Industrial experience

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Engineering Courses Requiring Industrial Experience & Duration Per Course

The Institution of Engineers, Australia requires that students obtain relevant practical experience during their engineering courses. "The practical experience should complement a student's formal studies and aid his/her development into a future professional engineer. It should give him/her the opportunity, while working in a non-professional capacity, to appreciate the problems associated with human and industrial relations, job organisation, production processes as well as gaining some impressions of the effectiveness of other organisational matters as may be relevant, such as maintenance and safety programs, and environmental factors".

The Industrial Experience requirement is divided into the following:

• Engineering (all except Aerospace Avionics) - two periods each of six weeks
• Engineering (Aerospace Avionics) - two periods each of six weeks and one period of 2 weeks specialising in the Avionics industry
• Surveying - three periods each of six weeks

One week is equivalent to five full days or 40 hours. All Industrial Experience may be completed in periods of shorter or longer duration. In order to satisfy the minimum requirements, the following rules apply:

• The work may be accumulated by regular short periods of employment with the same employer or may be built up by casual employment with different employers. In all instances, however, the experience is acceptable only where the employer states that the performance of the student in the job is satisfactory.
• For the first six weeks (Industrial Experience 1) of Engineering Industrial Experience there is no restriction on the branch of engineering, but it must be in an industry related to the engineering profession and associated trades and industries. For students possessing a trade qualification, this experience, if relevant, may be used for this part of the requirement.
• For the second six weeks (Industrial Experience 2) of Engineering Industrial Experience, students must be employed by a company, which offers work related to the specific engineering degree in which the student is enrolled and be supervised by a professional engineer or by suitably experienced personnel.

Minimum Continuous Period

To receive approval, students must complete a minimum five-day/40 hour period of employment with any one employer. It is essential that all employers for whom a student has worked certify individually that the work was satisfactory.

Types of Industrial Experience

The types of Industrial Experience available will vary widely. To get the best from a period of Industrial Experience it is essential to develop an enquiring attitude with keen observation of what is being done and suitable curiosity as to why it is being done in that particular manner. Given such an attitude, material for the report will based primarily on work carried out personally by the student, but may be supplemented by:

• Observation of, or enquiry about, work being done by others;
• External sources such as technical literature, training lectures or films, etc.

You would be well advised to explore the various areas, which are of interest to you by selecting a range of workplace environments. The type of work, which you undertake, will also differ as you progress through your course and gain more skills in the engineering field. For example, in first and second year, you would most likely be acting as an observer or carry out duties at a factory floor or workshop level. By the later stages of your course you would usually expect to carry out small project work assigned to you and be directly answerable to a professional engineer. If you are unsure of the relevance of a particular position it is advisable to consult with your Subject Area Coordinator prior to commencing duty.

Paid & Non-Paid Industrial Experience

The period of Industrial Experience can be completed under either a paid or non-paid scheme. If the student is being paid for the industrial experience, then the student is covered by the employer's insurance. However, if the student is unpaid, the University provides cover. The University insures students while they are undertaking unpaid work or field experience programs. The types of policies, which the University holds, include Personal Accident (covers a limited range of permanent injuries but not temporary injury), Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance.

Please note: This insurance is not automatic - students are responsible for obtaining and lodging the indemnity form with the Faculty Student Services Officer.

Students doing non-paid work should obtain an Unpaid Industrial Experience form. The form should be completed and returned to the Student Services Officer by the student before undertaking employment.

Claims for Previous Experience

Students who have recently completed a trade certificate or similar industrial experience prior to enrolling can claim credit towards a portion of the requirement. Students enrolled in a Bachelor of Engineering may claim a maximum of 30 days of Industrial Experience 1 (general engineering) towards the course requirements. The standard Record of Industrial Experience is to be used, and a copy of a trade certificate should be attached. Students undertaking engineering will still be required to complete at least 30 days of relevant engineering experience.

Form and Report Submission

The relevant Record of Industrial Experience forms are available from the registration forms page. Students must submit the relevant forms and reports to the relevant Student Services counter by no later than Week 11 of the graduating semester. The report must conform to the required format, describing the work carried out during the period of experience and including an Industrial Experience Record form signed by the employer. It is recommended that a daily diary be kept during the Industrial Experience period. This will assist when preparing the written report.

NB: The completed Industrial Experience Record form must accompany reports. (Please keep a photocopy for your records)

Once the relevant forms and reports have been received by the Student Services counter the appropriate Subject Area Coordinator assesses them. The Subject Area Coordinator will advise the Student Services Officers of a student's satisfactory completion of Industrial Experience. If no Industrial Experience has been completed by the final semester, the student must contact the Subject Area Coordinator as he/she will not be eligible to graduate until the Industrial Experience requirements are met.  

The Student Services Officer will notify students when their reports are available for collection. Unsatisfactory reports must be rewritten before approval for the period of Industrial Employment is recorded. It is advisable that these reports should be retained. They may be extremely useful when writing a resume for future job applications.

On completion of the Industrial Experience requirement students will receive a certificate from the Faculty.

NB: Industrial Experience records will not appear on any academic record.

Workplace Health and Safety

The current Workplace Health and Safety Act covers aspects of all places where students are likely to be employed. Safety instructions must be obeyed. In some instances safety accessories such as safety glasses, gloves, boots and other clothing must be worn. The student should always be on the lookout for unsafe practices.