There is tremendous scope of opportunity to redress the skills gap in regional Australia through dipping into a huge pool of talent, i.e. graduating students.

Perhaps a common perception is that university students are full of theory and little practice, but the truth is that's not the case in this modern day and age.

Students are often already juggling working and study in their chosen careers to pay their way through uni, and there is enormous trend of 'mature age' (25yo and up) who are either going back to uni to upskill, have a career change or to get their qualifications recognised by Australian standards. In the latter instance, we've a number of 'mature age' students who have several years of experience behind them and are looking to move young families into communities where there's 'room to grow'.

Students are pouring in the door at more than one a day;  the enthusiasm with which they are grasping the concept and opportunity to sample the regional lifestyle and career opportunities is beyond anyone's expectations. That rate is maintained by students finding us in web searches, word of mouth or through links at their universities.

Brolga Project has a working relationship with two dozen universities across Australia and has moved students from Melbourne to Mt Isa, the Sunshine Coast to Cobar, Sydney to Kingaroy and across Tasmania.

And students hail from a vast range of disciplines, from accounting and agricultural pursuits, through engineering, education, health, marketing, social work, right through to zoology (we've got the alphabet covered!) This link gives an overview, but please remember as you look at it, that students come and go all the time; if you're a business and don't see your skills shortage there, please complete an Expression of Interest anyway, chances are they'll be on our books!

To see a PDF version of the PowerPoint we use to present at forums, please click here