More than 120 medical technology students and start-ups are getting together this evening (Tuesday 20 September) for a "speed dating" event to help match people up with future employers.
The event is being jointly organised by CSIRO Data61's job matching service Ribit, the NSW Government and the Medical Technology Association of Australia, and will take place in the aptly-named Stranger's Room at the NSW Parliament.
It will feature students of biomedical engineering, sciences and other courses from Macquarie University, Notre Dame, Sydney, UNSW, UTS and Western Sydney University, as well as more than 25 innovative companies from across Australia.
During the event, students will attempt to showcase why they are a good fit for their preferred company via an elevator pitch to senior executives and founders of the participating businesses. At the same time, the start-ups and companies will be delivering pitches promoting themselves as the place-to-be for students looking to kick start their MedTech career.
Data61 CEO, Adrian Turner, said the event was an excellent example of government, university, industry and research working together to build the innovation pipeline.
"MedTech encompasses varied industry sub-sectors, including advanced manufacturing, product development, sales and regulatory affairs, all of which are demanding fresh talent," he said.
"By bridging the gap between students and businesses, we hope to build and sustain a steady stream of talent pool for this rapidly growing sector."
He said the event showcases the wide scope of career opportunities available across an industry that's currently enjoying a healthy compound annual growth rate of 4.5 per cent globally.
"Ultimately, regardless of a student's academic background, getting a start in this industry means their career can take many different trajectories," Turner said.
NSW Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy, Anthony Roberts said it was great to see so many students from across Sydney enthusiastically putting their hands up to be involved in the event.
[Students and start-ups will size each other up. Photo: CSIRO]
Innovation will be the subject of a number of presentations at the Australian Engineering Conference 2016 in Brisbane on November 23-25.