Agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank New Zealand has announced the launch of a new graduate programme to support the development of talented young people into successful careers within Rabobank and the wider the food and agribusiness sector.
The 18 month-long programme will provide 10 graduates from around the country with employment experience and career development support across various divisions of the bank including Operations, Country Banking, Risk, Products & Deposits and Human Resources.
Applications for the new programme close on 8 October 2021 with the first intake of graduates set to start in early 2022.
The launch of the programme follows a successful pilot which saw six graduates join the bank in mid-2019 and a further seven at the start of 2021. All of the pilot participants remain in roles with the bank.
Rabobank New Zealand CEO Todd Charteris said he was thrilled to see the pilot expanded into a fully-fledged graduate programme.
Lucy Hayes (R) on a Community Leave Day at KiwiHarvest with some of the team from Rabobank’s Dunedin office
“As New Zealand’s only specialist food and agri bank, we’re really committed to providing young people with career pathways in the food and agribusiness sector – and our new graduate programme is a key part of that,” he said.
“I’ve been really impressed with the fresh ideas and enthusiasm provided by the graduates on the pilot over the last couple of years, and I have no doubt the next crop of recruits will also add plenty of value to our business.”
Mr Charteris said the structured programme placements would provide participants with the opportunity to contribute to “business as usual” work activities, special projects, and other bank initiatives.
“Graduates will also take part in a series of workshops and activities to help ensure the development of critical technical, professional and leadership skills,” he said.
“At the end of the 18-month period, we anticipate graduates will be readily employable into vacant permanent roles or secondments across the organisation, with this dependent on business requirements and graduate development goals.”
Pilot participant Lucy Hayes said she’d thoroughly enjoyed her time on the programme.
“Since starting with Rabobank, I’ve had plenty of time out and about at the likes of field days, farm visits, client events and community days, that have not only given me a chance to get out of the office, but also a really good insight into who the bank’s clients are,” she said.
“Spending time on placements in both the North and South Islands has given me the chance to work alongside a huge range of different people throughout the bank as well as providing me with exposure to different ways of working that have helped shape my own work style.”
“All in all, I’ve really enjoyed my time with the bank so far, and I’d highly recommend the graduate programme to anybody with a passion for the agri sector, whether or not they have a rural background.”
Mr Charteris said the new graduate programme would complement the work being done by the bank’s national network of client councils to increase agricultural industry career opportunities and capability in the sector.
“The bank’s client councils have done some fantastic work over recent years developing a range of initiatives to create better awareness among school leavers of the various career opportunities available within the agricultural sector,” he said.
“And our new graduate programme helps build on this by providing university graduates with a first step towards a career in the industry.”
To learn more about Rabobank’s graduate programme and access the application form, please visit the Graduate Careers page on the Rabobank website click here.
Rabobank New Zealand is a part of the global Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 40 countries, servicing the needs of about 10 million clients worldwide through a network of close to 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank New Zealand is one of the country's leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the New Zealand food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 32 offices throughout New Zealand.
Media contacts:
David Johnston
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank New Zealand
Phone: 04 819 2711 or 027 477 8153
Email: david.johnston@rabobank.com
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: +612 8115 2744 or +61 2 439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com