At last week’s NZAGE Summit, Seren Wilson (Director, Talent Solutions) and Helen Mason (Head of Talent, KPMG) led a session exploring how AI is reshaping the early talent landscape and why organisations need to adapt if they want to stay ahead. The discussion focused on how AI is changing the way we recruit emerging talent and what this means for graduates and early talent programmes.

At this year’s NZAGE Summit, Talent Solutions and Contact Energy teamed up to deliver an interactive workshop on how organisational purpose can be woven into every stage of early talent delivery. Caleb Jasmat (Contact Energy) and Aron Chantelau (Talent Solutions) guided the room through practical examples, honest reflections, and plenty of group discussion on what it really takes to build a purpose-led programme.

This topic was front and centre at the 2025 NZAGE Summit, where Talent Solutions director Seren Wilson shared these insights with early talent leaders from across the country. It sparked plenty of conversation because early talent programme managers sit in a uniquely powerful place.

The early talent landscape is shifting fast. Last week at the AAGE Conference in Brisbane, the spotlight was firmly on how graduate programmes are evolving and what employers need to prioritise to stay ahead.

From measuring real impact to embedding inclusive design, the conversation was clear: graduates expect more and the organisations who respond thoughtfully will build stronger, future ready workforces.

The 2025 findings, based on responses from more than 2,700 students across the country, reveal a cohort navigating rapid change. From shifting confidence levels and altered job search strategies to a strong appetite for overseas opportunities, the influence of generative AI stood out as one of the most striking themes this year.

Talent Solutions and Auckland Council, winners of the 2024 NZAGE Best Partnership Award, and Auckland Council, winner of the 2024 Best Candidate Experience Award, shared their approach with members at the NZAGE forum last week.

Something we’ve noticed over Talent Solutions’ 10 years in business is how internships have evolved.

What was once seen as a low-risk, low-priority summer holiday job has now become the strategic engine room of graduate hiring. The word internship has, quite literally, put on a suit and stepped into a central role in early talent pipelines.

TopScore is a digital assessment centre platform designed to take the stress out of running engagement and selection days. It removes admin, improves visibility, and ensures a consistent, professional experience for both candidates and assessors.

At a recent NZAGE forum, Talent Solutions presented the story behind their 2024 Best Innovation Award win, sharing how the FMCG Futures Internship Programme is reshaping early talent pipelines through collaboration across the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.

Introducing DayOne: Our New Pre-boarding Platform for Early Talent

If you’ve just wrapped up a round of university recruitment, you’ll know that there’s a big gap between the job offer and day one on the job. What happens between offer and start can have a big impact on how your early talent settles in.

Last week, our Talent Solutions team was pleased to host our annual Early Talent community roundtables in Auckland and Wellington. Thank you to KPMG for hosting our Auckland session, and to CA ANZ for welcoming us in Wellington. These events bring together early talent professionals from across industries to share insights, discuss emerging challenges, and explore new ideas in a collaborative setting.

For another year in a row, employers are receiving record numbers of applications for graduate and internship opportunities. We're sharing our advice with you and want to hear your thoughts on graduate employment opportunities - share your thoughts here.

Our first Talent Solutions Virtual Roundtable of 2025 was a fantastic session with a great turnout and valuable discussions. The focus of the session centred around four key topics: Attraction, Selection, Development, and Strategy.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Transform Your Graduate Recruitment Videos – Secrets to Capturing Kiwi Talent! Hosted by Talent Solutions in partnership with MiNDSHIFT FILMS, this session featured Dan Arnold sharing expert insights on how to create recruitment videos that genuinely connect with New Zealand’s top graduates.

We've compiled this check list for you to ensure you've got all bases covered as you gear up for Round 1 of recruitment activity.

Every year, Talent Solutions invests in attending the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) conference and awards night. This provides an opportunity to expand our global networks, learn from our Australian counterparts, and bring fresh thinking and ideas back to Aotearoa to benefit our clients.

Talent Solutions recently ran a presentation for TupuToa on designing an inclusive and impactful internship experience. Internships are an essential component of early talent strategy, providing young professionals with a first step into the workplace.

If you missed our recent webinar on building a year-round attraction strategy, don’t worry! Hosted by Aron Chantelau from Talent Solutions alongside Lou Zoanetti from Brightworks and Clancy Meaney from Prosple, the session featured insights from both New Zealand and Australia. Special guests Kate Coley from the University of Auckland and Caleb Jasmat from Contact Energy also shared their expertise.

We were thrilled to run a session for the Auckland Business Chamber, featuring our Director of Talent Solutions, Seren Wilson, who shared insights on how organisations can attract and develop young talent.

We were thrilled to see so many of our early talent community and Talent Solutions clients at the Student Pulse release events in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch last week!

The work environment has changed significantly in recent years, particularly with the rise of remote work. For new graduates stepping into the workforce, figuring out the right balance between time spent in the office and time working from home has become increasingly important. As hybrid work models become more popular, it’s worth considering the pros and cons of each setting to maximise productivity, professional growth, and overall well-being.

Talent Solutions had the pleasure of reconnecting with our Auckland and Wellington clients and wider early talent community during our recent graduate roundtable events.

Talent Solutions facilitates these discussions to support the deepening of connections across this fabulous network of practitioners.

The recent Talent Solutions Student Pulse survey and NZAGE Graduate and Employer Surveys highlights the fact that diversity and inclusion remains a key focus for graduate programme practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand.   

In today's fast-paced world of talent acquisition, organisations are in a constant race to attract and retain the best candidates. One key element of this process is the "keep warm" strategy, especially crucial when it comes to engaging Gen Z talent, who have their own unique expectations and preferences.

2023 in Perspective - a roundup on trends and challenges that shaped 2023 and a sneak peek into 2024.

As the year draws to a close, many organisations are gearing up for their 2024 early talent recruitment plans. plans. While it's essential to look forward, it's equally crucial to reflect on the past year's strategies and outcomes. To make informed decisions about your talent acquisition and campus recruiting efforts, it's essential to evaluate the success of your previous campaigns.

In August, Talent Solutions hit the road to share the results of Student Pulse 2023 with our client community.

We were thrilled to be able to share the latest insights and data with our graduate community, and were warmly welcomed by CAANZ in Christchurch, KPMG in Auckland, and Xero in Wellington.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make waves across industries, concerns among graduates about its impact on job opportunities are on the rise. While these concerns are understandable, it’s important to approach the issue with a balanced perspective. Contrary to the alarmist narrative, current estimates suggest that the number of jobs directly affected by AI remains relatively low.

Candidate Ghosting - how it hurts employers and candidates.

There’s been a lot of discussion recently in the graduate industry around "candidate ghosting." It's when job applicants suddenly stop communicating with employers during the hiring process, (much like ghosting in personal relationships).

Talent Solutions is a proud partner of The New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers (NZAGE). The NZAGE’s mission is to educate and support New Zealand organisations in delivering exceptional graduate talent programmes.