In-Industry Experience

IMPORTANT: Please ensure you have passed 63 units of your Degree and obtain approval from the Industry Experience team before you undertake an In-Industry Experience Placement. Without prior approval you might not be covered by insurance and your hours will not be counted towards your PPP balance.

In-Industry Experience is also referred to as an internship, placement, or an industry experience opportunity.  In-industry experience is an essential part of the Professional Practice Program.

It is very important that you allow enough time to plan, secure and seek approval for In-Industry Experience opportunities. 

Good decisions about your industry placements can result in securing a graduate role in your area of interest. 

MAIN AIM

The primary objective of engaging in In-Industry Experience is to proficiently apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in the academic setting. The acquisition of practical experience within an industry workplace is paramount and represents the most invaluable aspect of your academic journey. Therefore, prioritizing the attainment of practical skills and insights should be the central focus when embarking on your placement or internship.

Please read all of the information in this section page by page using the NEXT button as it will help you to plan and prepare for your Industry Experience.

In-Industry Experience presentation for students who have completed 63+ units in their program

The video below provides information about the In-Industry Experience requirement and processes, and is a useful resource to help students who have completed at least 63 units in their program to plan and prepare for their in-industry experience.

The power point file referred to in the video can be accessed here as a PowerPoint PDF .

Click image to access video or click here.

Video time: 19 minutes

You are required to source, apply for and negotiate your in-industry experience.  This may be in Australia or in your home country and can be taken in one block of 450 hours or in smaller blocks. 

Information on what sort of positions you should be looking to shadow whilst on placement can be found here: Position Examples

You must submit all required information about your in-industry experience placement to the STEM Industry Experience Team via InPlace and receive approval before you can commence.  

Please be aware that it can take a minimum of 4 weeks for in-industry experience placements to be approved once you have provided all required information. Please ensure that you allow enough time for processing and approval before your start date.

When sourcing your own opportunity, it is recommended that having a qualified engineer as the workplace supervisor would be desirable and preferred. However, if this is not possible to be arranged by the host company (due to the size of the firm and the nature of the workforce), an experienced person with strong technical background can also be accepted, as an opportunity for students to get some genuine in-industry experience is difficult to secure.

When looking for an opportunity, a great place to start is our list of Host Organisations  who have previously provided placements for UniSA students.  It is also really important to check the "Current Industry Opportunities" page regularly as this is where we advertise opportunities.

It is also recommended that you:

1. Join the professional bodies associated with your discipline as a student member and attend as many Extra-Curricular activities as possible to grow your professional network. e.g.  Engineers Australia, Institute of Civil Engineers, IEEE-Australia, IMechE, Geospatial Council of Australia.
2. Create a LinkedIn profile and follow companies that are of interest to you, and actively engage with them.
3. Read any UniSA emails that include placement and career opportunities.
4. Attend Careers Expos, offered by the University and organisations within the engineering sector.
5. Search online for relevant engineering and summer placement programs, paying attention to application criteria and intake dates.
6. Visit UniSA Careers hub to look for opportunities and review the resources available. 
7. Visit online career platforms such as Prosple, Seek.com, Indeed Jobs, Hoopla4Jobs and CareerOne.
8. Visit UniSA STEM PPP "Current Industry Opportunities" page. 
9. Liaise with the STEM Industry Experience team if you are unsure whether you are eligible for placement and internship opportunities.
10. Review the resources available on the "Planning your Professional Practice Program".

The video below provides valuable information about sourcing your own "Internship" and is a useful resource for you to refer to. 

NOTE: Using an internship opportunity in 4th year courses: If you have sourced an internship opportunity and want to use it towards a 4th year Engineering Internship course(s), please contact the STEM Industry Experience Team. The team will assist you with the specific prerequisites required to formalise your arrangement prior to commencing.

