Dunedin Brings Sexy Summer Jobs Back

Dunedin Brings Sexy Summer Jobs Back

A speed dating event between businesses and students will launch Dunedin’s Sexy Summer Jobs business internship programme next week for the 2015/2016 year.

On September 17 small and medium enterprise from sectors such as ICT, biotech and health technologies, education and research, creative, primary production, engineering and niche manufacturing will be able to meet students from the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic to find potential interns for the summer through the Sexy Summer Jobs programme.

“Since 2008 we’ve been linking businesses to students,” says DCC Business Development Advisor, Chanel O’Brien.

“The majority of businesses involved are start-ups or early growth stage companies where capital and talent are critical to growth. The city’s investment in the programme allows these businesses to take the chance to employ a talented person in a cost effective, low risk way resulting in the retention of skilled people and business needs being met.”

CEO at Igtimi Ltd, Kylie Robinson has used the internship programme before and is coming back for another year.

“Igtimi Limited specialises in GPS telemetry and communication solutions for the elite sports industry. As a small but growing business, we need talented people to help us develop our product range. The internship programme is one way that we can access top local talent to help us grow. We employed one of our interns and employed another developer based on the reference of another intern. We are pleased with the way they are contributing to our business,” she says.

The programme creates jobs across a variety of businesses and retains skilled student talent in Dunedin with 276 students having so far been placed in paid internships. On average 1 in 2 interns are offered employment after their internships. For the 2014/15 season 24 positions were established in Dunedin businesses. Over the 2015 and 2016 season there will be 48 paid internships to be filled.

Head of College of Enterprise and Development at Otago Polytechnic, Lesley Smith, says the organisation is delighted the successful programme is running for another summer.

“From the outset, Sexy Summer Jobs has met the needs of both students and employers by providing great employment opportunities here in Dunedin, a good chance of permanent work and the provision of a talented and enthusiastic workforce. We are 100% behind the programme and will again be encouraging our students from across IT and Business and Design to get involved.”

Graduate Employer Liaison, Robyn Bridges at the University of Otago's Career Development Centre says the University enthusiastically supports Sexy Summer Jobs.

“The DCC and the Dunedin business community are to be congratulated for the support they give Dunedin tertiary students through this internship programme. Not only are these internships perfect opportunities for students to gain relevant experience and to apply what they have been learning to the real world, for the employers and their businesses, they are opportunities to meet some of the stellar tertiary students this city has to offer.”

ENDS

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