Former Rabobank graduate and now Area Manager for the Moree region Felicity Taylor
Rabobank has launched a graduate program for the first time in Australia, offering university graduates “with a passion for and interest in agriculture” the opportunity to begin their careers with the global specialist agribusiness bank.
Rabobank is offering places for graduates from around the country to join the bank early next year, commencing with a formal 18-month graduate program, which kicks off in February 2023. Applications for the program open today.
The world’s leading specialist food and agribusiness bank, Rabobank is one of Australia’s largest agricultural lenders and a major provider of business and corporate banking services to the country’s food and agribusiness sector.
Rabobank Group Executive, Chief HR Officer Belinda Webber said while the bank had previously employed some graduates on an individual basis in its local operation, this would be the first time it had run a “formal structured grad program” in Australia.
“This new initiative offers an exciting opportunity for graduates to embark on meaningful career paths with a global agri leader and to work across – and gain skills, knowledge and experience with – one of Australia’s leading agricultural and financial institutions,” she said.
Rabobank is seeking graduates for the program’s first intake for positions in a range of business areas including country (rural) banking, wholesale (corporate) banking, risk and compliance, technology and business transformation.
Ms Webber said each graduate would get to spend time on rotation working across a range of areas within the bank as part of the program.
“The ‘grad’ program will offer bespoke ‘rotations’ tailored to each graduate’s background, skills and development focus, which will allow them to spend time across the bank’s operations, working with a wide range of teams, where they will gain unique learning and experiences from each of the areas,” she said.
“The rotation placements will not only help to build the graduates’ skills and knowledge, but also bring value to the teams in which they work by injecting fresh ideas and different approaches to how things may be done.”
Ms Webber said the program – which is planned to have annual intakes – offered university graduates “meaningful career development opportunities”, with support to grow in their chosen areas of interest, as well as the chance to be part of Rabobank’s inclusive and flexible work culture.
“As a global cooperative, Rabobank’s focus lies with our employees and clients, not shareholder returns, so people always come first,” she said. “And the bank is committed to being an organisation where our employees can make a meaningful contribution to our clients and local communities and the wider agricultural sector.”
To help accelerate the graduates’ career development, each would be matched with a senior leader within the Rabobank business, who will be their mentor throughout the program, offering coaching and guidance, Ms Webber said.
In addition, she said, there would be opportunities for regional and international travel.
“Rabobank’s global networks allow us to include the opportunity for an international assignment within the program, with selected graduates having the chance to work from Rabobank’s head office in The Netherlands – as part of the capstone project they will undertake,” she said.
“All graduates will also spend time at a rural or regional branch in Australia, with this essential customer-facing experience encouraging greater appreciation and stronger understanding of Rabobank’s unique approach in servicing our customers.”
Ms Webber said for the bank, the new graduate program was an ideal pathway to attract, develop and retain staff who are relatively early in their career.
“With the great ‘war for talent’ in the market, we know that growing our own talents organically is one of the strategic solutions to address this challenge,” she said.
Ms Webber said it has been estimated that by 2025, over 75 per cent of the global workforce would be Gen Z and Millennials.
“Locally, it is reported that 53 per cent of hiring employers are having trouble recruiting staff. To remain competitive as an employer of choice and to create strong early engagement with the new generation entering the workforce, for us a graduate program is naturally one of the key solutions,” she said.
Sydney-based Tim Felan and Moree-based Felicity Taylor are two Rabobank employees who can attest to the career path opportunities offered to university graduates at the bank.
Mr Felan, who joined the bank fresh from a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics in 2016, is now national Head of Rabobank’s Major Agribusiness Clients’ Credit Analyst team.
Ms Taylor, who also completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics, began in a graduate position the following year. She has worked in the bank’s RaboResearch and Country Banking teams in Sydney, spent two months in mergers and acquisitions at Rabobank’s global head office in The Netherlands and experienced working across a number of branches including Armidale, Moree and Toowoomba. She is now Area Manager for the Moree region – the youngest person in Rabobank Australia’s history to hold this position.
Mr Felan said Rabobank has been the “perfect fit” for him, having been exposed to farming from a young age and studying agriculture at university. “Food and agri is something I’m passionate about and it’s fantastic that it is our focus,” he said.
Ms Taylor said the training and development provided to her as a graduate when she joined the bank had been an “excellent enabler for an exciting and fulfilling career”.
“The network I’ve built and confidence I’ve gained from the breadth of exposure I had as a graduate at the bank has been invaluable in getting me to where I am today,” she said.
Applications for the first annual Rabobank Australian Graduate Program will close on August 16, with places offered to the successful candidates in mid-October and commencing in February 2023.
Further information about Rabobank’s Australian Graduate Program is available at https://www.rabobank.com.au/careers/graduate-program/
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international 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 38 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 8.4 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 90 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Media contacts:
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: 02 8115 2744 or 0439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com
Will Banks
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank Australia
Phone: 0418 216 103
Email: will.banks@rabobank.com