Kangan Institute and Nissan Motorsport launch innovative internships

Kangan Institute and Nissan Motorsport will be giving four motorsport students the opportunity of a lifetime to work and train alongside a real-life racing team. A memorandum of understanding was signed on Wednesday 23rd July by Kangan Institute and Nissan Motorsport to launch the partnership that includes a six month full-time internship for four motorsport students. As part of the program selected students will be assigned to Nissan's Jack Daniels or Norton team and experience preparation and re-assembly work across various national and international race circuits. They will also each receive a $3500 Kangan Institute scholarship for the duration of the internship. Joe Ballato, Kangan Institute automotive operations manager, noted that this latest initiative is an important opportunity for students to gain practical experience within a real-time racing environment.

"Kangan Institute is well-known for its strong industry links and this new opportunity to work with a tier one racing team is yet another way for our students to gain exposure to industry's best practices whilst completing their studies," said Joe. "As the first TAFE to build a partnership with a racing team, we are proud to be leading the way to a new era of innovative, hands-on motorsport training." Selected students were shortlisted through an interview with Kangan Institute and Nissan representatives which took into account their interest in the field and achievements thus far. Nissan will select the four finalists to proceed with the program. This internship program will operate as a pilot in 2013 ahead of full implementation in 2014.

The partnership also includes part-time work placements for 18 automotive students, racing team student uniforms and a Nissan Motorsport car components for Kangan Institute to conduct training and learning on campus. "This is a great way for our students to gain current knowledge and for many of them this could open up exciting options for employment in the tier one category in the near future. It's an opportunity of a lifetime," said Joe. Kangan Institute offers motorsport training across certificates II, III and IV levels. Training is delivered at Kangan Institute's state-of-the-art Automotive Centre of Excellence in Docklands.