What is JobDUN?
JobDUN is a paid internship programme for Dunedin businesses and tertiary students.
The programme aims to retain skills and talent in Dunedin by helping businesses find talented students to meet their business needs.
JobDUN enables businesses to test an intern's capabilities in a real-world environment, often giving them the confidence to employ a student on a more permanent basis – around 50% of the interns placed are offered an employment contract post-internship.
Businesses can find an intern through their own networks or through JobDUN. The internship project should challenge and stimulate the intern. Internships typically run for 8-16 weeks.
A fund has been set up to help Dunedin businesses take on a student intern, which reduces the level of risk when employing a new person.
Expectations
We ask businesses interested in taking part in the programme to ensure that:
- Your business has current Health and Safety policies in place and is a safe, respectful and inclusive environment where there are complaints procedures for interns to access if necessary
- Please ensure that the intern is briefed on any internal complaints procedures that you operate. If you need assistance with a complaints policy, we can provide some support around that
- Please ensure that the internship project is robust and well thought out: projects that will challenge and stimulate the intern, while helping the business build capability, improve productivity and stimulate growth are ideal
- Interns are paid fairly (payment should be above minimum wage) for their contribution to your business: while having interns in your business has value, we believe in offering fair remuneration in exchange for talent
- Intern expectations are managed: please don't raise an intern's expectations of a role in your business post-internship if this is unlikely.
Feedback from businesses
“Excellent program. Motivates us to hire interns, engage with the student sector and adds real value to our business.”
Greg Fahey, BISON
"For the skills we required the program was a fast and efficient way to match candidates to jobs."
Jamie Copland, Headquarters Hairdressing Ltd
“JobDUN now is part of how we do things… Keep it going. Very valuable and delivering tangible help to local business and business growth”
Peter Cox, Harraway and Sons Limited
Conditions
The programme aims to support businesses involved in high-growth sectors, such as Creative/Design, Biotechnology, Game Development, Education and Research, Information and Communications Technology and Niche Manufacturing. Contact us if you're unsure.
You can apply to take on an intern if you are:
- An owner or employee of a GST-registered Dunedin-based business working within the laws of New Zealand
- Able to show that the business has the capability and commitment to support the health and safety, financial and social wellbeing of an intern, including sound HR systems
To apply, please complete and submit the application form online.
If you would like to find out more about the programme, please contact Chanel O'Brien at [email protected] or phone 474 3736.
Funding
Businesses taking part in the programme are eligible for funding to help cover the costs of the intern’s remuneration. Funding is paid at the end of the internship once the required documentation has been submitted. You can submit the documentation once the internship is over but the final deadline 30 May 2025. Submitting your documents earlier in the year is really helpful. It allows us to provide data to funder's on the number of jobs created via the programme, and enables us to pay you in a timely way.
Please submit the required information to Dunedin City Council, Enterprise Dunedin by 30 May 2025.
- A Business Report for each intern
- An Intern Report from each intern
Other required documentation should be scanned and emailed to [email protected] on completion of the internship:
- A tax invoice for the intern/s (please include the interns name/s) against “Dunedin City Council” quoting the order number provided
- Payroll records
The funding must be taken up before the end of the financial year. No extensions are available and retrospective claims will not be accepted.
Finding interns
Typically, most interns are found through the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic, however businesses are free to find their own interns.
Businesses choose from the pool of interns available according to their business needs. For example, Tech businesses may need marketing or design interns to complement their business and to help them build capability.
You can find interns from any part of the world as long as they have the appropriate Visa Type issued by New Zealand Immigration. If relevant, evidence of the Visa Type should be forwarded to Enterprise Dunedin along with the final business and intern reports, which are due on 30 May 2025. Submitting your documents earlier in the year is really helpful. It allows us to provide data to funder's on the number of jobs created via the programme, and enables us to pay you in a timely way.
Businesses need to ensure that they have appropriate Health and Safety and HR systems in place to be able to support interns in their business if issues arise. Manage expectations - please don't raise expectations of a permanent role in your business if that is unlikely to happen.
Remuneration of the internship is your decision. This can vary but the business must have the funds at hand to be able to pay the intern and it should be above the minimum wage. The adult minimum wage will be rising to $23.15 per hour from 1 April 2024.
Connecting with Students
Businesses have indicated that they prefer their first contact with students to be online.
- Please apply to JobDUN using the application form (see below) to describe your internship opportunity.
- Internship opportunities will be posted on the JobDUN website
- Students will be directed to the JobDUN website
- Students will contact you by email or phone (your choice)
- You choose to see the student at your convenience, and make an arrangement with the student to meet in person or online
- There is a reasonable chance that you will find someone to suit your business need, however there are no guarantees