Convincing Australian employers to provide
WIL opportunities to international students is a big challenge for most
institutions. Owen Firth, Founder &
CEO of Performance Education / Readygrad, shares how they have been successful
as a third-party provider in convincing more than 3,000 organisations to take
on over 10,000 international students.
It was not easy or quick to build up this
level of engagement. We had to turn a
lot of “no’s” into “yes’s” by:
- Questioning outdated policies that require residency or citizenship
- Making organisations aware of the post-study graduate visa and the unlimited work rights it affords, often for two years
- Making the process of selecting an intern easy for them
- Addressing the question of what to do with an intern with examples of projects and templated programs
- Highlighting the benefits of engaging in terms of their diversity and social responsibility policies
- Tackling concerns about communication skills and fit transparently and head on.
In addition to the above, one of the most
successful conversations with employers is around the benefits of “non-western values”. Many of the international students we work
with grew up with “old-school” values such as the importance of hard work and
respect. This can be appealing to employers
weary of the much-publicised demands of “Gen Y” and “Millennials”.
Indeed, our host organisations often share
that they impressed with the “work ethic” and “keenness” of international
students once they take them on as interns. Any concerns they raised through interviewing
the intern (typically communication & fit) can quickly dissipate when they
experience what the intern can do and how they behave.
Of course, this is not always the case,
but I believe it is a major reason why 42% of the students we placed have been
offered job opportunities by their host companies. Now that is turning a “no” into a permanent
“yes”!
Owen Firth, CEO
Performance Education / Readygrad
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
