Kaitlin Loeffler-White, 28 November, 2022 | L -R: CPIE students Alexander McFarlane, Lachlan Stacey, Christian Hii and CPIE alumnus Pavel Stulnikov
Earlier this week, QUT Business School students and their families, alumni and sponsors celebrated the successes of QUT Business School’s 2022 Corporate Partners in Excellence (CPIE) student cohort.
Commencing and graduating CPIE scholars were presented with certificates and commended for their spectacular job of balancing demanding university schedules with their internship placements while maintaining GPAs of 5.5 and above.
Reflecting on his time at QUT and in the CPIE program, Bachelor of Business (Finance) student Alexander McFarlane summarised some of the challenges students faced these past few years:
“While studying at university, the CPIE class of 2022 experienced one global pandemic, multiple historic market crashes, an epic bull run between bushfires, floods and a record 17 Olympic gold medals for Australia. We were the class of changes in power; we had two US Presidents, two Australian prime ministers, two monarchs and three UK prime ministers. What three years!“
L – R: Professor Larry Neale, Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching and Oluwatobi Agbejule
“For me personally, over my three years of studies, I completed 35 assignments, eight mid-semester exams, 14 problem-solving tasks, 23 quizzes and 19 final exams totalling 99 bits of assessment, and two internships.”
Alexander explains that the CPIE program is more than just numbers.
“My first corporate experience compiling financial viability reports at Equifax was challenging. In this fast-paced role, I quickly learnt about time management, attention to detail, problem-solving and communicating with clients. Aside from professional skills and overcoming the challenges I faced in this role, I built self-belief in myself.”
Bachelor of Business (Economics) student Christian Hii also shared the value that being a CPIE recipient has brought to his life.
When discussing what the program has meant to him, he says it wasn’t just about the technical skills he learnt.
“Understanding team dynamics – there are so many different people out there, and lots of them differ from each other and yourself. I struggled to fully grasp this at first, but communication was key in ensuring I worked well in a team. Then there was the mindset I had going in; the CPIE program is the perfect place for you to see your potential and all the wonderful things you can do. Challenges will come ahead. Use them as a test rather than discouragement”.
On behalf of CPIE scholars, Christian recognised that the program wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support from QUT’s industry sponsors, who host students in their workplace for 15 weeks, and the QUT staff who facilitate the placements.
L – R: Lindsay Mclaughlin, Rio Tinto, Sophie Watkins, CPIE student & Katie Gibbons, Rio Tinto
“There are many thank-yous to be said. To the corporate sponsors – thank you for taking us in and helping us become the best professionals; it’s something we’re all very grateful for”
“To the QUT Staff who facilitate this wonderful program, none of this is possible without you - all your work from the front and especially for everything you do behind the scenes that we don’t always see or think about”.
The CPIE program has been running since 2001 and is a unique industry-linked program for students who aspire to be future business leaders. CPIE scholars complete two semesters interning in their major business discipline with one of QUT Business School’s prestigious corporate partners.
QUT Business School thank our 2022 partners for their generous and ongoing support:
Aurizon, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, Collins Foods Group, Energy QLD (Energex), EY, Equifax, FTI Consulting, Pitcher Partners, Rio Tinto, and Stryker.
To learn more about applying for a CPIE scholarship, click here.
If your organisation is interested in joining CPIE as a corporate partner, contact Jodie Pattinson at j.pattinson@qut.edu.au.
