By Mackenzie Coopman | August 2024
In my Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences program at The University of Adelaide, internships are a compulsory part of the degree. Each student is required to complete around 450 hours of relevant internships or work experience by the end of the program. When my classmates and I were told about this in our first year I don’t think anybody was happy about it. Now, in my final semester, I am grateful that this requirement pushed me to immerse myself in the industry and learn as much as I could. I now tend to even encourage students in other degrees to venture into the workforce because of the valuable time that I’ve had.
Internships are an invaluable opportunity at any level of study. They allow you to apply what you’ve learned in a practical setting and gain real hands-on experience. Classroom learning is often quite different from what you encounter on the job. The real-world applications of university knowledge can reinforce what you’ve learned and reveal what working in your chosen field is really like. Internships act as a way to ‘try before you buy’ and see what a career might look like before committing to full-time work. For instance, an early internship had me testing grain. While the job was fine, I discovered I was allergic to grain dust – a good thing to know before committing to a career that would have me sneezing all day!
Even if an internship doesn’t align perfectly with your expectations, the people you meet can be an important asset later. While the food and fibre industry is huge, it is also highly interconnected, with most professionals only a few degrees of separation apart. Excelling at one internship, even if it’s not your dream job, can expand your professional network and build a reputation that helps to secure future positions. If you enjoy your internship and do well, you might even be offered a job at the end of your studies. Although I haven’t received a job offer yet, my internships have helped me build a network of industry professionals who are invested in my success.
In addition to networking, internships enhance your resume. The professional skills you gain are transferable to other positions, making you a more attractive job candidate. For me, the skills and experiences from various internships allowed me to get a position at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, working in international agricultural development.
Entering the workforce can be daunting. When reaching out to organizations, it’s common to receive no replies. Often, your introduction and resume get lost if not sent to the right person at the right time. Fortunately, the agriculture industry needs more workers. Large organizations and industry bodies are committed to nurturing the next generation of agriculture professionals to ensure the future of the industry.
Ag Institute Australia, a professional body for the food and fibre industry, focuses on nurturing the industry’s future. I completed an internship with them, working on the 2024 Ag Institute Australia South Australia Division Student Compendium. This experience helped me develop skills in managing workflow, communicating with external stakeholders, cold calling, and completing grant applications. Through this internship, I engaged with over 60 contacts across various organizations to secure substantial funding for the compendium, building confidence and administrative skills. These skills have proven incredibly useful in other positions. The compendium project continues to nurture interns annually and produce a valuable resource for all students.
The compendium itself is a resource for secondary and tertiary students, including vocational education students. It also offers opportunities for postgraduates and early career professionals. The compendium includes over 300 opportunities, such as internships, work placements, scholarships, travel opportunities, and industry bodies, among other resources.
The following videos were created by the 2023 and 2024 student interns and talk all about the student compendium as a resource and the experience of being an intern with the project. The compendium project is developing across Australia with unique resources from each state. If you’re interested in getting involved or hearing more get in touch with your AIA state reps at https://www.aginstitute.com.au/.
Check out these short videos that explain the benefits to internships and to learn about the Ag Institute’s Student Compendium program.
