University students doing work placements to get a permanent job when they graduate

The foolproof trick for getting a dream job in a very competitive field with six-figure salaries – and it’s much simpler than you think

  • University students are increasingly turning to work placements to get jobs later
  • Recruitment group recommended bosses try this as they recovered from Covid
  • Callum Watts, at 22, did an eight-month work placement during final year at uni
  • This led to him being hired permanently as a graduate engineer project manager 

University students are doing work placements to increase their chances of getting full-time work in a very competitive labour market.

Youth unemployment in November stood at 15.6 per cent, a level more than double the overall jobless rate of 6.8 per cent, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed.

During the past year, the proportion of Australians aged 15 to 24 without a job has climbed by 4.1 percentage points as Covid shutdowns interfered with many career prospects.

With competition getting fiercer for jobs Callum Watts, as a 22-year-old student, found work in his chosen field as he completed his civil engineering degree at the University of Queensland.

University students are doing work placements to increase their chances of getting full-time work in a very competitive labour market. Pictured is graduate engineer Callum Watts 

For eight months, during his final year at university in 2018, he did agency work as a labourer on residential and industrial building sites across Brisbane and Logan, which led to him becoming an undergraduate engineer.

‘Agency work definitely provided me a stepping stone into my chosen field,’ he said.

‘Through that experience, it was so easy to get along with the guys and it really helped me get on track and get into what I really wanted to do.’

Mr Watts, now 24, said that ‘hands-on’ experience gave him an advantage over other engineering graduates. 

‘Agency work definitely put my foot in the door. I don’t think I’d be in the same position as I am now if it wasn’t for agency work,’ he said.

‘It put me ahead, I believe.’

He graduated in July 2018 with a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Civil Engineering, shortly after being permanently hired as a project engineer.

Construction engineer jobs often offer jobs with six-figure salaries with a full-time position in Melbourne being advertised with a pay range of $90,000 to $120,000. 

With competition getting fiercer for jobs Callum Watts, 22, found work in his chosen field as he completed his civil engineering degree at the University of Queensland

With competition getting fiercer for jobs Callum Watts, 22, found work in his chosen field as he completed his civil engineering degree at the University of Queensland

The Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association of Australia and New Zealand said agency work meant an employer could trial a university student in a range of positions without having to permanently have them on their payroll.

‘Agency work allows an employee to trial a variety of occupations and business types to see what they like and for employers who are not yet ready to commit to a permanent position,’ its chief executive Charles Cameron said.

Mr Cameron recommended employers try a work placement as the economy recovered from the 2020 Covid recession.

‘It’s a great way to slowly get your business back on track,’ he said.

‘Agency Work is a pathway into permanent work, post COVID, especially for young workers who are looking for an opportunity.’

The Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association of Australia and New Zealand said agency work meant an employer could trial a university student in a range of positions without having to permanently have them on their payroll

The Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association of Australia and New Zealand said agency work meant an employer could trial a university student in a range of positions without having to permanently have them on their payroll

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