Alec Frawley always dreamt of becoming a palaeontologist but an elective information technology subject in Grade 10 at Maroochydore State High School took him on a different type of adventure.

Following his new calling, Alec successfully completed a three-year Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology at USC was part of the April cohort of graduates.

“I loved the first year of the course but lost my way a bit in second year,” Alec, 22, said.

“In third year I knew I had to commit myself to bettering my grades, so when an internship program was offered in Semester 1 with YOUI I wasn’t sure I’d be considered.”

School of Business lecturer Dr Erica Mealy identified Alec’s potential and encouraged him to apply to be part of the first USC-YOUI ICT intern group, named the Tiny Tech Team.

“As a regional university one of our strengths is being able to get to know our students well across the years of their degree and learn their key strengths,” Dr Mealy said.

“When we see potential in our cohort we are ready and able to help them take the next step and offer new opportunities for both the student and the broader ICT industry to capitalise on.”

The internship opportunity for third year students came about thanks to Pete Capra who is the head of software at YOUI and part of the USC reference panel for the ICT degree.

“Pete together with YOUI HR representative Daniel Simpson approached USC in November 2017 to explore partnership opportunities and develop their future workforce.

Alec was required to spend one day a week for three months with the YOUI IT development team at Sippy Downs.

“One just wasn’t enough for me. I was so engrossed in the work that I started prioritising over my study at one point; I just enjoyed it that much,” Alec said.

Alec’s eagerness paid off, being offered a graduate IT role with the company before finishing his degree.

“In August last year I accepted the role while completing the final assessments for uni,” he said.

“I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity and to have landed my dream job here on the Coast.”

Dr Mealy said USC was proud to offer the intern arrangement.

“Under some arrangements, such as with YOUI, students can complete between 12 and 42 days placement with a host organisation,” she said.

“We love placing our final year students as it’s incredibly fulfilling to witness our students gain the benefits of their study paying off.

“We run our ICT placements in both Semester 1 and 2 and we’re always looking for new hosts.”

- Megan Woodward