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IAESTE ANNUAL REVIEW 2009
The National Office
IAESTE DOWN UNDER – IAESTE AUSTRALIA
Rochelle Ades, National Secretary, IAESTE Australia
With intense competition and changing technology, a global
outlook is essential for Industries prepared to help develop the
skills of an international pool of student talent.
it was a huge relief to know that when I arrived someone from
IAESTE in my host city Hamburg, Germany, would be there to
pick me up and show me the ropes for the first few weeks.
Even under the current Global Financial Crisis,
there are still a large number of Employers that
are able to benefit through the IAESTE program.
One such Employer in Australia, Dr Michael
Bannister, Education Manager & Program
Leader, CRC-ACS, says he can recommend
IAESTE’s services without reservation to any
Employer:
“The CRC-ACS has obtained students via
IAESTE since 2007 and also used their services
to obtain visas for Direct Placement students
since 2004.
Dr Michael Bannister
Without fail the students that have come to us have all been
enthusiastic, highly motivated and fit in very well socially in our
Organisation. With our opportunity to review the selections prior
to finalisation, we have the ability to obtain students with a high
level of required technical skills.”
I can’t thank IAESTE enough simply for providing me with the
opportunity to be overseas and working in a foreign industry
- and especially the feeling of being a part of a world-wide
network.
My year overseas has shaped my future, my personal goals
and my career aspirations. I have friends, family, contacts and
professional mentors throughout Europe as a direct result of
my time in Germany.”
Australia is also a long way to come for overseas students and
we often find that once students spend some time here they
don’t want to leave! I don’t think there is a corner of Australia that
an IAESTE trainee has not visited!
Marie-Luise Wille from Switzerland spent ‘three awesome months’
at The Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing.
“The research project in Astrophysics was challenging but very
interesting and I even got the chance to observe the Anglo
Australian Telescope in Coonabarabran. My colleagues were
fantastic and a big support, especially at the beginning. I liked
it so much and was fortunate that my traineeship was extended
at the Centre for another 2 months after I had the opportunity to
travel around Australia a little.
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Although most of the other IAESTE trainees worked somewhere
else, we caught up almost every weekend including making
some trips to places like the Grampians. It's great fun to meet
people from all over the world and to make friends for life.”
A special thank you goes to Swinburne University who have
given IAESTE Australia a home, the Employers who have
supported us and the students who have appreciated their
IAESTE experiences.
As IAESTE Australia enters its third year under the host of
Swinburne University of Technology, our island continent
is embracing the opportunities offered through this unique
Association. For a country without borders it can be quite
a huge leap for students to consider going overseas for a
traineeship. But more and more students are ready to take
the plunge, especially after they hear about the experiences
from past trainees such as Claudia Schulz:
“When I left Brisbane for a country completely different in
culture, language, weather, people and even food, I tried not
to think about what I was getting myself into. When faced with
looming challenges and adventures in all of these sectors