Hunter businesses are feeling the pinch of the current talent shortage in Australia, particularly in high-demand sectors such as technology and engineering. Recruiting experienced professionals is proving to be a huge challenge, with many roles remaining unfilled for extended periods.
Newcastle engineering, environmental and technical services business, Emergent Group, needed to build particular capabilities to meet the needs of a growing list of clients, some in new and emerging sectors. The business required an expansion of skills in applied mathematics and computing, renewable energy, and product design and development.
In 2023 and 2024, rather than focussing solely on the recruitment of experienced talent, Emergent Group companies Advitech and Novecom, decided to ‘grow their own’ talent by recruiting and nurturing enthusiastic undergraduates.
The approach has turned out to be incredibly successful, with 18 of the 26 students hosted over the past year now employed by the business. The success of this bold approach has been recognised by the Hunter Manufacturing Awards by shortlisting Emerging Group in the category of ‘Excellence in Building Workforce Capability for the Future’.
Partnering with the University of Newcastle through its Work Integrated Learning and Career Ready Placement programs, Emergent Group was able to develop an effective pathway from study to employment that benefits both local students and its business.
Each student gained valuable new knowledge and experience and made an important contribution, either through their work on business processes and capabilities, or directly contributing to the delivery of projects to clients.
All students were immersed in real-life projects, putting their university learning to the test. They each applied their discipline-based skills to genuine problem-solving scenarios. Where students displayed talent and an eagerness to learn, and there was a need to build capacity in the business, they were subsequently offered paid work with the company.
As a result of participating in the University programs, along with CSIRO’s ‘Generation STEM’ and Austmine’s ‘Accelerating Women in METS’ initiatives, Emergent Group’s capabilities have broadened, its employee population has diversified and its productive capacity has increased.
Patrick Steward, now a valued member of the Advitech Mechanical Engineering Team, reflects on his experience transitioning from study to work:
“While still studying I joined Advitech’s environmental team to assist with an offshore wind project as part of my industry experience. After finishing my degree, I was offered a summer internship with the mechanical engineering team through the CSIRO Generation STEM Links program. Following this, I was fortunate enough to be offered a full-time graduate position with the company. Being able to contribute meaningfully to interesting projects so early in my career has been invaluable in building my skills and confidence as a professional engineer.”
