Key points
- Our Generation STEM Links Program (Generation STEM Links) provides high-quality internships to help tertiary students gain workplace skills and transition into STEM jobs after graduation.
- Generation STEM Links provides end-to-end recruitment support, along with a $2,500 grant per student.
- Wagga Wagga City Council noted ease of workload, help with recruitment and financial support had an impact to the success of their experience. 100 per cent of supervisors surveyed in 2024 said Generation STEM Links met or exceeded their expectations.
- 90 per cent of student participants surveyed in 2024 said Generation STEM Links met or exceeded their expectations. Through Generation STEM Links, participant Olivia was able to receive paid, hands-on experience with Wagga Wagga City Council in her field of study and explore a new regional lifestyle.
- Both Wagga Wagga City Council and intern, Oliva expressed how successful the internship was, gaining meaningful skills and experience from both perspectives, drawing on their diverse experiences to inspire and empower each other in a traditionally male-dominated space. Leading the way for women in STEM, encouraging others to pursue careers in environmental science.
The challenge
Employers are seeking candidates with experience, but how do you get experience? Times have changed since you were able to simply walk into an organisation and hand in your resume.
As a student, the process of gaining experience can feel overwhelming. While there are many opportunities, how do you know if you meet the criteria and find the right one for you?
Or, as an employer you would love the opportunity to mentor a student, however you are worried about how and where to find candidates. Are they the right fit for your organisation? Will the experience benefit you both?
For students like Olivia Hadley, studying a Bachelor of Science and Advanced Studies at the University of Sydney, and organisations like Wagga Wagga City Council, this challenge is all too real. But they found a solution: Our Generation STEM Links program. This program offers paid, high-quality internships, providing the crucial stepping stone students need to launch their STEM careers.
The opportunity
Through the Generation STEM Links application process, Olivia was matched with Wagga Wagga City Council as an environmental science intern.
We hear from Olivia, her supervisor Samantha Pascall, Environmental Officer and Mel Risby, People and Culture Officer, about how they have drawn from their diverse experiences to inspire and empower each other in a traditionally male-dominated space.
Why Generation STEM Links?
The limited opportunities to receive experience in her field of study and ease of application inspired Olivia to sign-up to Generation STEM Links.
“It was an opportunity that was open to students who were still studying, which can be quite rare. The fact that it was an environmental science-based internship was an added bonus, as hands-on experience in the field before graduating can be hard to come by," Olivia explained.
“The application was straight-forward and clearly outlined what was expected in the application.”
As a supervisor, Samantha was drawn to participate in the program to pay her experience forward and highlight the benefits of working regionally.
“During my studies I was fortunate enough to have been hosted by some amazing regional companies for work experience. This provided me with much needed knowledge and guidance in what my career could look like after study," Samantha shared.
“As a Supervisor, I wanted to provide that same experience and knowledge for current students. I wanted to showcase the positive and exciting opportunities working regionally can provide.”
People and Culture Officer, Mel, looks after the Council’s trainees, apprentices, cadets, work experience and interns. She was attracted to Generation STEM Links as it serviced regional areas, helped the organisation financially and assisted with workloads.
"As a Local Government organisation, we need to be strategic with our time and resources. Having an intern through Generation STEM Links has allowed us to pro-actively work on an important project that we would not have had the time and resources to do so otherwise. Being regional, we would not normally have access to interns in this particular field, so it was beneficial in showcasing the work we do regionally and giving a ‘city’ student that type of opportunity” Mel said.
What was achieved?
Olivia's internship wasn't just about filing papers. She played a role in protecting and working to grow the local Squirrel Glider population. These small, nocturnal
marsupials are crucial to the ecosystem, but habitat loss is a growing threat to their survival. Olivia was tasked with auditing nest boxes, checking their condition and making recommendations.
“I was responsible for conducting audits on all the Squirrel Glider nest boxes within Council reserves. I assessed their quality, functionality and usage, identified any that required replacing, and made recommendations for relocating or installing new nest boxes,” Olivia said.
Olivia delved into research on nest box design and data collection methods. This hands-on conservation experience enabled her to apply her university studies and gave her a taste of real-world impact.
"All of the data was mapped with the intention of streamlining the auditing process for the future. Additionally, I researched the structural improvements in nest box design, optimal maintenance and auditing schedules and additional data collection methods for the auditing process," Olivia explained.
How to find the perfect match
Generation STEM Links puts an emphasis on matching the right candidate with the right organisation. Olivia spoke to the successful pairing.
“It was an incredible match! The tasks and projects that Council has been focusing on are varied, exciting and immensely fascinating. Initially, I was nervous that I didn’t have a great amount of experience in environmental engineering, but I was reassured when I met my supervisor."
“The amount of autonomy and freedom I had in managing and facilitating my projects really allowed me to delve deep into various research topics, take ownership of my work and create meaningful contributions - aligning with my main goal of gaining a hands-on, meaningful and new learning experience,” she added.
Samantha, her supervisor, was impressed by how simple it was to find the right candidate for them.
"The most surprising aspect of the program was how streamlined the process was from start to finish. After liaising with CSIRO, discussing what Council was looking for in terms of a suitable candidate and description of tasks, CSIRO created a position description, advertising the position and selected four highly suitable candidates. We were then able to follow our own recruitment process with completing two interviews," Samantha said.
"CSIRO consistently provided open, two-way communication and support throughout the process, making it very simple to select the suitable person," she said.
The Impact
Generation STEM Links aims to build a pool of STEM-capable professionals for the future of NSW STEM industries.
Thanks to her internship experience, Olivia is motivated to stay in her field and is even considering a regional move post-studies.
“The program gave me insight into a vast array of environmental fields that one can work in, and how dynamic Council work can be. The variety of projects and fields of research that I focused on made every day feel fresh and exciting, and I realised that working on multiple projects at once is something I enjoy. I’m now much more open to a career in a similar role,” said Olivia.
“I also enjoyed the lifestyle in Wagga Wagga, the relaxed pace of life. I am definitely considering a regional move after my studies in Sydney, and knowing this kind of work exists regionally really helps.”
The 2024 Generation STEM Links survey showed that 90 per cent of interns respondents said the Generation Links Program met or exceeded their expectations and 100 per cent of supervisors surveyed said the program met or exceeded their expectations.
Samantha highlighted the mutual benefit for both the student and employer.
“The Generation STEM Links Program created an opportunity where students can gain valuable, relevant experience in their desired field, while allowing Council to complete priority tasks that were unachievable due to workloads and time restraints,” Samantha said.
"The program provided a positive outcome not only for the student but for Council, through the recruitment and financial support. To employ a casual to perform these tasks, would have placed a financial strain on current budgets, however with the support of the program this was achievable".
Due to the success, People and Culture Officer Mel said this experience has opened the door to host future interns to assist them to reach their organisational goals.
"The program was efficient, cost-effective, accessible and well-received. Wagga Wagga City Council will build this program into our workforce recruitment and resourcing strategy and to gain further successful project outcomes.”
The 2024 Generation STEM Links survey revealed that 100 per cent of supervisor respondents would recommend Generation STEM Links to other businesses. Opportunities are still available for NSW based businesses or students looking for paid STEM internships in NSW.
Generation STEM Links is delivered through Generation STEM, a 10-year initiative to build a strong and more diverse STEM pipeline in NSW. Managed by CSIRO, the program is made possible by the NSW Government’s $25 million endowment to the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF).