Internships: A guide for Industry

Internships

Internship Program Overview

Whether you are looking to create a pipeline of future talent for your organisation or need assistance with specific projects or general workload, taking part in the Faculty of Engineering and IT Internship Program can be an invaluable opportunity.

We take the stress out of sourcing candidates by advertising to only the highest-achieving masters students on our dedicated internship portal and shortlisting the best candidates for your review. We’ll work with you to ensure your intern aligns with your specific business requirements and is a good fit for your team.

We welcome a diverse range of organisations to host interns in our program, from large multinationals through to start ups and research institutes.  Internships should be offered for a period of 10-16 weeks (totaling 320-350 hours) and can be offered onsite, remotely or a combination of both, depending on your needs.

Why participate as a host?

Capacity building

Boost your organisation's capacity to undertake specific projects or gain support in periods of high workload

Grow your talent

Engage students prior to graduation and create a pipeline for graduate talent within your organisation

Skilled students

Work with students who represent a variety of disciplines, who can contribute to a diverse range of organisations and sectors

Pre-screened candidates

Allow us to advertise your opportunities, capture applications and shortlist candidates on your behalf

We have had a range of interns covering three different engineering disciplines. All of them have been enthusiastic and willing to give any task a try. Their technical understanding allowed them to pick up tasks quickly and we were amazed how much work they got through. There was a high level of comprehension and commitment meaning we were able to give them real work and get some of our internal development projects completed.

Andrea Hosey, General Manager (Victoria), ThyssenKrupp

View information for students

How our program works

  1. You submit your internship to our team

    Your internship position needs to offer students a hands-on, practical opportunity to learn from industry, and provide them with exposure to the day-to-day operations and problems of an organisation. Research roles will not be considered.

    Start by creating an eye-catching position description that will be advertised to our students (for ideas, see Tips to securing the right candidate).

    To ensure the wellbeing and safety of our students, we need to understand your organisation’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practices. As well as a position description, you’ll also be asked to provide an OHS Policy or OHS Management Plan.

    If you have any questions before submitting your internship position, please contact the team at engit-placements@unimelb.edu.au

    Submit an internship position description

  2. We advertise the position and shortlist candidates

    Once you have provided your completed position description and OHS documentation, we’ll advertise your position to eligible students on our student portal. Typically, internship positions are advertised for 14 days. Students are asked to submit a cover letter, resume and academic transcript as part of their application.

    At the end of the advertising period, we’ll shortlist the best candidates and provide you with suitable students to consider.

  3. You interview your selected applicants and make an offer

    Now it’s over to you to conduct interviews and find the best fit for your team! You should carry out your standard recruitment process and make offers directly to the candidates.

    Once you’ve made your offer, it’s important to let us know who has been successful, along with the agreed start date, end date and hours per week in line with the dates found in the Key Dates section. We can readvertise the position if need be.

  4. Finalise placement agreements

    We will send you either a Vocational Placement Agreement  (VPLA) or Professional Placement Agreement (PPLA) to sign, depending on whether the internship is paid or unpaid. Once signed and returned, the internship will be ready to commence.

    The following agreements are for reference only and should not be signed: VPLA agreement for an unpaid internship or PPLA agreement for a paid internship.

Remuneration, Insurance, Eligible Disciplines and Duration

Remuneration

Internships can be paid or unpaid. There is also an option to award a discretionary stipend to assist with the students' expenses incurred whilst on placement, which is administered via the University. All students are enrolled in a University subject and gain academic credit for their internship.

Please note the following information:

Unpaid or with Stipend Payments
- Internships must not exceed 320 - 350 hours
- Students MUST enrol into the internship subject to be covered by the University's insurance

University Sourced Paid Internships
- Students MUST enrol into the internship subject

Insurance

Paid interns are considered employees and come under your organisation’s insurance. Unpaid interns, including those awarded a stipend, can access insurance coverage through the University's insurer.

Eligible Disciplines

Students from the following degrees are eligible to take part in this internship program. When applying, you can indicate which degrees you believe are most suitable for your position.

  • Master of Biomedical Engineering
  • Master of Chemical Engineering
  • Master of Civil Engineering
  • Master of Electrical Engineering
  • Master of Engineering
  • Master of Environmental Engineering
  • Master of Information Systems
  • Master of Information Technology
  • Master of Mechanical Engineering
  • Master of Mechatronics Engineering
  • Master of Software Engineering

Duration

The internship must:

  • Last for 10-16 weeks
  • Total 320-350 hours

Students can undertake the internship on a part-time (3-4 days per week) or full-time (5 days per week) basis. The program has three intakes per year. See Key Dates for an overview.

Key Dates

Activity
Semester 2 2023
Summer Term 2024
Semester 1 2024
Advertising period
This is the period we will advertise internships for the program. Mid March - Mid June 2023 August - Early November 2023Mid December 2023 - Mid February 2024
Position description due
Latest date you can submit an internship position for the intake. The earlier that you can submit your position description the more likely we are able to find your ideal candidate! Friday 9 June 2023Friday 20 October 2023Date TBC
Final date to finalise your offers
By this date your organisation should have undertaken interviews, selected a candidate(s) and informed us who will be undertaking the position. Friday 7 July 2023 Friday 17 November 2023Date TBC
Internship commencement*
 Late July - Early August 2023 Mid-late November 2023Late February - Early March 2024
Internship conclusion*
 Late October 2023 Mid-late February 2024Late May 2024

Internship start and end dates must align within the Semester 2, 2023 dates to be counted toward internship hours (320 - 350).

Teaching dates for Semester 1, 2023: Monday 24 July to Sunday 22 October 2023.

If the internship is between 10 and 16 weeks of placement, students can commence their internship 2 weeks before Semester 2, 2023 start date. In addition, they can work 2 weeks beyond the Semester 2 end date. 

If the internship is less than 10 weeks, it must be completed in the semester 1 teaching dates. There are no allowances to this.

Tips to securing the right candidate

Advertising

  • Ensure the name of the role is relevant - it should be clear and attractive to students
  • Include the position benefits (especially if the role is unpaid). Importantly, the position description should outline the position duties in an honest and attractive way. Most people want to know that their internship will be challenging and rewarding. You could also include who the supervisor will be and a description of the team.
  • Share details about your organisation. Consider items including the company’s history, what awards you have won, what makes you an employer of choice, whether you’re long-established or a start-up etc.
  • Direct the student to your website for any other important information, including videos that provide students and insight into your company, and the projects they might be involved with through their time interning. These can also be a great way to focus on the benefits or perks you offer, and what skills individuals will acquire interning with you.

Interviews , making offers and onboarding

  • Get in early - we recommend interviewing and making offers to candidates within 2 weeks of receiving collated applications from our team. Most students are receiving multiple offers and you don't want to miss out on offering a role to your preferred candidate.
  • Ask well thought-out questions that ask for examples during the interview. You’ll be able to confirm the candidate has the skills they say they have, and better understand their strengths and weaknesses too.
  • Set clear expectations by discussing start/end dates and the number of hours per week requirement over the course of the internship.
  • Keep in touch with your intern after making an offer and ensure there is a plan for their first day and weeks to make them feel welcome.
  • Cover the statutory induction items and have the relevant person run through a training plan for the coming days and weeks. Try to avoid the too common “chuck them in the deep end and see if they swim” approach.

Industry Resources

For any questions or queries relating to the Faculty of Engineering and IT Internship Program, please email engit-placements@unimelb.edu.au