New internship program seeking businesses and students to charge towards net zero: Opportunity at Blackmore's Warriewood campus Now Open
The NSW Government has announced it is collaborating with businesses to build the net zero workforce of the future, by giving students an opportunity to be job-ready for a career in decarbonisation with a new $1 million internship program.
Applications are now open for businesses and students who want to take part in NSW Skills for Net Zero. It is a 3-year pilot program which will pair 100 tertiary students with businesses in NSW to undertake at least 200 hours of paid work on projects that reduce emissions.
Businesses involved in the program will receive end-to-end recruitment and placement support to address specific skills gaps.
Workplaces will also receive a $2,500 payment to subsidise the intern’s wage, paid after the internship is completed.
Students in their penultimate or final year of tertiary study are encouraged to apply and help businesses contribute to achieving net zero across the state. The types of roles they could take on could involve:
- supporting sustainable packaging and emissions reporting in advanced manufacturing
- focusing on reducing emissions in agribusiness
- contributing to more sustainable freight and logistics processes.
In addition to boosting skills and supporting businesses and industry, this action will take NSW closer to our legislated net zero targets, to safeguard our state and our planet for future generations.
NSW Skills for Net Zero is part of the government’s Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative which provides opportunities for NSW businesses to remain leaders in the net zero transition. The NSW Government has engaged CSIRO to deliver the program.
For details, students and businesses are encouraged to visit: www.csiro.au/en/education/Initiatives/NSW-Skills-for-Net-Zero.
Current opportunities include:
- Code 0001 - Sustainability internship, net zero and nature positive - Warriewood Open
- Code 0004 -Front End Development Internship - Sydney Open
- Code NZ0005 - Electrical Engineering Internship - Bathurst Open
Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe said:
'This program is a win-win-win for students, businesses and the move to net zero.
'Businesses will tell the program what skills they need to further their decarbonisation projects, and we’ll connect them with talented tertiary students from whatever course is required.
'I encourage any business working on decarbonising projects to see how they could benefit from having a skilled student intern on staff.'
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan said:
'The Minns Labor Government is continuing to fund the training and skills development needed to grow our workforce and give students the experience they need to secure the jobs of the future.
'I urge passionate tertiary students in their second-last and final-year to explore this fantastic opportunity and see how their skills can contribute to our net zero future.'
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Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe and Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan visiting a lab to launch the NSW Skills for Net Zero program. Photo: supplied
About the placement opportunity at Warriewood
This internship with Blackmores, facilitated by the CSIRO’s NSW Skills for Net Zero program, offers an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience with a company committed to achieving Net Zero emissions and is a nature leader valuing and understanding biodiversity impacts as they decarbonise their global supply chain.
At Blackmores, you’ll be involved in the daily operations of the Sustainability Team, gaining practical experience and valuable insight into corporate sustainability strategies that integrate both climate action and environmental stewardship.
As a Sustainability Intern, your role will include:
- Supporting the Net Zero pathway, including data collection and analysis for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3. Focus will be on the Group’s operations across Australia & New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Greater China, assisting with data systemisation and quality control to support accurate reporting.
- You will assist in quantifying Scope 3 emissions beyond operational energy use, including categories such as purchased goods, packaging, transport, and end-of-life product impact.
- Supporting the transition to sustainable packaging, with a specific focus on Life Cycle evaluations and the quantification of associated Scope 3 emissions, ensuring alignment with the Group’s broader sustainability goals and reporting obligations.
- Engaging in cross-functional Net Zero team meetings, collaborating with various departments, and contributing insights to ongoing decarbonisation initiatives.
Work arrangements
- Start date: Late August/ September (flexible)
- Working arrangement: Part-time for 200 hours
- Remuneration: $25/hour part-time
- Location: 20 Jubilee Avenue, Warriewood, NSW 2102
Desired capabilities
- Currently studying Environmental Science, Sustainability, Environmental Engineering, Ecology, or a similar field
- Ideally with experience or coursework in carbon accounting and life cycle assessments/evaluations
- Intermediate skills in MS Excel and MS Word
- A deep passion for nature and environmental protection, an enthusiasm for creating positive environmental impact beyond emissions reduction, to value nature, understand ecosystem health, and strive for more regenerative practices that help build a sustainable future.
Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be in their penultimate or final year of study in a relevant qualification at Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Bachelor, or Honours level, with a current credit-average or higher
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident currently residing in New South Wales and able to enter an employment contract
- Meet general selection criteria at the application stage, including communication skills, aptitude, and attitude
- Not be an existing employee or intern (paid or unpaid) of the host organisation they are applying to
- Be willing to provide feedback on their placement experience.
About the Host Workplace
Blackmores Group is a leading natural health company with proud Australian heritage, employing 1,200 people in 11 markets across Asia-Pacific.
Blackmores’ high quality, evidence-based range of brands includes Blackmores – Australia’s leading health brand; BioCeuticals – leading practitioner range in Australia; and Blackmores Institute, an academic and research centre of excellence.
