Internship programs have something for everyone
Wine Australia recently trialled the value and potential of offering wine sector focused internships to university students.
Two interns from the University of Adelaide, both advanced economics students, each spent around 20 days working with the Market Insights team in the National Wine Centre offices.
‘The idea had its genesis at Board level as some of our directors have had good experiences with internship programs and thought they would be a good fit for us’, said General Manager Corporate Services, Steven Weinert.
‘We see it as a great opportunity both to promote the wine sector for undergraduate employment beyond the obvious areas of viticulture, winemaking and wine marketing, and to show others in the wine sector the potential value to their businesses.
‘We would be very happy to talk with others about how well it worked and how to go about it.’
One of the recent interns was involved with preparing a US Market Insight Report and the other a Global Supply Monitor. The US Market Insight Report is available to be downloaded via Winefacts, providing a tangible benefit for Wine Australia and our levy payers. The Global Supply Monitor is scheduled for release later this year.
The students gained valuable experience in an office environment and honed their data analysis and presentation skills.
‘It allowed us to get some things done more quickly than we probably would have with our normal capacity as well as to learn from the students and the way they applied their knowledge and experience to the task’, Steven said. ‘They brought a real enthusiasm too.’
The plan is to extend the program further, offering internships in areas such as marketing and finance, possibly in Wine Australia’s Sydney office as well as in Adelaide.
Steven said the University of Adelaide had been approached because of its strong existing ties with Wine Australia.
‘This is core business for them’, he said. ‘Like other universities, they have defined processes and take care of all the fine details, which makes it very easy from our end.’
The University of Adelaide’s Director Employability and Career Services Natalie Thompson said ‘We are delighted to be able to collaborate with Wine Australia and to create a win–win situation.’
‘University of Adelaide students benefit from being part of and exposed to a business that has a huge impact on the Australian economy and students develop their skills that can be applied to real world business situations’, she said.
‘It is a great opportunity for SA businesses to give back to university students, by providing opportunities for development to our future leaders of SA.’