Allied health and social work students from Adelaide recently embarked on a journey to the Limestone Coast on a StudyAdelaide tour.

The students met with prospective employers and visited tourist attractions including the Blue Lake, Cave Garden/Thugi and Coonawarra.

They attended a networking dinner at the University of South Australia Mount Gambier Campus and visited organisations including Focus One, Limestone Speech, Department of Child Protection and Carers SA during their visit.

The tours are a collaboration between Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast (RDALC) and StudyAdelaide.

“By partnering with StudyAdelaide, we provide an immersive experience for students with the aim of enticing these graduates to live and work in our region,” RDALC chief executive David Wheaton said.

“This in turn helps fill workforce gaps across the industry with skilled employees, it’s a win-win for all involved.”

RDALC Business and Workforce Development deputy chief executive Rachael Ashman said the event was a great success and students said the tour changed their perception of what a ‘region’ was.

“The more students and graduates that we get to visit the area, the more likely we are to see them relocate here for work,” Ms Ashman said.

“It is really hard to imagine yourself in a place you have never been so this opportunity to sample the region really increases our chances of attracting skilled graduates to work and live here in the Limestone Coast.

“For many of them it was the first time they had been to the Limestone Coast and they were genuinely surprised by the number of people and vibrancy of the area.

“It is always fun playing tour guide and watching people see the Blue Lake for the first time.”

Ms Ashman said one student said they did not realise there were so many people in the region and the towns would be so lively.

She said another student said they had always wanted to work in a regional hospital and the Mount Gambier Hospital tour during the visit confirmed their desire to work in a regional hospital.

Ms Ashman said all business visits occurred in Mount Gambier and the tours were greatly determined by the current vacancies and businesses that have the capacity to be involved.

“With a COVID peak and the usual end of year busy-ness, we know that not all organisations that were keen to be involved could make themselves available,” she said.

“We encourage any business to reach out to us at Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast as we can connect your skilled vacancies to graduates and students through StudyAdelaide at any time.”

StudyAdelaide are funded by the South Australian Government and by schools, RTOs and the University sector.