Deloitte establishes academy in partnership with Adelaide University
Australia’s third oldest university – the University of Adelaide – has partnered with professional services firm Deloitte to establish a new academy focused on education in future growth industries.
The move is Deloitte’s latest push in the state after earlier this year selecting South Australia as the site for its first Centre for Innovation and Technology, and follows a recent trend of consulting firms and universities coming together on curriculum. The new centre will create up to 200 internships per year for both undergraduate and post-grad students.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the University of Adelaide to make graduates more ‘work-ready’ than ever before by providing internship opportunities, a unique educational experience, and creating long-term employment pathways,” said Deloitte’s Adelaide managing partner Hendri Mentz. “This is about harnessing the university’s pool of strong student talent and offering students invaluable work experience at Deloitte.”
With enrolments to commence from the middle of next year, the Deloitte Academy will offer a digital and technology-focused curriculum incorporating elements of business, engineering and commerce, with the aim of preparing students for opportunities in future-focused growth industries such as defence, agriculture, and the health sciences – areas, Deloitte notes, in which the University of Adelaide has national and global expertise.
Indeed, Adelaide University has a long reputation as an international research and innovation powerhouse, its professors over time accounting for around a third of Australia’s Nobel Laureates, including Howard Florey, who was instrumental in the development of penicillin. Currently, the uni has more than 20,000 students, and hovers on the edge of the world’s top 100 leading universities according to the latest QS World University rankings.
“The University is excited to be partnering with an industry leader, Deloitte, to enhance our outstanding educational experience – with relevant, work-ready skills that will help to propel students into meaningful careers,” said its vice chancellor Peter Hoj. “This partnership is a great demonstration of the University of Adelaide’s collaboration with industry to provide graduates with the skills needed for the workforce of the future.”
The Deloitte Academy is the firm’s latest push in South Australia – which in addition to the Centre for Innovation and Technology has also seen it beef up its consulting division – and follows more broadly big tech’s descent on the state’s capital with a slew of new innovation and delivery centres and thousands of jobs on offer.
One of those firms, Accenture, has already partnered with the University of South Australia to establish a similar academy as to that of Deloitte’s.
The South Australian premier Steven Marshall recently met with leaders from Deloitte, Accenture, AWS, Microsoft, PwC, and MTX Group (among others) on the subject of building career pathways into the technology sector. “There are so many jobs available to South Australians across high-tech and high-growth sectors,” he said. “We want to see our young people grasp these opportunities to build a career right here in our state and boost the economy.”
