Australian students gain on-the-job experience with SAS customers

The SAS Work Placement Program, now in its fifth year, provides Australian students with links to practical experience and future employment. Current and graduating students are linked with SAS customers for 6-12 weeks over the summer months, where they put their SAS skills developed at University into practical use, working hands-on across a variety of industries.

Over the summer, students took up full-time work placements with SAS customers in New South Wales and Queensland. All of the placements proved to be positive experiences for both the student and the employer, with 56% of the placed students moving on to further work with their host company while other hosts were keen to have the students back upon graduation.

James Enoch, SAS Academic Program Manager, believes that the Work Placement Program provides benefits to all involved: “It is a wonderful initiative for students, universities and SAS customers that is bridging the gap between the worlds of academia and business. Participating students have a wonderful opportunity to gain valuable experience and links to future jobs, while Universities benefit through the industry links and practical experience they can offer to their students”.

It is a comment supported by Col McCowan, Head of Careers and Employment at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where many of the participating students over the 5 years of the program have originated. McCowan agrees that “the program is a good fit with the emphasis QUT puts on real world learning”.

A large number of students taking part in the program were from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) course in ‘Data Management for Statistical Analysis’. Base SAS software is an integral part of this course, providing students with the skills necessary to successfully participate in the Work Placement Program. Andrew Azzi, a UNSW student who gained employment through the program notes that “Employers were adamant that potential employees must have previous industry experience. Taking part in this course and the Work Placement Program in my final semester opened up the opportunity for me to gain employment following the completion of my degree.”

Angela Lung, another UNSW student benefiting from the experience the program provided shares that “The Work Placement Program was a great learning experience and really helped me to get my foot in the door of an increasingly competitive industry. I was able to build my SAS programming skills and at the same time gain an overview of how my actuarial knowledge would be applied in real world situations…This program was a valuable stepping stone in my career and I enjoyed it at the same time.”

Students taking part were also offered the opportunity to sit an exam to gain the SAS Base Programmer credential prior to the start of the Work Placement Program. Successfully completing the Base Programmer exam provides the student with a globally recognised credential endorsed by SAS. The host employer gains in the knowledge that the student they are offering a placement to has a high level of competency and proven proficiency with their SAS skills.

Simon Robinson, AAPT, notes that “There is a growing requirement for people who have strong SAS skills; and initiatives such as SAS’ sponsorship are essential for today’s businesses, where there the need for accurate and timely data analysis and reporting is becoming ever more critical.”

Enoch adds that “The SAS skills that students bring to the host employer are in great demand in the marketplace, however it goes beyond that. Students bring a degree of enthusiasm and knowledge that they are able to pass on to fellow employees. For the organisation hosting the student, the program also provides some very large savings in recruitment costs to complement the skilled student suitable to the role on offer.”

For the coming summer, SAS will be expanding the Work Placement Program from its current base to ensure that the benefits are offered to students, universities and customers across Australia and New Zealand.

If you are a host employer or a SAS skilled student looking to participate in the 2008/09 Work Placement Program, please click here for more information or contact the Academic team; via email or on 61 2 9428 0435. For more information on SAS certifications, visit the SAS Certification Program.