SAS Work Placement Program

The SAS Work Placement Program is a unique work experience program that helps students gain valuable industry experience and find full time work once graduated.

The program has run over the past five years in Queensland, and over the last three in New South Wales. Heralded a success by students, lecturers and employers, the program provides a unique bridge between academia and business.  It allows organisations the chance to offer students an opportunity to demonstrate their skills using SAS solutions, in a real life working environment.  To date, approximately 25% of participating students have been offered permanent paid employment upon completion of their work placement.

The program allows students to put their theoretical study into practice, giving them the unique opportunity to get their foot in the door of the corporate world. Students are hosted across a range of industries in major organisations.

With commercial experience fast becoming a prerequisite for corporations when recruiting graduates, this program has rapidly become an invaluable resource for students.

Want to get involved?

Host Employers:

Please submit a detailed job description to academic@oz.sas.com you will be contacted to discuss your suitability to the program, or contact the Academic team on 61 2 9428 0435.

Students:

Please submit all applications to academic@oz.sas.com by 30th September 2008

Student applications are to consist of:

• The completed application form, which can be found here
• A cover letter which clearly addresses
1. why would you would like to do this
2. a quick summary of your strengths and skills
3. which industry you see yourself suited to and why
• Résumé
• Academic Record

Preference will be given to students that will graduate in 2008 / 09 and are seeking employment at the end of the program.

All reasonable efforts, however no guarantees, will be made to place all students in a work placement position. The more flexible you are, the more likely you will be placed.

Customer Feedback:

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. Certainly, if David’s performance is anything to go on, then we will definitely be once again participating in the work experience program this year.

Simon Robinson (AAPT)

The program is excellent, particularly the provision of a temporary SAS license throughout the duration of the program. this greatly improves the effectiveness of the student. for companies that do not have access to additional SAS licenses, the SAS work placement program has a strong advantage over other student programs. the duration of around 8 weeks is sufficient for the student to develop an understanding of the business and be able to contribute positively.

Stephen Wilson (Chubb Insurance company of Australia)

Having Josh here at WorkCover has been of great benefit. Josh brings SAS skills acquired through the E-Business major which has helped us improve the efficiency of our existing SAS programs and also shown us many beneficial SAS tips & tricks.

Warren Hawkins (WorkCover QLD)

".. it is good to see QUT and SAS working together on this program, I know from my days as a graduate, that workplace experience was always hard to find. Having the experience and knowledge that the skills you have worked so hard to acquire can be so readily applied must be a real motivator for achieving higher grades."

Steve Dobe - Manager, Information Technology at EGR

Student Feedback:

This experience has definitely given me more self-confidence, and I also feel that I now stand a much better chance of obtaining a graduate position within the financial services industry.

Prabu Wignaswaran (student of UNSW placed with a major Australian bank)

This work placement has been a great start to my career. Having experience in SAS programming in a working environment allows a more practical use of SAS skills, which will he useful in any future positions I may hold. As an actuarial student, I will be sure to encounter SAS along the way and I am eager to continue to learn more SAS since it is such a highly regarded skill. The program has been a pleasant transition from university life to working life; a more structured day with set tasks while still continuing to learn new skills and having fun along the way.

Karen Wong (student of UNSW placed with a major Australian bank)

Not only did I benefit from the experience and exposure to real business scenarios but also the opportunity to work full time in a corporate environment was very fulfilling and enlightening. Overall I am very satisfied and grateful for this experience!

Joshua Coulson (gained employment through WorkCover QLD)

The program is very useful and gives the opportunity for students to be able to prepare themselves for real world industry.

Sutheera Phuengpit - student of QUT placed with a major Australian Bank

"nice to see such a program available, not often seen by software vendors"

Alan Tsuji - student of QUT placed at EGR