UNE SRI internships deliver outcomes for students
More than twenty students completed paid internships with UNE SMART Region Incubator (UNE SRI) in 2022-23, and all have used that experience to progress their studies, find employment, and explore opportunities to begin their own startup.
Thanks to NSW Government funding granted under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Package, UNE SRI was able to offer paid internships in Armidale during 2022-23.
According to UNE SRI Regional Connector in Armidale Cherene Spendelove, University of New England students based in the New England North West were offered the opportunity to apply for a paid internship.
“Twenty-four students benefited from this program,” she said.
“Interns had the great experience to work within the incubator and from the NOVA co-working space, or directly with founders and gaining real world experience of life as a start-up or scaleup. They had access to UNE SRI’s community of entrepreneurs, networking events, business mentors and workshops.”
Each of the interns gained knowledge and developed skills that will help them on their entrepreneurial journey or other professional pathway.
On completion of their internship:
5 interns were employed by their founder employer
2 interns gained new employment directly following internship
all continued/completed their studies and were informed and open to pursuing their entrepreneurial journey.
All of the interns gave positive feedback and stressed the value of the program - a paid professional development opportunity that fitted around their studies, and an insight into the possibilities of innovation and entrepreneurship.
“I was excited to apply for a role that would enable me to learn lots of new skills and to meet people from across the community and the University. My expectations were more than met. 9/10 I would definitely recommend the program to other students, it was a very good experience and was a good addition to my resume. I worked with very nice people and learned lots of useful skills from the staff at SRI.” Shiroq Alali
“The internship program has been a great opportunity for me. It has given me the experience and increased the skillset needed in the game development industry and has allowed me to work in a professional environment as part of a team and working with emerging technologies.” Will Russell
“The internship refined my professional research and presentation skills. Further, I gained knowledge on regional business and economics as well as early stage start-up funding in a regional/ university context.” Stephen Kinyua
“A big 10. I would highly recommend the internship program to any student wanting to take place as it has been an invaluable and enriching opportunity. The internship gave me the opportunity to apply and grow in my skills and knowledge I had gained from my University studies. This is significantly due to the resources, opportunities and talented individuals I was exposed to. Likewise, the guidance and mentorship from the dedicated and supportive team at the SRI was invaluable - the team are super dedicated and committed to their work which has made the internship program a great place for personal and career development.” Emily Wilmshurst
“I would be highly likely to recommend this program to other students due to the exposure of networking and professional development opportunities. I believe this program would especially benefit people studying a business-related degree, following an interest in start-ups and innovation, and the environment.” Chloe Cooper
“Having nearly finished my Bachelors degree in Computer Science, I was focused on lining up work that I could transition into. My wife learned about the SRI intern program through the UNE Market Day. I applied immediately and within a few hours an intro meeting was arranged and I was brought onboard at FarmLab almost immediately. Since then, I worked as much or as little as study allowed, and after my internship expired, I was offered the position as a Developer. I am happily working two days while I complete the rest of my studies.” Tully McDonald
“Definitely a 10! I could not fault the internship program and it was incredibly helpful to learn both theoretically and practically.” Alyssa McCann
This program was proudly funded by the NSW Government under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and delivered in association with Armidale Regional Council.
