Early Careers

Your career can stretch as long as Mozzarella on a pizza!

Early Careers is critical to delivering our Co-operative’s long-term aspiration and strategy bringing innovation, new ideas and diversity to continue our legacy for the next 150 years. 

Your career starts here! Whatever your interest or passion is, we have a range of different early career opportunities, including graduate programmes, internships and apprenticeships. Download the early career pathways guide here.

  

Graduate opportunities

The Fonterra Specialist Graduate programme offers the opportunity to work alongside experts and develop your knowledge and skills in our functional streams including Supply Chain, Accounting/Finance, Data & AI/IT, Engineering and Sustainability.

You will have the opportunity to move into a wide range of exciting positions, build your cultural capability and gain exposure across our diverse company during your time on the programme. For more information about our Engineering Graduate Programme, download the handout here.

We will not be taking applications for our business streams in 2024/2025. Please check out our Agribusiness and Technical Graduate programmes.

What's in it for you?
Who are we looking for?
What is it like?
The Fonterra Graduate Technical programme (FGTP) offers the opportunity to gain your Master of Dairy Science and Technology and has been successfully developing industry leaders for over 50 years. 

For STEM students, this 12-month programme is full of learning development and experiences that will take you around New Zealand .

Experiencing our Manufacturing sites at placement, learning from industry experts at winter course and applying this knowledge to a real value research project, this is the best transition from university to work, building a solid foundation for a successful career. For more information on the Fonterra Graduate Technical Programme (FGTP), download the handout here.

Applications are currently closed. 

What’s in it for you?
What can you expect?
What is it like?
Who are we looking for?
The Fonterra Farm Source Agribusiness Programme offers exposure to a broad, exciting range of opportunities across the agricultural sector. 

Our Agribusiness Programme provides access to placements right across Farm Source and the country. The programme will see you connecting with our farmers on farm, in store or on the phone, to challenging your skills in project management and process improvement. You’ll meet with key stakeholders and work on activities that impact our business on a daily basis. This programme offers exposure to it all.

Applications are currently closed.

What’s in it for you?
What can you expect?
What is it like?
Who are we looking for?

Internship opportunities

Our Summer internship programme is designed to give you a hands-on experience of Fonterra.

Our summer internship includes opportunities in Supply Chain, Accounting & Finance, IT & Data, Technical Engineering and Sustainability.

Applications have closed for Engineering Internships.

Please note, we will not be taking applications for our business streams in 2024/2025.

What's in it for you?
Who are we looking for?
Gain first-hand experience with real R&D projects at our world class research centre in Palmerston North. 
 
Our Research & Development Internship runs for 13 weeks over the summer. You will get to work with industry leaders as you get to solve practical problems using your science related knowledge.

We are looking for STEM students studying towards a Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics or mechanical engineering, chemical or food process engineering, chemistry, physics, food technology, food science, dairy science and microbiology.

Applications are now closed.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
What is it like?
Who are we looking for?
Our Agribusiness Summer Internship is designed to give you hands-on experience of Farm Source.

The programme will see you connecting with our farmers in store, on farm and challenging your skills in project management. This programme offers unique exposure to the agribusiness sector across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Applications are closed. Please click here to register your interest.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
What is it like?
Who are we looking for?

Apprenticeship Careers 

As an apprentice you work for, get paid by, and learn from, an employer who supports you through your apprenticeship to gain a Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in your chosen apprenticeship area. For more information on Apprenticeship Careers, download our handout here.

Gain a NZ Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Maintenance focus).

Work in a varied role across multiple aspects of maintenance engineering while qualifying and building towards a roles as a Fitter or Maintenance Technician.

Applications are currently closed.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
Who are we looking for?
Gain a NZ Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering (Diesel/Auto Electrical focus) and your Class 5 License.

Form part of the Fleet Services Workshop where we maintain and service dairy milk tankers across the season. 

Applications are currently closed.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
Who are we looking for?
Gain a NZ Certificate in Electrical Engineering (Industrial focus) and a full practicing license.

Work closely with our qualified Electricians taking an Industrial focus to build your electrical engineering capability to becoming a licensed NZ electrician.  

Applications are currently closed.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
Who are we looking for?
The Dairy Processing Apprenticeship is ideal for you if you've got a strong passion for food and are keen to get a great head start in a career in dairy processing.

This isn’t just about putting milk powder in bags - it’s about understanding how we take the amazing milk provided by our farmers and turning it into the huge variety of finished products we all enjoy.

Applications are currently closed. Please click here to register your interest.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
What is it like?
Who are we looking for

Early Careers

Trading up to an amazing future

Get inspired by watching our Apprentice stories.

Traineeship Careers 

At Fonterra a Traineeship is a series of connected qualifications & learning experiences designed to help those with existing experience and/or qualifications specialise into a certain area of the business.

You’ll learn how to proactively and efficiently operate our energy centre assets.  Our Energy Centre Trainee roles are hugely varied across water, steam, electricity and compressed air generation to keep our sites operational.

You’ll gain broad exposure to site utilities including boilers and water treatment plants, and get to learn about planning work, shut down maintenance, and assist with troubleshooting and breakdowns – there’s plenty of variety here!

Applications are currently closed.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
Who are we looking for?
Our NZDC Forklift Operator Traineeship roles are ideal for those who enjoy being hands on and are passionate about transport and logistics.

You’ll gain exposure to all areas of the Distribution Centre sites and beyond through a range of varied learning experiences, on the jobs assessments and support from mentors, all while having the opportunity to achieve your NZ Certificate in Dairycraft- Logistics Level 3.

We are seeking expressions of interest in Upper Central North Island, Waikato, Lower North Island and South Island. Click here to register your interest.

What's in it for you?
What can you expect?
Who are we looking for?

Ready for a career at Fonterra?

Early Careers Hub

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