CareerTrackers is supporting Todd Crawford to make a career for himself in the finance industry.

Like most kids growing up in Roma, Queensland, Todd Crawford was into sport and wanted to follow in the footsteps of the rugby league great, Darren Lockyer.

Despite the interest in football, Todd, now 25, says he was always interested in engineering.

“When I was a kid I always enjoyed tinkering with things,” Todd says.

In the end, his love of “pulling things apart and putting them back together” won out. With the support of CareerTrackers, he is now gaining valuable experience in the finance industry through an internship with Macquarie Group, which draws on his knowledge of engineering.

While studying Year 10, Todd started a school-based apprenticeship through TAFE in what is now known as a Certificate in Electrotechnology Electrician. He combined his school studies with work at Advance Communications in Roma – a business he continued to work at for a couple of years after finishing high school.

“I did my first TAFE block in Brisbane, and that was when I realised that I wanted to further my education,” Todd says.

“I applied for a lot of different universities and was finally accepted at the Queensland University of Technology.”

It was during Todd’s time at university while studying electrical engineering that he became involved with CareerTrackers, an organisation that creates internship opportunities for Indigenous university students. CareerTrackers is funded through the Australian Government’s Tailored Assistance Employment Grants.

“CareerTrackers has been amazing in the advice and support that they’ve offered me,” Todd says.

“They build a strong sense of community from the top down and have helped me to gain an internship that has allowed me to apply my classroom learning to the real world.  Through supporting CareerTrackers, the Commonwealth Government has provided me with a living allowance during the semester and assistance with flights and accommodation to Sydney where I undertake my internship with Macquarie Group.”

Todd is studying both engineering and finance and is due to graduate in mid-2018, after which he hopes to develop his career in the finance industry.

The Australian Government announced last year it was investing up to an additional $13.46 million in CareerTrackers to deliver their Indigenous Internship program for up to 275 interns over three years. Ninety-four per cent of CareerTrackers’ interns complete their university studies, compared with 63 per cent for Australian students in general and 40 per cent for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Of these, 89 per cent convert into full-time graduate employment upon completion of their university degree.