Application process
Securing a placement can be challenging and take time, planning and inevitable rejections. Here are some ways to begin:
- Reflect on your career goals and identify your ideal job post-graduation. Research graduate roles in your field, noting any required experience, and consider the stepping-stone roles that will provide you with this experience.
- Brainstorm organisations aligned with these aspirations.
- Actively engage in networking with your lecturers, peers, and professionals in your field of interests on platforms like LinkedIn. Building these connections can open up valuable opportunities and insights.
Once you have some idea of the type of roles and organisations that fit your aspirations, you can:
- search the faculty-sourced placement opportunities on our Current Opportunities page.
- search for broader opportunities within Deakin through platforms like the DeakinTalent Jobs and Internships Board and FreelancingHUB.
- reach out to organisations independently (self-sourced placement) to express interest in a WIL placement.
To prepare, consider updating your cover letter and CV, making use of DeakinTALENT’s resources for guidance. If you need tips on engaging with employers, DeakinTALENT also provides valuable insights.
Remember that persistence is key: your efforts will undoubtedly contribute to finding a placement that aligns with your goals.
Self-sourced placements:
- Initiative: you take the initiative to find your own placement.
- Organisation: can be in any organisation that aligns with your interests and career goals.
- Process: you have the freedom to identify, approach, and secure a placement position independently to suit your interests and career goals.
Faculty-sourced placements:
- Initiative: placements are sourced by the faculty.
- Organisation: placements are with a faculty partner organisation, typically for a specific role, at a predetermined time and location.
- Process: involves a competitive application process similar to a job application and may include interviews.
In sum, self-sourced placements offer you more autonomy and flexibility in choosing where to gain experience, while faculty-sourced placements involve a more structured and competitive process with specific roles identified by the faculty in collaboration with partner organisations.
A suitable placement opportunity must meet the following criteria.
The organisation must:
- have an ABN number (if located within Australia)
- have a website and email address
- have a minimum of 5 employees
- provide a placement experience relevant to your discipline and the learning outcomes of the unit
- agree to comply with Deakin's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines and insurance requirements.
The SEBE WIL team will check if your placement meets these compliance guidelines.
A host organisation should:
- agree to host your placement either onsite or through hybrid working arrangements
- provide you with a host supervisor to support you throughout the duration of the placement
- collaborate with you to define the tasks and responsibilities you will undertake
- negotiate suitable dates and times for your placement
- complete required paperwork, including filling out the Industry Placement Form and signing the Student Placement Agreement Schedule before the placement begins.
Yes, all our WIL placements can be completed overseas. We recommend you undertake your placement overseas during the T3 period, or during inter-trimester breaks.
NOTE: We encourage you to check with Student Central prior to undertaking an overseas placement to ensure your CoE is not impacted.
Yes, it is possible to undertake a placement part-time, particularly if it aligns with your trimester schedule. However, it is important to note that this arrangement will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The goal is to ensure that you can effectively balance your studies and placement commitments.
Before considering a part-time placement, you will need to consult with your unit chair or the WIL adviser for your program.
For most of our WIL units, students are typically expected to complete one placement opportunity per unit.
However, there is an exception for the LES program. In the case of SLE301, students can undertake more than one placement.
Yes. You must pass STP010 if you are an undergraduate student, or STP710 if you are a postgraduate student, before your placement can be approved and before you can commence a placement.
Congratulations! You are ready to submit an InPlace application. Visit the How to apply for a WIL placement page for details on how to do this.
The processing time for your InPlace application is typically around 10 working days. It's important to keep this timeframe in mind when planning your placement commencement date. Ensure that your proposed placement start date accounts for this processing period to avoid any delays.
Placement details
This will depend on unit chair approval. You will need to demonstrate that you will be undertaking additional or new tasks, projects and responsibilities to ensure you are getting the most out of your placement experience.
No, days cannot be counted retrospectively. It's important to note that you must not commence your placement until you receive official confirmation that your placement is approved.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is not available for WIL units. RPL will not be granted for capstone, work-integrated placements or other units as determined by the teaching faculty. Please read Deakin's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy for more information. You must apply and have your placement approved prior to commencing it. Previous work experience cannot be recognised towards a WIL placement.
Exception: SLE301 Professional Practice in special circumstances – see discipline specific section for further information.
No. You must be an enrolled active Deakin student to undertake a WIL placement.
Most of our WIL units have set dates that generally run within the trimester. The key dates for our WIL units are listed on the How to apply for a WIL placement webpage.
Deakin provides insurance for students on placements or work experience. You are covered under Deakin’s insurance policies while on placement as long as the placement is approved by Deakin and is a requirement of your studies. If you would like to continue in a volunteer capacity past the formal placement period, the organisation must agree and provide their own insurance cover.
