PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the internship programme developed in the Knowledge Centre of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.Design/methodology/approachIn partnership with Zenith Management Services an internship program was developed that was designed to give students experience in the corporate sector.FindingsThe interns assist with a range of ad‐hoc and ongoing projects, allowing experienced staff to deliver more value‐added customer services, such as research and content‐development. Interns also question established practices, offer new ideas, and ensure that the systems and behaviours remain relevant and transparent. In addition to gaining experience, interns have access to the existing team of experienced staff. They were assisted in developing understanding of the wider information profession, work with ideas encountered in their study, and when the time comes, encouraged in their first professional positions.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the needs of all stakeholders is vital, as is communicating with all involved in a realistic, straightforward and open fashion. Documentation is identified as a challenge of such a programme. Following this model should allow similar libraries to investigate whether an internship programme could be beneficial.Originality/valueThe paper shows that the programme differs significantly from other internships or cadetships available in information management, and was developed to suit a small, special library.

This paper explores the changing work environment in libraries and information management and the impact on new professionals and new graduates. New graduates need to have their own support networks and targeted professional development to successfully navigate job and sector changes and to gain transferable skills. The development and structure of a targeted professional development event, the New Librarians' Symposium, is discussed. This successful event, held in Australia biennially, could be considered a model of targeted professional development for other professional associations and groups.

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