What IAG has learned about hiring and inclusion from nearly a decade of hosting interns
For most organisations, hosting an intern with disability creates a real opportunity for someone building their career, who may have encountered barriers in other graduate pathways or hiring processes. But for IAG, who have taken part in Australian Disability Network’s (AusDN) Internship Program since 2017, the experience has delivered just as much back to the organisation itself, shaping stronger leaders, sharper hiring practices and a more inclusive way of working across the business.
Building leadership capability
Hosting an intern asks more of a leader than simply supervising a placement. IAG’s people leaders, complete disability inclusion training with AusDN before hosting an intern, and the experience of supporting someone with a different lived experience pushes teams to think differently about communication, coaching and workplace adjustments.
Those who support interns gain hands-on development through mentoring and problem-solving in real time, sharpening how they lead more broadly, not just how they support one team member. Leaders also become more deliberate about designing meaningful, outcome-based work and accessible ways of working, skills that carry over into how they manage diverse teams day to day.
Embedding inclusion into everyday practice
By the end of the current Winter 2026 cohort, IAG will have hosted more than 50 interns through the Internship Program, a milestone nearly a decade in the making. That sustained commitment has done more than build individual careers: it’s normalised conversations across teams about accessibility, reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice, backed by ongoing training and guidance from AusDN.
The business case, in practice
The clearest proof of that is what happens after the internship ends. Several former interns[RL1.1] have gone on to graduate programs and permanent roles at IAG, converting a fixed-term placement into an ongoing talent pipeline rather than a one-off arrangement.
That pipeline extends beyond IAG’s own past interns too. AusDN’s support with candidate attraction, screening and shortlisting gives the organisation access to a skilled, often overlooked talent pool, while taking pressure off internal recruitment processes.
The program has improved how IAG hires more broadly: more accessible job design, structured selection processes and greater manager confidence in supporting people with disability. It has also earned strong support from senior leadership, who see interns not as a short-term placement but as a long-term investment in future talent and organisational capability.
Ready to see what your organisation could gain?
IAG’s experience shows what’s possible when hosting an intern through the Internship Program becomes part of how an organisation builds its leaders and its talent pipeline, not a one-off initiative. If you’d like to explore hosting an intern this summer, contact our Internship Program Lead, Rudy Haruta, at rudy.haruta@ausdn.org.au