1. Completed and passed 63 Units of your chose Degree.
2. The UniSA WHS module 'Undertaking a Safe Student Placement', including the quiz and declaration. This is an online module which will take up to 20 minutes to complete. You will then need to upload your Certificate of Completion to into InPlace following the Engineering InPlace Student Submission Guide.
3. Any additional requirements as advised by the host organisation. This may include White Card training, Police checks, security clearances, DHS working with Children checks etc. Please confirm these with your host organisation when negotiating your placement and ensure you follow the required process to allow enough time to secure these.
   
4. If your placement is located outside of Adelaide, please read the 'Undertaking an In-industry Experience outside of Adelaide' section for more information on what is required – even if the placement is in your home country.
   

If you wish to do your In-Industry experience outside of metropolitan Adelaide (ie Cooper Pedy, Victor Harbour, Robertstown, etc), or outside of Australia, arrangements must conform to the local workplace laws, including those relating to safety. 

All students undertaking in-industry experience outside of Adelaide – even if you are already in your home country; you are travelling to your home country; or it is another Australian state – must register with the UniSA Travel Team using the Online BTR (Business Travel Request) Form.

This is a Vice-Chancellor requirement. Information on how to do this is found on the UniSA Student Travel webpage and follow the instructions here in the Business Travel Request Instructions

1. Visit the Student Travel Page. Complete a Business Travel Request (BTR) online form following the instructions here in the Business Travel Request Instructions. For assistance please contact the STEM Industry Experience team. for assistance on how to complete the form).
2. If you are an International student, you must notify the Department of Home Affairs that you are leaving Australia temporarily, so they don't cancel your visa.

Important things to consider:

• TIMELINES - Please be aware that international placements, even in your home country, may require significant lead times, especially if this opportunity includes scholarships, grants and/or funding. Contact the STEM Industry Experience Team for more information.
• VISA - If you are completing your placement overseas, and not in your home country, then you will need to seek advice from the relevant consulate about the appropriate visa requirements.
• HEALTH INSURANCE - If you are going to complete your in-industry experience in the USA, Canada or France, your host organisation may ask you to provide your own health insurance coverage. You will need to organise and pay for this yourself.
• PERSONAL COSTS - If you are completing your placement outside of metropolitan Adelaide, you will need to organise and pay for your own travel and accommodation costs yourself.

Please ensure you have your in-industry experience placement approved BEFORE commencing.

Unfortunately, unpaid industry experience that is not approved prior to commencement does not count towards your PPP hours and is not covered by UniSA Insurance in the event of an accident or incident.

When you have sourced your In-Industry Experience placement, and completed all pre-requisites, then:

1. complete the In-Industry Experience Placement Agreement, and have the Host Organisation sign it 
2. complete an online travel form for any in-industry experience placement that is taking place outside of metropolitan Adelaide – especially if overseas
3. upload all required information into InPlace following the Engineering InPlace Student Submission Guide.

The Industry Experience Team and the Course Coordinator will review your submission and if OK will approve it.

Once your in-industry experience placement submission has been approved, you will receive an email from the Industry Experience Team to your university email account. When you have received this confirmation email, then you can start your in-industry experience placement.

*Paid Internships/Placements/New Employment

Excellent news! You can use a paid internship/placement/employment towards your PPP hours, once your Placement Agreement form has been approved.

If you wish to count your paid work hours towards your PPP requirement, then please submit your documents into InPlace with a future start date (to start counting hours from) on the Placement Agreement form (this does not affect your employment contract).

NOTE: we do not back-date hours, if you wish to count your new employment hours from the start of your employment contract then you must upload your placement agreement before you start

When you have sourced your In-Industry Experience placement, and completed all pre-requisites, then:

1. complete the In-Industry Experience Placement Agreement, and  have your Host Organisation/Employer sign it 
2. complete an online travel form for any in-industry experience placement that is taking place outside of metropolitan Adelaide – especially if overseas
3. upload all required information into InPlace following the Engineering InPlace Student Submission Guide.

The Industry Experience Team and the Course Coordinator will review your submission and if OK will approve it.

