The theme of the day was defying expectation and the discussion centred around how Australian organisations can partner with Macquarie Business School (MQBS) to encourage, recognise and grow the talent of exceptional students.

What many organisations don’t know about MQBS is that 13 per cent of our masters graduates and 12 per cent of the school’s bachelor graduates are hired by a top-tier employer within six months of graduating – ranking Macquarie Business School second for undergraduate and third for postgraduate among the country’s top business schools. Mandala Managing Partner Amit Singh delved into other surprising facts about where future talent really comes from, drawing on the findings of The Mandala Report: Macquarie Business School Graduate Employability and Equity. The results provided an interesting starting point for an interactive workshop about hiring strategies and what industry is looking for in graduate recruits.

We heard from attendees that the ideal graduate recruit should possess transferrable professional skills that are essential for dynamic roles. These skills include the willingness to learn, adaptability, teamwork, commercial acumen, and career development and planning.

We also heard that defying expectations can take many forms, but according to industry attendees, some ways to support students on their journey can be through coaching and connecting new graduates, helping them to sell themselves and giving them confidence in their talents and abilities. Being prepared to say ‘yes’ to innovation and new thinking in one’s organisation, and challenging staff, including new graduates, to be bold and courageous, were seen as pathways to fostering future talent.

To deepen the conversation about how industry can work with the business school to provide life-changing opportunities to top students, attendees heard from Jessica Croudace, a Bachelor of Professional Accounting and a Bachelor of Professional Practice student. Jessica shared her powerful experience of studying at MQBS and the opportunity she had to complete three paid internships with Ernst & Young, PKF and Metcash. She said the experience was transformative.

“Having the opportunity to complete paid internships alongside my studies at Macquarie University allowed me to graduate with a wealth of experience, connections, and most importantly, confidence in myself as a female in business,” Jessica said.

This valuable experience resulted in a job offer from one of the organisations before graduation.

For attendees, this was a real-life example of the quality of Macquarie Business School graduates and how paid internships can help students defy expectations.

“Paid internships support students in performing at their highest, allowing for more creative, innovative solutions to be suggested by those with a different view of the world,” Jessica explained.

The conversation then turned to the new Industry Partnership Program, offered by Macquarie Business School to connect visionary employers with the brightest of minds. Since the start of its soft launch in mid-2023, the program has engaged with 29 industry partners, who have committed approximately 50 internships, 15 traineeships and $52K in prizes. Partners include Property Council Australia, Grant Thornton, Sydney Opera House and MLC Life Insurance. Attendees heard from Ramy Bassily, MLC Life Insurance, and Cici Lin, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China about their experience connecting with Macquarie Business School, and in MLC’s case, operationalising an internship program for our students.

“As an employer in an extremely competitive and saturated market, we have an opportunity to identify promising talent early on and integrate them into the enterprise whilst they are finishing their studies, potentially turning them into full-time employees. Students benefit as they are exposed to our business operations, and we get to retain these individuals within the organisation and gain a competitive edge in attracting top talent, fostering innovation and building a stronger employer brand,” Ramy said.

Macquarie Business School’s Engagement Manager, Sandra Helou, said the day was a huge success and her hope is that more companies partner with the business school to recognise the talents of graduates.

“The Industry Partnership Employability Summit was an opportunity to connect with industry and explore their needs around recruiting interns, trainees and graduates, as well as any postgraduate research needs. We aimed to inspire them to think about how a partnership with Macquarie Business School can help meet those needs,” Sandra said.

“The theme ‘defying expectations’ is simply about doing things differently – looking for new ways to achieve business goals and identify untapped talent so that employers can innovate and keep their talent pipeline fresh. This in turn allows students the opportunity to accelerate their learning, test their skills, and in some cases, secure their first full-time role.”

If you would like to explore partnership opportunities for your organisation, please reach out to the MQBS Engagement Team.