It opened my eyes to how much administrative and behind-the-scenes work sits behind frontline community care, and how directly good systems support good service,” he said.
Through his work, David contributed to improving operational efficiency and data security within People Who Care, enabling staff to focus more on supporting clients.
“The systems I worked on reduce the time staff spend on manual administration, which frees them to focus on client care,” he said.
David believes the experience has been highly valuable for his professional development, both technically and in terms of working within a real organisational environment.
“I learned how to gather requirements, communicate with stakeholders and deliver a solution that fits a real organisation’s needs and limitations,” he said.
“The internship gives you applied, portfolio-worthy experience while you're still studying, and the work genuinely matters to the organisation you're placed with,” he said.
Image: David with his supervisor, Tracy Davenport (Chief Financial Officer)