Interns immersed in entrepreneurship, 2022 #futureNENW

UNE SMART Region Incubator’s internship program commenced in 2022, and so far 11 interns have worked alongside founders and the UNE SRI team.

The internships provide students with an opportunity to join the UNE SRI community of entrepreneurs through a funded program.

“With more than 60 businesses supported by the UNE SRI, there are plenty of opportunities in the New England North West for students to develop their skills, grow their networks and get excited about their own contribution to entrepreneurship and innovation in our region,” said Dr Esther Pronker, UNE SRI Academic Connector.

“In this paid program, applicants gain 120 hours of work experience parallel to their studies.”

Interns choose to either work with a founder as part of their team, or support the UNE SRI team with daily office management, marketing and event management.

Amongst the first cohort of interns were Tully McDonald and Alissa Cann.

Tully MacDonald was one of the first interns to enrol in the program. Completing a Bachelor of Computer Science, with a double major Data Science and Software Development, Tully applied with the hope of gaining practical coding experience.

“His internship with Farmlab provide that opportunity and more! After completing the 120 hour internship, Tully has been employed by FarmLab in an ongoing role.”

Alissa Cann is undertaking her internship with start-up accounting firm Altitude Business Advisory. Alissa is an accounting student at UNE and enrolled in the program as a way to gain real-life experience in the industry. 

“Alissa finds that working with Altitude has given her the confirmation she has chosen the right degree, and it even helped her improve her grades.”

Alissa Cann, intern at Altitude Business Advisory

The internship program is proudly funded by the NSW Government under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, and delivered in partnership with Armidale Regional Council.