Be the first to access tomorrow’s top talent
Unlock vetted student talent without the grad program overhead. Hatch Students coming August 2026.
The race for top graduate talent starts before graduation.
As AI rapidly reshapes entry-level work, Hatch Students will open up direct access to pre‑vetted students for the first time, making it easier for employers to bring on student talent in paid, flexible roles while they study.
Built in partnership with the University of Sydney and Deloitte, the program will help employers build a future-ready talent pipeline and create meaningful industry opportunities for all young Australians.
A national partnership
Launching in August 2026, Hatch Students will for the first time open up access to a national pool of vetted university students for paid, flexible roles alongside their degrees. Built in partnership with the University of Sydney and Deloitte, the program spans all faculties, degrees and universities, helping employers build future‑ready talent pipelines.
Join the program
Access a national student talent pool
Tap into motivated students from every major Australian University, matched to your roles based on skills and values.
Students are pre-assessed for work readiness
Every applicant is screened for the human skills that matter, so they deliver business value from day one.
No headcount approvals or employment admin
Bring students on when you need them without admin headache or headcount approval – Hatch acts as the employer of record and you just pay an invoice
Built-in support for every student
Every student gets onboarding, peer meetups and coaching throughout their job experience.
Business outcomes delivered
Build a flexible talent pipeline without the overhead of a traditional grad program
Access students earlier
Engage high-potential students before your competitors have the chance.
Out-of-the-box setup
Student matching, support and infrastructure are already in place, so you can get started right away.
Managers can hire directly
Anyone in the business can post a role quickly and easily.
Build employer brand early
Show up earlier in students' careers and become an employer they remember.
Recognition for future-focus
Signal that you're investing in early talent and new workforce pathways.
Flexible, on-demand talent
Bring in motivated students when business needs arise.
A workforce model proven at scale
Qantas has hired 250+ students with this model over the last four years
250+
Students placed at Qantas
Qantas now considers Hatch the primary source of intern talent for the business.
94%
Rated high or very high performers
Feedback from hiring managers at Qantas is consistently positive.
50%+
Extended duration of placements
Over half of all placements are extended with an average of six months.
“Hatch makes early-career hiring genuinely easy. The quality of candidates is consistently high, and many go on to find permanent roles in the business, which speaks to how well matched the talent is.”
Amy Taggart
Manager, EVP & Employer Branding
Qantas
Get early access
Unlock access to vetted student talent without the grad program overhead. Hatch Students coming August 2026.
FAQs
Hatch Students is an exclusive program with the University of Sydney that gives a select group of employers direct access to high-potential students through paid, flexible work alongside their degrees. There are no fixed intakes or rigid recruitment cycles. Employers can post roles when a genuine business need arises, students are matched based on skills, values and readiness, and Hatch manages the rest.
Traditional graduate programs are built around fixed cohorts and timelines, and significant operational overhead. Hatch Students offers a flexible model, allowing hiring managers and team leads to bring in high-potential students when real business needs arise, for exactly as long as they are needed. Hatch manages matching, payroll, access to the student community and support, removing the need to build and run a program centrally.
Hatch is the employer of record for every student placement. That means students are employed by Hatch, not your business, so they do not sit on your headcount or create direct employment liability for your organisation. Instead, your business pays Hatch a weekly invoice, with placements typically sitting in OPEX rather than your internal people cost line. Often this comes from a hiring leader’s own budget.
Hatch Students is suited to any role where a high-potential junior person can contribute to real business priorities while studying. With placements running from 3 to 12 months and flexing from 15 to 40 hours a week, the model works across a broad range of functions and team structures. Examples include:
- Business operations: finance, legal, people and culture, commercial
- Go-to-market: marketing, customer service, customer success, sales, revenue operations
- Technology: engineering, design, data, product
- Healthcare: nursing, dentistry, OHT
- Construction and property: building, project management, commercial real estate
Students will usually increase their hours during university holidays and reduce them during exam periods.
Yes. You can convert a Hatch Student to a permanent role at no extra cost after three months of work. That makes Hatch Students a flexible, high-ROI way to build a stronger early-career pipeline and retain high-potential people over time.
Hatch Students launches exclusively with The University of Sydney in 2026. Additional universities will be added as the program expands nationally. However, you will already find verified students from other universities on the platform who have signed up themselves.
Joining the waitlist gives you priority access to Hatch Students. When places become available, we’ll invite people in order of sign-up, starting with those who joined earliest. We’ll also keep you in the loop with program updates along the way.
It is free to join the Hatch Students program for employers with fewer than 200 staff. There is a small annual program fee for larger employers.
Students are paid the relevant award rate. After all admin fees, employers will be invoiced typically $47.14 per hour. This may vary where different award rates apply.