Top international students win internships

Top international students win internships with leading Auckland businesses
RELEASE SUMMARY

• The inaugural Global Talent Showcase launched this week – an initiative delivered through ATEED’s Study Auckland and HR consultancy Talent Solutions

• More than 150 international students applied to take part in the showcase with four students selected for internships with top Auckland businesses

• The event celebrates exceptional international students currently studying at Auckland tertiary institutions

• The competition also aims to highlight highly skilled international talent that can often be overlooked by New Zealand employers.

Caption: Winners of the Global Talent Showcase (from left): Vinay, Lei Gu, Allan Tan and Divya Kataria

The inaugural Global Talent Showcase was held this week with four winning international students securing much sought-after internships at some of Auckland’s leading businesses.

Initiated by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development’s (ATEED) Study Auckland and HR consultancy Talent Solutions, the competition attracted more than 150 entries, and is aimed at helping international students connect with employers.

Sixteen finalists - hailing from Russia, Latin America, China, Sweden, Korea, Pakistan, India and Indonesia - were selected to participate in a day long assessment programme.

The programme was designed to give students some practical experience such as interview skills and psychometric testing to gain greater understanding of the New Zealand job landscape.

Four students were selected at the end of the day to receive an internship, leadership development, a business mentor and career coaching.

Auckland University student Lei Gu won the Business and Commerce category and will work at EY; AUT student, Divya Kataria, Engineering, will work at Globex Engineering; Auckland University student Allan Tan, Science, will work at Douglas Pharmaceuticals; and Unitec’s Vinay, IT/Digital Tech, will work at Southern Spars.

Head of International Education – Study Auckland, Henry Matthews says: “Some highly-skilled international students can find it challenging to find employment in their field of study once they have completed their education here.

“This is a lost opportunity for New Zealand employers, particularly when many international graduates are studying in high need skill shortage areas like engineering, IT/digital technologies and science.

“Through the Global Talent Showcase we’ve been able to introduce these students to a taste of New Zealand’s business culture.”

Short-term employment forecasts for 2017-2020 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Skills (MBIE) are predicting employment in New Zealand to grow by 153,000 in the next three years, with 46 per cent of that growth in Auckland. By 2020, the demand for highly skilled workers is forecast to increase by nearly 95,000.

Douglas Pharmaceuticals, Director of HR, Jo Copeland says: “It is not always the case that we can find the people we need locally, and the Global Talent Showcase offers the chance to connect with excellent, highly skilled talent to support our continued growth and a diverse workforce”.

Seren Wilson, Director of Talent Solutions, the consultancy running the event, says the Global Talent Showcase has been timed to launch with the recent changes to immigration rules for international students. The new policy enables eligible, tertiary prepared international students to access a three-year post-study work visa.

“The recent immigration changes reduce the administration and cost associated with recruiting an international student on a post-study work visa. It is a great move for New Zealand to enable local employers more ready access to this highly skilled talent pool,” says Wilson.

“We are delighted to provide a platform for New Zealand employers to engage with highly skilled international talent to grow their businesses and ultimately our local economy.”
NOTES TO EDITOR

Finalists

Science: Allan Tan (University of Auckland), Prokhor Sobko (University of Auckland), Wing Tung Crystal Ho (University of Auckland), Riya Biswas (AUT).

IT/Digital: Josue Espinosa Godinez (University of Auckland), Sebastian Tengdahl (Media Design School), Vinay Vinay (Unitec), Gregorius Kevin Mariono (University of Auckland).

Business and Commerce: Angelina Lotoreva (Unitec), Du Huynh (University of Auckland), Soomin Kim (University of Auckland), Lei Gu (University of Auckland).

Engineering: Junan Chen (University of Auckland), Divya Kataria (AUT), Sreenidhi Roshinkumar (AUT), Angela Li (University of Auckland).

• Study Auckland is a division within Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development’s Destination business unit.
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• Study Auckland contributes to growing Auckland’s economy by promoting Auckland’s education sector and attracting international students to study, live and work in Auckland.
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• Talent Solutions are consulting and research specialists. Talent Solutions is a human resources consultancy that partners with businesses throughout NZ.

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