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Summer internships work well but we need more, says dmca advisory director Adam Griffiths

“A COLLABORATIVE approach between government, local business and industry is key to reversing South Australia’s “brain drain” and stopping young graduates heading interstate to start their careers, says the head of a respected Adelaide business consultancy,” Rebecca Baker.

“There’s a responsibility as a collective group to think outside the square and come up with a range of measures to make this (retaining our future leaders of tomorrow on home soil) happen,” says dmca advisory director Adam Griffiths.

“He believes retaining the job accelerator grant, introduced in July 2016 but due to finish in June this year, is vital.

The program offers financial support to small business owners who take on additional staff — almost 17,000 jobs have been partly funded through the program since its inception with 5500 local businesses making use of the incentive,” Rebecca Baker.

Mr Griffiths says graduates must get the opportunity to put skills learned into practice in the workplace, and to gain exposure to potential employers through short-term paid placements, internships or part-time work. “Summer internships work well but there are not enough of them … (we must) stop the exodus of up to 3000 people each year,” he said.“Local businesses, government and industry bodies should work together collaboratively to actively help university students find employment – with short-term paid placements, internships or part-time work,” he said.

“With government support, we could increase the number of graduates we employ but it’s just not possible without funding.”

“With an ageing population we need to keep young professionals in the state – we have up to 3,000 people leaving SA each year.

“Many university graduates, in areas such as business, commerce, law, engineering and science, are really struggling to get their foot in the door … (they) don’t want to leave SA but it’s become a sad reality that our young people make a beeline for Sydney or Melbourne simply because it’s more likely they’ll find employment there.”

He says retaining bright young people in SA will not only make the state more competitive but will also entice new and diverse industries to establish here as well.

To read the full article by Rebecca Baker click here.

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