December 05, 2023
Regional internships available
It’s a long way from India to the palm-lined avenues of Cairns. For FaBA intern Adithiya Balaji, the move represents an opportunity to step out of his comfort zone to get a fresh view on F&B start-ups. The UQ Master of Food Science scholar is one of the first students to be offered a place through the FaBA Training Centre’s Regional Internships Program.
Adithiya has received a $6,000 scholarship to help with his relocation costs for the three-month placement with the FNQ Food Incubator.
“Eventually, I would like my own start-up, so the opportunity to work at an Incubator was too good to pass up. This gives me the opportunity to work with a number of different food-based start-ups, all with different products, so it represents a completely different opportunity to what was available closer to Brisbane,” Adithiya said.
The scholarship program has given the FNQ Food Incubator access to a high-quality food science intern, who would not have been able to make the trek north otherwise.
FNQ Incubator CEO Lara Wilde said: “Food is a universal language which can bridge countries and cultures. While we welcome Adithiya and his expertise in food science to our organisation, we are equally excited to have his contribution to our start-up food business community.
“We work with many cultures in our diverse migrant community, and by bringing his lived experience, Adithiya can assist us to bring their food business dreams to life as they make their new home in far north Queensland.”
FaBA Training Centre Lead, Associate Professor Nidhi Bansal says the FaBA program is placing students with regional businesses that often struggle to recruit interns from metropolitan universities.
“This is a great Work Integrated Learning initiative for the students before they go into employment. Companies based in regional areas often don’t receive as many interns, so they are prepared to give students access to a more diverse learning experience,” said Associate Professor Bansal.
“For the companies involved, the internships represent a low-risk investment. They are having someone intern with them that they may choose to employ later. Our partners also benefit from having a fresh pair of eyes and new thinking in the business, so it’s win-win.”
The first four companies involved in the program are the FNQ Food Incubator, Gelita, Grove Juice and Frosty Boy.
Businesses do not need to be FaBA Industry Participants to take part in the program. The next round of EOIs close on 31st March, with students undertaking the internships from July 2024.
To find out more contact Nidhi Bansal at faba.trainingcentre@uq.edu.au