FMCG Futures Summer Internship Programme
Since its inception as a pilot programme in 2017, the FMCG Futures Internship Programme has experienced remarkable growth, attracting 472 applicants and offering 49 roles in 2023. The programme was conceived as a response to several challenges faced by the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry, including a lack of awareness among university students about FMCG careers, a shortage of candidates in key functional areas, and the opportunity to build a powerful industry brand.
Problem: The FMCG industry identified a need to develop a pipeline of talent to meet its workforce demands. Challenges included a lack of awareness among students about FMCG careers, a shortage of candidates in critical functional areas, and the opportunity to create a cohesive industry brand.
Solution: The FMCG Talent Working Group convened to address these challenges collaboratively. The result was the FMCG Futures Internship Programme, designed to educate students on the world of FMCG, prepare them for careers in the sector and provide participating organisations with access to high-calibre talent.
Programme Details:
The internship programme offers 10-12 weeks of paid work experience between mid-November and March for students in their penultimate or final year of study.
Interns are recruited into various functional areas such as sales, merchandising, logistics, IT, finance, accounting, and marketing.
Interns may be assigned to a specific project or rotate through multiple areas during their internship.
The programme is run by Talent Solutions in partnership with Bizadvisor and is endorsed by the Food and Grocery Council NZ (FGC).
Talent Solutions market the programme nationally, manage the full recruitment cycle and allocate candidates to organisations where their skills, study and aspirations are a great fit.
During the summer internship, participants are provided with a training programme which includes an introduction to the world of FMCG, a retailer visit, a supplier visit and career development workshop. The sessions are designed to build connections across the cohort, encourage peer-to-peer learning, increase engagement with the world of FMCG and create ambassadors for the industry when students return to university to complete their studies.
Benefits to organisations participating:
Access to high-calibre students before they graduate.
Collective industry power to build brand awareness.
Creation of a talent pipeline who understand key functional areas.
Reduced recruitment and selection costs.
Access to industry-leading training professionals delivering bespoke FMCG training.
Results:
The programme has grown substantially since its inception, attracting a large number of applicants and offering numerous internship roles across Aotearoa's most well-known FMCG brands. In 2023, the programme offered placements in Auckland, Wellington and Balclutha. The growth of the initiative underscores its success in addressing the industry's talent pipeline challenges while building a cohesive industry brand.
Evaluation:
The FMCG Futures Internship Programme exemplifies the power of collaboration in overcoming common industry challenges. By engaging with students, preparing them for FMCG careers, and providing valuable work experience, the programme has become an essential component of talent development within the FMCG sector, ensuring a steady supply of skilled professionals and fostering industry growth and innovation.
Talent Solutions are New Zealand’s leading research-led early talent consultancy. Talent Solutions has extensive experience managing complex graduate, intern and cadetship programmes across the private and public sectors. To discuss how Talent Solutions can solve your early talent challenges, reach out to the team at info@talentsolutions.co.nz.
FEEDBACK
Feedback was gathered from Managers and Interns via surveys and in-person post-programme interviews.
MENTOR FEEDBACK
100% of mentors stated that they would recommend a colleague to participate in the FMCG Futures Summer Internship Programme in the future.
““(Our interns) gained a general awareness of FMCG businesses and how they may relate to future employment opportunities for a science and pharma major. Ran a few projects which were highly valuable for us as a business for education and learning purposes in science-based areas.””
““All of the interns we have been connected with have such great drive and awesome attitudes – they are amazing”.”
““Both our interns have been excellent on all levels. The quality of all candidates was great”!”
““Our intern was so keen to learn and was really resilient with the constant changes to our trades environment”.”
STUDENT FEEDBACK
100% of students found the FMCG Futures Summer internship programme ‘Valuable’ or ‘Extremely Valuable’.
““I had no idea what FMCG actually was so just learning about the industry itself was so valuable.
As for experience I feel extremely lucky I have developed a strong understanding of business logistics which I did not have from my previous work experience.
I feel more prepared for future roles both in and out of FMCG and have been very influenced to work in FMCG.””
“There wasn’t a single day in the internship where I wasn’t learning about some element of sales, supply or marketing. The most exciting learning from the program was that the FMCG industry is one that is everchanging, meaning there is no limit to what you can learn within an FMCG role.”
““Seeing the day in a life of a category manager and their network has been eye opening to the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes getting a product on the shelf.””