When your in-industry experience placement submission has been approved, you will receive an email from the Industry Experience Team to your university email account. Your in-industry experience placement hours will then commence counting towards your Professional Practice Program balance

*Already Employed In the Industry full-time (for longer than 6 months)

1)      Please see the information here: https://lo.unisa.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=2297001&chapterid=292036

Extension of end date of unpaid In-Industry experience 

If you are undertaking pre-approved In-Industry experience and the host organisation has agreed to extend the end date you will need to notify the STEM Industry Experience Team. 

1. Ensure that the change of end date does not impact on your course work or studies
2. Complete an additional UniSA FS23 Insurance form commencing from the first date after your current placement end date.  Include the new end date.
3. Seek Host Organisation Signature
4. Submit completed FS23 University insurance form to the STEM Industry Experience Team advising this is for an extension to your current placement

The STEM Industry Experience team will update your placement record to ensure the new date is included.

Once the In-Industry Experience has completed and you have submitted your timesheet and Certificate of Attendance, the total placement hours will be updated in the system against your in-industry experience balance.

The Host Organisation offers you paid employment after your unpaid in-industry experience placement has finished

If you are undertaking a pre-approved In-Industry experience and the host organisation has offered you employment where you will be undertaking similar activities you may be able to continue to count these hours towards the PPP - if you have not already completed all 450 hours.

If your unpaid placement ends earlier than your original end date, please let the Industry Experience Team know by submitting your completed Timesheet and Certificate of Attendance.  

If you still have PPP hours to complete and wish to use your paid employment hours you will need to:

1. Complete and submit another  In-Industry Experience Placement Agreement form 
2. Upload this to InPlace for approval 

The Industry Experience Team and the Course coordinator will review the submission and if OK will approve it.

Once your in-industry experience placement submission has been approved, you will receive an email from the STEM Industry Experience Team notifying you.

Your employment hours will then be counted from the start date on your new (approved) project proposal form. Please ensure you follow the same completion process here to keep track of your hours and ensure they are recorded in InPlace once you have completed your PPP hours.

The Host Organisation offers you paid employment at the conclusion of your unpaid in-industry experience placement, which will not count towards your PPP hour balance

1. Complete the unpaid In-Industry experience as it was approved
2. Submit a Time Sheet and Certificate of Attendance via InPlace

Your placement is affected by COVID 19 pandemic

1. See information regarding current COVID 19 restrictions

COVID – 19 and placements

Students are reminded that when on an industry experience placement or internship:

• It is important that you stay at home if you feel unwell;
• If you have fever, cold or flu-like symptoms, consider seeking medical advice and/or getting tested for the COVID-19 virus;
• If you develop cold or flu-like symptoms during the day whilst on a worksite, please notify your Workplace Supervisor and head home as soon as possible to avoid spreading any illness;
• If you test positive to COVID-19 you must isolate at home and follow the current health directives in relation to the management of the COVID-19 virus;
• If a close contact of yours (family member, close friend, household member) tests positive to COVID-19 you must notify your Workplace Supervisor and follow any instructions provided by the Workplace.  You must also monitor for symptoms and manage accordingly.

Please take appropriate precautions to keep yourself and your workmates safe and free from illness.  This includes practicing good hand hygiene, wearing a mask if you are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and monitoring for, and acting on, symptoms.

1. When you have received a confirmation email from the Industry Experience Team, you may commence your in-industry experience placement.
2. During your placement, keep a record of the hours you attend using the PPP Placement Timesheet & Certificate of Attendance Placement Engineering  form. Have your workplace supervisor sign it regularly.
3. Keep a diary or journal of the activities you undertake and the learning - such as problems, challenges, successes, lessons learned during the placement
4. When you finish the in-industry placement, have the Workplace Supervisor check and sign the final page of the Time Sheet and complete the Timesheet & Certificate of Attendance  form
5. Once you have fully completed your approved placement, upload the PPP Placement Timesheet Certificate of Attendance form to your confirmed placement in InPlace (See step 14 of the Engineering InPlace Student Submission Guide for assistance)
6. The Industry Experience Team will check and verify the Timesheet, and updated the relevant record in InPlace. Hours will accumulate towards the PPP Accumulated Hours Total.