WA’s food and beverage industry gets a brain boost through STEM internships

Businesses in Western Australia’s food and beverage sector are finding the technical skills they need through the WA Food Industry Education Collaboration (WAFEC) Programme.

The programme is delivered by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, in collaboration with the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

It connects tertiary STEM students with businesses operating in food and beverage manufacturing, production, processing and technology through 200-hour paid internships across the state.

Liz Crompton, CSIRO’s WAFEC Programme Lead, said the programme removes barriers for businesses wanting to access STEM expertise and new talent.

“The administrative burden is minimal – we handle recruitment, screening and present businesses with a shortlist of suitable candidates,” Ms Crompton said.
“Businesses can focus on getting value from their intern, rather than burdensome paperwork.”

Gourmania recently completed the programme with great success, with their intern joining the business as an employee, once the programme was completed.

The Bayswater-based manufacturer hosted a food technology intern who worked on product development processes.

Rhys Jones, Project and Sales Manager at Gourmania, said their business was growing and they were looking at food technology expertise.
“The programme was a low-risk way to test whether we needed this type of role and the value in having a food technologist in the business,” Mr Jones said.

The programme addresses a critical challenge facing WA’s food sector.

Kim Antonio, DPIRD’s Food Industry Innovation Manager, said that businesses were struggling to attract highly-skilled STEM students into their food and beverage operations, while students were unable to find opportunities in the food industry.
“The programme connects this talent with meaningful work experience that helps build the skilled workforce Western Australia needs,” Mr Antonio said.

The programme is open to businesses across WA’s food and beverage supply chain, from primary producers to manufacturers and technology suppliers.