AELC Internship Australia Program

UK Graduate Unemployment Highest in 12 years

Michael — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:54:14 +0000

Graduate unemployment has become a major problem in the UK, with uncertain economic conditions and increasing student numbers combining to mean many graduates are unable to find degree- relevant work for years after they graduate.

A recent survey in the UK found that 90% of SMEs don’t plan to take on any graduates in 2010, a fact that will worry many young people about to graduate in May. The high competition between graduates will be intensified further by the fact that this year there will be large numbers of graduates from 2009 who are still searching for a position.

Having a degree of any class is no longer the ticket to secure a good job and decent salary. Employers recognize that academic smarts doesn’t mean a candidate will make a good employee. The global accounting firm KPMG has changed its recruitment processes now so that they focus on finding all-rounders with the personal and professional skills that will mean they can begin interacting successfully with customers from day one.

The reality of the situation now is every vacancy attracts so many applicants that employers can afford to be choosey. They can focus only on the candidates that stand out. The savvy university student or graduate will seek out ways to make sure they stand out when they submit an application. One of the best ways to do this is with an International Internship – one that builds your professional skills and allows you to grow as a person and future employee.

Who knows, the organization you intern with might even love you so much they employ you! We’ve seen it happen a number of times.

Accounting Internship leads to paid position

Michael — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:45:21 +0000

Commerce student Viral Shah recently completed an internship placement with boutique accounting firm Cafferelli and Associates, in Perth, but will go back and work for them as a paid employee in the new year. Viral found the experience extremely enjoyable and he “got a whole new professional approach” which he feels will be extremely beneficial to him post-graduation.
Viral explains:

“I had no prior experience of working in a typical corporate world before I went for the internship. I have always excelled in education but when I went for work the first day, I was taken aback with how absolutely things differed from what we learned from the textbooks.
I met a whole lot of lovely people during my internship and I reckon networking is very vital in the business field. I started getting to know about how to behave in a workplace, how to work with client documents, how to act in a meeting with the principal and how to work with the customers.”

Caffarelli and Associates is a boutique accounting firm in West Perth, who’s clients range from individuals and family run businesses to large privately held companies, locally and nationally. They specialise in property, high end retail, hospitality, media, agriculture,technology, manufacturing, professional services and construction, also offering special attention to the arts and entertainment industries and not for profit organizations. They enjoyed hosting Viral, and look forward to working with him this year as well.
Summing up his experience, Viral said:

“I would personally recommend such internships to all I can because they abridge ones way into the professional world and Australia is in the need of people who have prior experience and are also ready for dealing with people. The certificate you get after finishing your internship comes in handy when you are searching for your career job and sometimes you can also score a job with your host organisation like I did!”

AELC Internship leading to Export Contract

Michael — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:08:51 +0000

“A wonderful learning experience” is how Roger Barroga describes his internship with the organization Landgate. Roger, a PhD student at the University of Western Australia, wanted his internship to give him an Australian perspective on his field of study – remote satellite Imaging for agriculture. Landgate were approached by the AELC team because the respected government organization has a special unit which develops and manages remote sensing technology and has contracts throughout Asia to distribute the data produced.

During his internship Roger worked within two different departments at Landgate, learning about their services and how they are delivered to help small local farmers in WA. This gave him the opportunity to meet with many of the senior people involved in that area of the business and learn from them.

Roger was invited to give a small seminar to his division about how satellite remote sensing could help manage the risks involved with rice production back in the Philippines. This presentation was so well received that Roger also developed a draft proposal for Landgate to provide a basic rice production management system for the Philippines Department of Agriculture, for whom he works. So, an international contract helping rice farmers in the Philippines could come about because of Roger’s short internship placement.

Summing up his experience, Roger said “It has been a wonderful learning experience, both on the subject matter, and as a worker joining the rush hour and office life in Australia.”

Workplace Etiquette and Internships

Michael — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:14:14 +0000

Workplace etiquette, or rather the lack of it in the workplace, is one of the hot issues of the day. Every week without fail we are answering queries, being interviewed by press and developing courses for organisations throughout the country.
So what is workplace etiquette and why are we obsessed with getting it right? Wikipedia describes it as a code that governs the expectations of social behaviour in a workplace, in a group or a society. Work Etiquette tells the individual how to behave when dealing with situations in a working environment, however trivial the situation is. Office etiquette in particular applies to co-worker interaction and communication with fellow colleagues. It is the natural courtesy we extend to those with whom we work.
Many young people entering the professional workplace for the first time have never had the chance to develop good workplace etiquette skills. University equips you well in terms of technical skills, but not so much with the practical skills of basic report writing, professional telephone manner or even how to shake hands properly. Workplace etiquette is an even bigger issue for international students entering an Australian workplace for the first time, with different cultural customs coming into play as well.
That’s why we have developed a Workplace Etiquette training module especially for our interns to complete before their placement. The module covers topics like first impressions, professional conduct, communication and open plan office environments. Completing the module helps interns to prepare for their placement and feel more comfortable and confident on their arrival, and ensures host organizations that the intern is ready to be a professional and productive team member. The module is included in all of our internship programs.