Recognising that you can’t have healthy people without a healthy planet, Blackmores is a proud B Corp certified company, TNFD adopter, striving to deliver Net Zero Emissions by 2030, committed to embedding sustainability across their business and giving back to the communities in which they operate. Blackmores Group headquarters is located on Sydney’s northern beaches and their state-of-the-art tablet and soft gel capsule manufacturing facility is located in Braeside, Victoria.
If you're interested in this internship, please log in to the CSIRO's Education & Outreach Portal. You’ll need to submit your CV and complete the questions to apply. Be sure to include the application CODE0001.
About the Award-Winning Blackmores Campus at Warriewood
From Blackmore's website
The Blackmores Campus is an award-winning, sustainable facility designed to reflect our company values, leadership and commitment to quality. Its innovative features minimise our environmental impact, drive operational efficiencies and, importantly, provide amenities to create a motivating, healthy, happy workplace.
Officially opened in May 2009 and located at Warriewood, the Blackmores Campus offers a new generation workplace that demonstrates the company’s leadership in its balanced approach to health, work, life and the environment.
Environmental sustainability
We are very proud of the sustainable building design which has been recognised by numerous awards. These include the Australian Institute of Architects’ Sustainable Architecture Award and the Urban Taskforce’s Development Excellence for Industrial Development.
Covering more than 25,000 square metres and housing more than 400 staff each day, the Campus has many sustainable elements:
- Energy (electrical, heating and cooling) is provided by a gas-fired tri-generation plant, resulting in reduced carbon dioxide emissions
- Access to fresh air is maximised with temperature-sensitive windows that open and close as the building warms and cools throughout the day, resulting in an air-conditioning free environment for approximately two-thirds of the year
- Natural lighting is maximised to reduce artificial lighting needs
- Thermally insulated façades and roof, light coloured roofing and natural shading devices minimise heat loads on the building and high energy cooling requirements
- Solar chimneys facilitate natural ventilation
- Furnishings are environmentally-friendly, low-volatile and low-emission e.g. carpets, paints, and furniture including all desks
- Storm water is collected and used for our gardens
- Natural flora is integrated into the office setting to give a tranquil workplace environment
Wellness Centre, healthy café and Memorial Garden
Blackmores staff enjoy a Wellness Centre at the heart of the building. This incorporates treatment rooms for massage and naturopathy, a yoga and pilates area, a gym with updated equipment, changing facilities and a 20 metre lap pool. The staff café provides a wide range of healthy, nutritious meals and refreshments for staff.
Medicinal herbs in the Maurice Blackmore Memorial Garden are used for educational purposes, while culinary herbs are grown to include in healthy meals in the staff café. Some of the herbs featured include echinacea, lavender, rosemary, lemon balm and aloe vera.
In 2022 we welcomed some new workers to the Blackmores Warriewood Campus with the arrival of our bee hives. The hives reflect our growing interest in understanding the protection of biodiversity as we progress towards a nature positive future. Bees are amazing healers and play a critical role in the health of our natural environment, pollinating plant species across an 80km2 area around the Campus.
While all bees are important, strong female leadership is particularly critical to a hive. In remembrance of one of our inspirational Blackmores women, we’re proud to name our hives in honour of Sister Mercie Whellan, who is an important figure in our company history and who passed away May 31 2022, aged 103.
Ms Whellan, or ‘Sister’ as she was always known at Blackmores, was a trailblazer in business and in healthcare. At age 25 she accepted a job offer to work alongside Blackmores’ founder Maurice Blackmore and under his tutorage later studied to become a naturopath. She held several significant positions including general manager for many years and director from 1962 until 1994 and was one of the first female chairmen of that era.
Improved production and distribution
The Campus’ on-site production and distribution facility operates 24/6, providing a significantly streamlined processing and quality assurance system, enhanced logistics and supply chain management. This integrated approach allows our Operations team to handle, store, pick and dispatch goods faster and more accurately than ever before.
Our flexible storage system features selective, double-deep and narrow aisle racking for 5,000 pallets. This new smart flow-through design optimises materials handling at all stages from production through to dispatch and ensures enhanced customer service with faster order turnaround and fulfilment accuracy. More than 4,000 shipments are sent to our retail customers each week, with more than 35 million products produced every year.
Community Spirit
In 2020 Sister Mercie Whellan donated $100,000 to the Northern Beaches Rural Fire Service to mark her 100th birthday - the donation was matched by Blackmores.
Dr Ken Hughes, then Treasurer of the Warringah-Pittwater Rural Fire Service, said, “We’ve never had a donation of this size and we’re so pleased that the money will go directly to helping our volunteer brigades, which includes buying equipment as well as further developing initiatives to help keep our community safe.”
More than 40 years ago, as CEO, Marcus Blackmore introduced a program where the company matched staff charity donations. Though Ms Whellan is no longer a Blackmores employee, Marcus and Caroline Blackmore have generously matched Ms Whellan’s donation, contributing an additional $100,000 to the northern beaches RFS.
The donation is among several invested in local volunteer organisations over decades.
Photo l to r: Marcus Blackmore, Sister Mercie Whellan (R.I.P.), Dr Ken Hughes AFSM OAM in 2020