New graduates find finance a perfect fit

When Anthea Healy started her first "real job" at Rural Finance in Bendigo this week, it was a coming home of sorts.

After finishing a double degree in accounting and finance last year, Anthea jumped at the chance to join the graduate program in Rural Finance, a division of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.

Anthea's farming family knows firsthand the difference a supportive bank can make in a rural community.

They were some of the first customers at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's inaugural Community Bank^® branch, established in Rupanyup, and neighbouring Minyip, in 1998, after all other banks had left the area.

Since then Rupanyup/Minyip Community Bank^® branch, has supported hundreds of locals with their banking, including Anthea and her three sisters who all opened their first accounts with the branch.

"Coming from a farming background I've always understood the need for solid and reliable banking support in everyday life, so I knew Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, and particularly Rural Finance, would be a good fit for me," Anthea said.

Anthea joined nine other graduates starting with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank this year, each working across the Bank and its subsidiaries Rural Bank and Rural Finance in Bendigo, Adelaide and Melbourne.

They will all take part in six monthly rotations through various parts of the business, gaining practical experience to become the next generation of leaders at the Bank.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's Head of People and Performance Mark Schultz said the Bank was proud to offer high-achieving graduates a unique career opportunity.

"As a bank we know a lot about good investments, and investing in our future through talent programs like this is one of the most important things we do," he said.

In Adelaide, mature-age graduate Nick Hodder, 40, was pleased to be able to pursue a financial career without having to shift his young family.

"When I was looking at graduate opportunities, I found Bendigo and Adelaide Bank spoke to my personal values and the way I like to do business. Having the office here in Adelaide was a fantastic bonus.

"Moving away was not really an option for me, so to be able to pursue a great career pathway right here in my home city is just a once in a lifetime opportunity."