AUSTRALASIAN Pork Research Institute Limited is considering eight applications from Australia and New Zealand, by producers, technology supply companies and veterinary groups, in the first call under its industry placement program.
The APRIL board has approved funding for education in 2018/19 to support industry placement programs, under a scheme similar to that successfully initiated by the Co-operative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork, plus top-up postgraduate scholarships and honours projects.
APRIL will provide the successful business applicant with $70,000 across the first two years to help cover salary and other costs associated with training the graduate/postgraduate for three years.
The APRIL education committee will make at least one call and potentially two, subject to budget, annually for industry placement program awards.
APRIL’s education committee, comprising of chairperson Professor Frank Dunshea, University of Melbourne; Prof John Pluske, Murdoch University; Dr Eugeni Roura, University of Qld; Dr Darryl D’Souza, SunPork; Dr Rob Smits, Rivalea; Heather Channon, Australian Pork Limited and Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, Pork CRC, will meet in September to consider the applications.
Interim APRIL CEO and former CRC CEO Roger Campbell said creating opportunities for graduates and post-graduates in the workforce by partnering with industry had been a successful Pork CRC platform for several years, with five industry placement programs being awarded under a SA government employment initiative which finished on June 30.
“Pork CRC’s industry placement program placed more than a dozen highly credentialed young people in jobs where they engaged their academic skills and qualifications and added value to their workplaces with innovative ideas and typically youthful enthusiasm,” Dr Campbell said.
