Applications open to WA STEM students under CSIRO/government food industry internship program

National science agency CSIRO and the Western Australian government’s department of primary industries are inviting applications for 20 paid internships for tertiary students via the WA Food Industry Education Collaboration Program.

According to a statement from CSIRO on Thursday, the program is open to STEM students at university, TAFE and VET institutions. 

Facilitation and financial assistance will also be provided to participating businesses – in food manufacturing, production, processing and technology – to help host interns, who will “undertake real-world projects that benefit the businesses”.

The program’s webpage lists this as $2,500, payable to industry partners after the placement is completed.

CSIRO’s WA Food and Industry Education Collaboration Program Lead Liz Crompton (pictured on far right) said the benefits to interns and host businesses were mutual: nurturing future high-quality employees and supporting industry growth.  

“Through this program, CSIRO will facilitate student and employer matching to support WA businesses with high-quality STEM interns, particularly in regional and remote areas,” Crompton said.  

“While the program’s primary objectives include retaining skilled STEM talent in WA, we also aim to build and strengthen connections between industry and tertiary education institutions.”  

Kim Antonio, the department’s Food Industry Innovation Manager (pictured on far left) added, “We’d love to hear from WA food and beverage businesses interested in hosting a student to work on a STEM related technical solution to support their business growth.” 

Application information can be found at this link. 

Picture: credit CSIRO