No jobs for SA graduates, says who?

It's a long-held belief that graduates will leave the state in search of greener employment pastures.

But a group of Adelaide's newest finance graduates are keeping home-grown talent firmly within our state's borders.

Four Adelaide-based graduates, Nick Hodder (40), Dom Chiuchiolo (23), Joshua Thunig (22) and Tom Worley (23), will start their finance careers at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank as part of the 2016 Graduate Program, pursuing their chosen professions while living in the state they love.

"With a young family, moving away was not really an option for me, so to pursue a great career right here in Adelaide is such an amazing opportunity," said Nick Hodder, who recently completed his Bachelor of Commerce at UniSA as a mature-aged student.

"It's reassuring to know that there are still large organisations out there, like Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, who have large offices in the state and who are willing to give graduates a shot," he said.

Dom Chiuchiolo applied for the Program after completing a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Adelaide.

He said being able to stay in Adelaide, despite the State's tightening job market, was a huge win for him.

"Finishing university in the current economy was a little worrying, especially with our unemployment rates comparatively high," Mr Chiuchiolo said.

"I always thought it was true that to have a career in finance, you needed to move to the Eastern states.  But the truth is, there are plenty of opportunities to start a successful career right here in South Australia.''

The Bank's wholly-owned agribusiness subsidiary, Rural Bank, has employed Joshua Thunig, a Commerce and Economics graduate from the University of Adelaide.

"Throughout my degree, I was convinced that I would have to move interstate to find work and build my career," he said.

"But what I really wanted was to stay in South Australia, in a role that would be challenging, interesting and most importantly, something I would be proud of.

"Being part of Rural Bank has ticked all those boxes – this opportunity has meant everything to me."

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's Head of People and Performance Mark Schultz said that the Bank's Graduate Program was a great example of local opportunities available to university graduates in South Australia.

"We have some of the Nation's most promising up-and-coming talent right here in South Australia, and our Graduate Program helps us to identify, harness and nurture that talent," he said.

"As one of the largest employers in the Adelaide CBD, we are proud to offer local graduates the opportunity to remain in South Australia and contribute to the future success of our state."
The four Adelaide-based graduates join seven other graduates starting this year, each working across the Bank and its subsidiaries Rural Bank and Rural Finance in Bendigo, Adelaide and Melbourne.

They will all take part in six monthly rotations through various parts of the business, gaining practical experience to become the next generation of leaders at the Bank.

The Graduate program began in 2009, with more than 38 students completing the program and continuing employment with the Bank, including 11 based in Adelaide.