Part of our commitment to make Tasmania the most liveable island in the world is partnering with the University of Tasmania to harness the talent of the next generation and give them the opportunity to apply theory to real-world work experience.

In March, we welcomed four interns to The Project Lab team and matched them with mentors and teams to work on assigned projects for 11 weeks. On Thursday 25th of May, we had the pleasure of attending presentations given by each, reviewing the projects they had worked on across our business development, people and culture, research and development and marketing teams.

As our CEO Ben Cashman shared after the presentations, it was clear to all that our return on investment from giving these bright and hardworking students an opportunity to be part of our team was undeniable: “The experience and output was exceptional and far outweighed our expectations. We got as much out of hosting them as we hope they have gained from their time working with us."

From the development of a brand-new product for facilitating workshops to insightful market analysis of our five sectors, the contributions that Asher Park, Georgia Norsworthy, Elliot Bagshaw and Billy Blackett made to our team was unforgettable.

The opportunity to benefit from the fresh perspective of students who are currently absorbed in the study of business and economics is something any company should be open to. Yes, there is some effort required to prepare space and resources for them, and if you want to maximise on their time and talents, then you need to create projects that will give them purpose and focus, but what we found was when you give a young person a challenge, they will rise to it and give you their all.

We’re grateful to Tim Millbank from the College of Business and Economics for assigning these individuals to our internship program – we think we may have been given the best of the bunch. Or perhaps Tasmania has exceptional talent coming through all disciplines of its university? Either way, we highly recommend running an intern program in your company.

If you would like to know more about successfully hosting interns from the University of Tasmania, reach out to our Head of People and Culture, Zara Pyke.