Internships are on the rise within Australia- and its about time! We are playing catch up to the rest of the world who already integrated internships into their businesses years ago and have seen huge success with such programs.

Internships offer an economical and effective way of attracting Graduates before they have had a chance to really consider a competitor. The war for talent doesn’t just stop within the experienced employee market – its trickles down into the junior roles. Through offering internships that are meaningful and aligned to student career expectations, you can often have first pick of the type of people you want representing your organisation before anyone else can secure them.

More universities are integrating Internships into course curriculum to ensure their students are gaining hands on experience in a field related to their studies. Not only do their students come out more aware of work expectations and hence become more employable, the host company also has some high calibre help on internal projects.

By allowing keen and hungry students to concentrate on neglected (yet important) projects, you can in most cases receive some great solutions to ‘that thing’ that has been sitting on the backburner.

Internships must be looking very attractive by now! However, there are some legal considerations:

Paid Vs. Unpaid

There is a legal requirement that falls under the Fair work Act of Australia – any duties that directly result in revenue raising activities must be paid to the individual who undertook the duties. In most cases this would mean paying the intern an hourly salary to ensure you are complying legally and to ensure the intern is seriously considering your organsiation as a reputable full-time employer.

If you have a project within your business that would suit a smart and eager student, ask PATH4 how the internship process works and how you can secure one for your team.