The Best Internships for Millennials

As a young person entering into the full-time workforce, choosing the right footing to get started can be a daunting task. In an ever-changing Australian job market, the millennial generation looks for internships to provide a bridge between education and employment.

Internships can be a foot in the door for those looking to gain real-life experience and knowledge in their field of learning. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for internships, including summer internships as well as more ‘Work Integrated Learning’ opportunities.

Learning new skills, job security and career progression are some of the key attributes that millennials look for in potential employers.

In this article, we will explore the kinds of internships that attract millennials the most, which companies offer them and how you can improve your chances of obtaining an internship role. 

According to Pedestrian Jobs, in 2017, when millennials were asked to rank what is most important when looking for a job, ‘career progression’ was the most important factor at 35% of respondents surveyed.

Great office culture and training and development programs were also ranked ahead of salary. Surprisingly, work perks such as flexible hours and free lunches only were desirable to 4% of the surveyed respondents.

Inclusive internship programs with meaningful work and fitting fundamentals are more attractive to millennials these days then traditional corporate internship environments.

Supervisor accessibility and detailed direction within specific workgroups and departments also rate very highly.

The Top Internship Programs list consists of the Top 40 companies from a survey of over 1700 undergraduate students who were part of their employer’s internship program in 2019/2020. For this article, we will explore the top 3 intern programs by industry in Australia.

Each individual was asked to rate their employer on several categories including induction and training, the content of work, quality of supervision, social life, ability to work on different projects, organisations culture and values and many more aspects of the internship program. The survey was conducted by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE), the peak industry body for the graduate recruitment and development market.

The results of the individual responses combined an overall average rating for each company or organisation. However, this list does not include every employer operating an internship program in Australia. 

The competitive nature of the job market in Australia for millennials means that employers are only recruiting exception individuals that stand out of the crowd and add value to the organisation. There are many ways to stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of landing a fantastic internship opportunity. Here are some ways to add value to your application to reach your dream job: 

Pedestrian Jobs conducted a study which showed that that the majority (75%) of graduates who undertook internships were ready to change profession or company within two years of their starting dates. It is of utmost importance for Millennials searching for internships to follow their interests. When you love your work, you will undoubtedly give 100% and thank yourself for finding the right internship or career path after careful consideration. Always remember to stay positive about your job prospects as these qualities you gain will serve you well in the future.

The first step is usually a course that allows you to explore your interests. Take the first step today and explore the options available to you.