Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, and the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) are together delivering a new program to boost the capacity of the state's flourishing food and beverage sector.
The WA Food Industry Education Collaboration Program is offering paid internships for tertiary students, as well as support for host businesses in food manufacturing, production, processing and technology.
Twenty paid internships are available to undergraduate and postgraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students from university, TAFE and VET institutions.
Facilitation and financial assistance will also be provided to businesses to help host interns.
The interns will be employed by the host businesses to undertake real-world projects that benefit the businesses, providing valuable experience and supporting future employment opportunities.
Liz Crompton, CSIRO's WA Food and Industry Education Collaboration Program Lead, said the program would provide a two-way benefit to interns and host businesses – nurturing future high quality employees, while supporting industry growth.
"Through this program, CSIRO will facilitate student and employer matching to support WA businesses with high-quality STEM interns, particularly in regional and remote areas," Ms Crompton said.
"While the program's primary objectives include retaining skilled STEM talent in WA, we also aim to build and strengthen connections between industry and tertiary education institutions."
Kim Antonio, DPIRD's Food Industry Innovation Manager, encouraged interested students and businesses to explore how the WA Food Industry Education Collaboration Program would benefit their future.
"These DPIRD-supported, paid internships will provide real-life, hands-on work experience, giving students practical skills, experience and industry connections to launch their careers," he said.
"The program will showcase the sector as a valuable employment option and provide students an opportunity to apply theory and skills on meaningful projects in an important industry sector.
"We'd love to hear from WA food and beverage businesses interested in hosting a student to work on a STEM related technical solution to support their business growth."
