Top international students win internships with leading Auckland businesses

The Global Talent Showcase competition, initiated by Study Auckland and Talent Solutions, attracted more than 150 entries and is aimed at helping international students connect with employers.

Sixteen finalists – hailing from Russia, Latin America, China, Sweden, Korea, Pakistan, India and Indonesia – were selected to participate in a day-long assessment programme, designed to give students practical experience to gain greater understanding of the New Zealand job landscape.

Four of the finalists, including University of Auckland students Lei Gu and Allan Tan, were selected to receive an internship, leadership development, a business mentor and career coaching. Lei Gu won the Business and Commerce category and will work at EY. Allan Tan, winner of the Science category, will work at Douglas Pharmaceuticals.

Douglas Pharmaceuticals Director of Human Resources, Jo Copeland, says: “It is not always the case that we can find the people we need locally, and the Global Talent Showcase offers the chance to connect with excellent, highly-skilled talent to support our continued growth and a diverse workforce.”

Seren Wilson, Director of Talent Solutions, says the Global Talent Showcase has been timed to launch alongside recent changes to immigration rules for international students. The new policy enables eligible, tertiary-prepared international students to access a three-year post-study work visa.

“The recent immigration changes reduce the administration and cost associated with recruiting an international student on a post-study work visa. It is a great move for New Zealand to enable local employers more ready access to this highly-skilled talent pool,” says Wilson.

Short-term employment forecasts for 2017-2020 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) are predicting employment in New Zealand to grow by 153,000 in the next three years, with 46 per cent of that growth in Auckland. By 2020, the demand for highly skilled workers is forecast to increase by nearly 95,000.