Press Release   Wednesday, 24 Feb 2010   From Melbourne to Mt Isa – student’s country placement a huge success La Trobe university student Ms Katherine Sanchez (right) says getting a country work experience placement through the new Brolga Project provided a phenomenal opportunity. Katherine is studying Speech Pathology and was astounded at the scope of clinical exposure she received while on placement. “Definitely, it was an extraordinarily positive experience,” Katherine said. “I had opportunities I simply couldn’t have received in a metropolitan position, being able to work with volumes of indigenous children and also, because of the lack of specialised services in country areas, there’s a greater range of health issues needing to be addressed.” Katherine also lauded the Brolga Project, a new initiative striving to place metropolitan based university students into regional work experience positions, to encourage them to take up a regional-based career when they’ve completed their study. “Most of the people I worked with came from metropolitan backgrounds,” Katherine said. “The Brolga Project gives those of us from metropolitan backgrounds a chance to sample life and work in a regional community and there are definitely plenty of opportunities out there. “I gave a presentation to the local Chamber of Commerce while on placement, about 20 people were at the meeting and they represented business covering a range of careers including mining, tourism, and local government, all were really excited about the initiative. “I’d really recommend to anyone who wants to get into something a little more challenging, to get into the project,” Katherine concluded.   …ends For more information please contact: Richard Cowley, Manager, The Brolga Project., 07 3366 1005 E richard@brolgaproject.com.au   Or Katherine Sanchez, 0423 768 831           -----------------------------------------------  PRESS RELEASE Tuesday, 9 February 2010   Brolga Project ‘walks the talk’ with National and International Perspectives  The Australian outback is taking on a new appeal because it suffers from a shortage of skilled workers. Through the Brolga Project, some university students are being given the opportunity to try life and work experience with a rural or regional community, in the hope the student will settle into a regional career when they graduate. Although only 15 months old, the project has already received expressions of interest from over 500 students who want to try out work in the great Outback, and the project is appealing to both Australian and International students. Ms Yumiko Murakami is an international student doing her Masters in Marketing and she saw the project as offering an alternative to city-based employment opportunities. “For the start I was looking for work experience, and getting out into regional areas sounded really exciting,” Ms Murakami said. But she was picked up by the fledgling project’s office in Brisbane as a means for its administration to ‘walk the talk’ and learn about the realities of taking on a student, particularly one with an international background. Manager of the Brolga Project, Mr Richard Cowley said he’s delighted with the outcomes of the placement and has been delivered a fresh perspective. “It’s always good to get different ideas thrown into the mix, and Yumiko has delivered a fresh outlook,” he said. National and International students alike rarely find the opportunity to travel outside the major metropolitan cities, and Yumiko personifies that. “I’ve been in Australia four years,” she said, “and really haven’t been far outside Brisbane. “I wasn’t expecting to stay here, so I’m really looking forward to getting out and getting a feel for the country,” she concluded.   …ends For more information please contact: Richard Cowley, Manager, The Brolga Project., 07 3366 1005 E richard@brolgaproject.com.au    -----------------------------------------------            PRESS RELEASE     Monday, 21 December 2009   500 young professionals look to Bush for work and life experience. A project aiming to reverse the regional skills shortage in Australia is working hard to find a rural career for more than 500 young professionals next year.  ‘The Brolga Project’ has more than 500 mostly urban-based, final-year tertiary students registered and looking to get a taste of life in rural and regional Australia via a work experience program.  Many of the project’s students want to trial life in the bush with a view to moving into a rural or regional career permanently in the future.  Manager of the 14-month old project Mr Richard Cowley says the iniative is developing a following, but wishes he could place all of the students who are keen to work in the Bush.  Richard and his team are looking for more rural and regional businesses that can accommodate young professionals both in the short term and the long term and Expressions of Interest from host employers are can be completed online at http://www.brolgaproject.com.au/  “These young people are very keen to head out of the cities and to get a taste of country life.  The students being placed love their experience living in the Bush, and the host employers are impressed by the quality of young people available” Mr Cowley said.   The Brolga Project is promoted regionally by Local Intelligence, an initiative of Lara Wilde.  Local Intelligence offers families from around the world a warm welcome and locally sourced information to create a new life in a rural or regional community.  Lara works closely with Brolga Project students, providing a variety of tools to ensure they have fun and adventure during their time in the Bush as well as working with rural and regional employers to welcome the new staff.  “The Brolga Project is a really simple initiative offering enormous reward.” Miss Wilde said “Many students are looking for work experience as a part of their studies, and many businesses in rural and regional Australia need staff for a month or two with a view to more permanent employment in the future.  The Brolga Project matches rural and regional employers with young professionals, it doesn’t get any simpler than that.”  There are more than 40 different disciplines of young professionals registered, with almost every industry and profession represented.  “Employers can access students with extensive training in accounting, aviation, community development, engineering, media, graphic design and more. Students can come from any University in Australia and can be placed anywhere in rural and regional areas.  Current confirmed placements include students working in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. "While these are great results, we want to build interest from businesses, non-profit organisations and government departments who need students in the New Year. Host employers can complete an obligation free Expression of Interest online at www.brolgaproject.com.au and we will contact them with more information and a selection of candidates," Mr Cowley concluded.  ..ends For more information please contact: Mr Richard Cowley, Manager, The Brolga Project, P 07 3366 1005 M 0412 189 787 E richard@brolgaproject.com.au   Lara Wilde, Director, Local Intelligence; 0417 779 917 E lara.wilde@localintelligence.com.au University of New South Wales law student Ms Tia Mitsis is giving full marks to her country life work experience placement. Tia is an ealy participant in 'The Brolga Project', an initiative placing university students into work experience with rural host agencies, and she has never been so far out in the country.    "I go to the University of New South Wales in Sydney, my parents live in Brisbane, I have never even travelled in the country," Tia said. Placed with the Department of Communities (Child Safety Services) in Kingaroy, Tia said she suffered culture shock for the first couple of days. "On the way up here I was getting a bit freaked out," Tia laughed, "I was wondering where I was going!" "With this project you're not just doing work experience, you're actually living in a whole new community for four weeks, away from home, family and friends, so it's a bit daunting. "But I didn't ever think that I wanted to go home, the work from the very beginning was great, the department has been fantastic, I've had experiences I could hardly hope to have in a city placement," Tia added excitedly. Edward Naglik is Court Coordinator Child Safety Services South Burnett and says Tia is providing valuable input.  "It's the first time we've had a law student here, and Tia's been absolutely excellent with everything that she's been doing," he said. And Mr Naglik refutes the notion that taking on a work experience student creates more work than it alleviates. "Providing work experience like this is an investment in the future, it's an extra set of hands which never goes astray, and it also provides a fresh perspective on existing framework, and new ideas are always good," he concluded. The Brolga Project is an initiative designed to encourage metropolitan students to live and work and in rural and regional areas, with the goal being to show students the excellent lifestyle that's offered by country communities, in the hope that some students will return to the rural community to start a career when they finish university. ...ends For more information please contact: Richard Cowley, Manager, The Brolga Project., 07 3366 1005 E richard@brolgaproject.com.au Mr Ed Naglik, Court Coordinator Child Safety Services 07 4164 9400 For Hi-Res image please email richard@brolgaproject.com.au   -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Press Release    Tuesday, 9 June, 2009  Fresh Initiative sees Marketing, IT, Accounting, Psychology, Law and Engineering students heading  into regional roles  A program designed to bridge the city/country divide is gaining momentum, with a broad spectrum of early participants figuratively crossing the great divide.  Launched on October 6 last year and now with a presence in 10 universities across Australia, ‘The Brolga Project’ links students needing work experience with under-staffed businesses, non-profit agencies and government departments in regional and rural Australia.  Among the placements, an engineering student from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is going to a Western NSW council later in the year; law students from the University of New South Wales and the University of New England are travelling to the South Burnett area in Queensland to do work experience with a Child Safety Service, while marketing students Katie Adams and Jade Sciberras (pictured) are heading to Byron Bay. Excited at the range of opportunities presented by the Brolga Project, both young women want to build their work experience profile. “I found the project on my university’s career website,” said Ms Sciberras, “it seemed to be the only one offering this type of work experience, so I thought it was worth a try.  “And here we are!” she laughed. Both women agreed they are fans of the regional lifestyle and would consider regional positions if they were offered after university.  “The way I see it, the company’s that give us work experience are doing us a huge favour,” said Ms Adams.  “Because I don’t have any extensive experience, doing this is going to build on my knowledge, help me get a career, and give me a great experience,” Ms Adams added.   The Brolga Project is receiving about two enquiries a day from students across 27 different courses, and project manager Mr Richard Cowley is hoping that positive stories like these will lead to more regional businesses participation. “It’s a great opportunity for government departments, regional development organisations, family companies and the like,  to tap into a huge pool of potential employees, offer them work experience, then hopefully the students will take up jobs in regional areas once they’ve experienced the lifestyle,” he said.      …ends  For more information please contact: Richard Cowley, Manager, The Brolga Project., 07 3366 1005 E richard@brolgaproject.com.au   or Aki Tobe, Database Manager, The Brolga Project, 0412 189 787 E aki@brolgaproject.com.au  For Hi-Res image please email richard@brolgaproject.com.au     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Press Release   Tuesday, 2 June , 2009    Fresh Initiative Bridges City/Country Divide An initiative offering urban-based university students the opportunity to do work experience with businesses in rural and regional areas is bridging the city/country divide. The Brolga Project is an initiative which stares down rural drift by placing final year university students into work experience positions so that urban students can get a taste of life in rural and regional areas, simultaneously lining themselves up with a job after they leave university. Roma accounting firm Condon Treasure is the first regional business to offer a student a full-time position through ‘The Brolga  Project' and Queensland University of Technology student Nijo Antony (pictured) is settling into his new environment comfortably Condon Treasure Partner Kevin Harker said the biggest problem with being a regional business was to attract qualified people, and the Brolga Project attracted his attention because of its direct focus on addressing that problem. "People think they will be stepping into a time warp if they cross the Great Dividing Range, and of course that's not the case," Mr Harker said. "There's a ton of opportunity out in these areas, lots of specialty businesses are trying to build up their knowledge base but struggling to find qualified people," he continued. Although Nijo jumped the queue, going straight from university into full-time work, over a student a day is expressing an interest in doing their work experience in regional areas. And facilitators of the Brolga Project are desperately seeking host agencies to absorb the student demand. Manger of the project, Mr Richard Cowley said the skills level and variety of students was extraordinary. "Students from 27 different courses, ranging through accounting, aviation, engineering, marketing, community development, IT, health and vet science have expressed interest to try out life with regional businesses," Mr Cowley said. "And ‘business' of course includes non-profit agencies, government departments and commercial enterprises," he clarified. Mr Harker added that another benefit of the project's value was its focus.   "While other initiatives focus on getting tradespeople to our areas, The Brolga Project is focusing on professional careers like accountancy," he concluded.   ...ends For more information please contact: Richard Cowley, Manager, The Brolga Project., 07 3366 1005 E richard@brolgaproject.com.au    Hi-Resolution image available from richard@brolgaproject.com.au