The uni students being employed in jobs before their graduate from their bachelor degree

It’s not guaranteed university students can walk into jobs when they finish their degrees but there are some courses from which graduates are in high demand.

ALLIED health students are snapping up jobs before they even graduate as the profession struggles to keep up with demand for workers.

The shortage of allied health professionals, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech pathologists, is creating a challenge for employers, who on average receive just eight applications for each job ad, SEEK’s Healthcare Pulse Report reveals.

In comparison, almost 60 applications are received for each role advertised in the aged and disability sector, the report states.

The University of Adelaide allied health director Professor Rachel Gibson says allied health programs are a popular choice among school leavers and career changers – with the amount of course applications exceeding places available.

Allied health graduates are in high demand by employers.

Despite this, a worker shortage remains, with increased life expectancy pushing demand for workers to unprecedented levels, Gibson says.

She says this is good news for graduates, who have no trouble finding a job.

“In fact some have secured employment prior to completing their study and are just needing to wait for their APHRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) registration to come through upon completion of study,’’ she says.

“It is expected that as the population demographics change with increased lifespan and increasing time at work, this will mean the resulting demand for allied health workers will increase in the future … with new and exciting opportunities within the NDIS and other new fields.’’

Gibson says universities are responding to the unmet demand, introducing a range of new allied health programs.

Amanda Wurst found work with The Benevolent Society just one month after completing her speech pathology degree.

At the university, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology will be offered for the first time next year, requiring students to complete more than 800 hours of work-based training, within a variety of settings, to ensure they are job-ready.

SEEK national healthcare sales manager James Duncan says the chronic shortage of allied health professionals is a sign that more tertiary training courses are still needed.

“There’s no denying there’s a battle for talent in the allied health space,’’ Duncan says.

Amanda Wurst found work with The Benevolent Society just one month after completing her speech pathology degree at Flinders University.

The 24-year-old says she applied for several positions but admits high demand for her skillset allowed her to “pick and choose’’ her preferred employer, based upon her areas of interest.

“There’s a huge opportunity for growth within the profession, which is really exciting,’’ Wurst says.

“It’s a very supportive community and I know I’ll be able to grow and thrive in it.’’

Originally published as The uni students being employed in jobs before their graduate from their bachelor degree