Robotics specialists Nexxis announce new internship program to prepare engineering students for the workforce

NERA project partner Nexxis is connecting industry and academia through a new internship program that helps prepare engineering students for the workforce, provides an important link between industry and the tertiary education sector, and helps support the growth of Australia’s robotics industry.

Run by Nexxis in association with Edith Cowan University, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, the program not only bridges the gap between the science and commercial worlds, it also brings Australia closer to realising a potential $74B in value to the national economy and unlocking +80,000 new jobs by 2030 through the adoption of digital automation technologies in the mining and oil and gas industries, as identified by NERA's sector-based research.

As the custom solutions-focussed company continues to influence how businesses integrate robotics into their future roadmap, Nexxis believes it’s also their social responsibility to prepare engineering students for the current workforce.

Lina Velosa, Nexxis Business Development Manager, says Nexxis is helping to upskill graduates because they believe that robotic technologies are more relevant today than ever before, and their development will only keep growing.

“Spending four to five years at university learning concepts is excellent, but having real hands-on experience makes everything come together, and theory make sense. We feel it is our responsibility to allow as many students to engage with the industry before they graduate.”

“This is one of the main reasons behind Nexxis supporting the launch of Lab61, which is a new start-up led by women entirely focussed on training and skills. In the future, Lab61 will run our engineering student program, young STEM program and indigenous program,” said Ms Velosa.

The internship program is being led by Nexxis Technology Project Lead Nick Trevean, Global Technologies Manager Rick Naude and Senior Solutions Engineer Jarred Asquith, who know first-hand the struggles of being in the final year of engineering studies.

Nick Trevean, who attended Curtin University, believes the program is extremely helpful for students to understand what is required in the industry.

“It’s a fantastic program that helps them get a feel of what is expected of them…We get the guys engaged in programming, CAD and advanced custom robotics.”

“Everyone is really excited because they get to deal with real-life problems and sometimes provide us with a fresh approach to a problem,” adds Mr Trevean.

“We’re really eager to see what they bring to the table as they enter the workforce in years to come, and hopefully it’s with Nexxis.”

Nexxis is a key member of NERA’s innovation ecosystem, and we are proud to be working together on a collaborative project that supports the development of the world’s first EX-rated robotic crawler to perform confined-space and hazardous inspections, assisting industry to transition towards a safer future and establishing an export market for EX-rated technology.

If you would like to be a part of Nexxis’ graduate program and future needs in robotics, then get in touch with Business Development Manager Lina Velosa via their website.