If your placement is overseas, Deakin also provides insurance for approved international study-related travel.
As an international student, you are responsible to ensure you do not breach your visa requirements. Refer to the Compliance and visas website for more information.
Enrolment and support
You will need to contact Student Central to assist you with enrolling in a SEBE WIL unit. You can do so once you have received confirmation that your InPlace placement application has been approved.
Note: engineering, architecture and construction management, or information technology placement units are not open for self-enrolment. You will need to have an approved placement to be able to enrol in the unit. In some cases, the SEBE WIL team will manually enrol you in your WIL unit.
Before being permitted to enrol in an engineering, architecture and construction management, or information technology placement unit, your placement must be approved through InPlace by the SEBE WIL team and the unit chair to determine if it is suitable to complete as a WIL unit.
All questions relating to WIL assessments and submissions need to be directed to the appropriate unit chair.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, you may be eligible for the WIL Student Support Scheme, which can help to relieve financial stress and allow you to take a placement experience locally or overseas. Please note that the scheme has strict eligibility criteria and funding levels can vary depending on the unit taken and duration of placement. Other scholarships may be available – for more information, please visit the scholarships webpage.
Discipline-specific questions
Can I complete SIT344/SIT791 twice?
Yes, these units may be completed twice for longer/multiple placement opportunities, given you have 2 credit points of elective space available. However, this should be carefully course mapped with advice from a student adviser to ensure you meet your course requirements and progression.
Multiple enrolments will not be available in the same trimester. The trimester of enrolment for the second enrolment of SIT344 should be closely aligned with the start date of your second placement start date or extension and we highly recommend you seek advice on this matter from a WIL team member.
Does SIT344 need to be a paid placement?
Yes, SIT344 is a paid placement of a minimum of 60 days to 120 days.
Can I complete SIT344 and SIT306?
Yes, you can if you have the elective space to complete the second placement unit.
Why am I unable to enrol in the placement unit on StudentConnect?
IT placement units require pre-approval. Once your placement is approved you will be able to enrol into the placement unit.
Is it recommended to complete other units while completing a full-time paid placement?
If you are completing a full-time paid placement for credit (e.g. SIT344/SIT791), then ideally we do not recommend you enrol in other academic units at the same time due to the workload. In addition to the full-time role you would undertake with the organisation, there are also assessment tasks that you are required to complete for WIL units. Our academic staff suggest focusing solely on the placement and assessment tasks for the WIL unit during this period and keep your other coursework unit enrolments to a minimum.
Can I use my newly secured IT role towards SIT WIL units?
The WIL academics will consider your InPlace application for SIT WIL units with your current employer if your role commencement date is within 12 months from the date of application submission. You may be asked to provide further evidence to support your application approval.
Do I need to have a spare elective to complete a placement?
Yes, for students to be covered by insurance whilst on placement, you need to have an active enrolment in a placement-based WIL unit.
Can I complete SRM777 twice?
No. But, if you have completed SRM777 before your placement begins, you may consider completing SRM772 as one of your electives.
Can I complete a placement if I don’t have elective space?
Students wishing to complete a placement towards their degree are required to complete towards a WIL placement unit to receive credit. If students do not have elective space to complete a WIL placement unit, they can apply for placements outside of the university if the potential host-organisation does not require students to complete the experience towards credit for their degree.
Students can still look at completing the placement experience, but it is important to note that this is an agreement between yourself and the host organisation. As you will not be completing he placement for credit, the university is not involved in the agreement and you will not be covered by the university’s insurance.
What are my working rights?
For information about working rights, please refer to the work component hours webpage.
Will I be covered for completing a not-for-credit placement?
If you complete an additional not-for-credit placement which does not have a formal assessment component (and therefore does not form part of the Deakin qualification), the Deakin insurance program will not provide any cover.
There is limited cover available for volunteering activities in the Deakin insurance program, e.g. the personal accident policy only provides cover for ‘voluntary work authorised by and under the control of’ Deakin.
As a general guideline, if you are doing voluntary work for an external organisation, you will not be covered by the Deakin insurance program.
If you are completing a not-for-credit placement or doing voluntary work for an external organisation while on international travel, you will not be covered by the Deakin insurance program. Some cover will be available if this takes place during the 10 days of private travel but would be limited to medical only.
If you have any questions regarding insurance, please contact the insurance office.
Can I complete my placement over more than one trimester?
Yes, as long as you have uploaded the correct dates in your InPlace application and are able to meet the course requirements.
What happens if I take more than one trimester to complete my placement?
You will receive an RI result for the unit enrolled period when results are released. Once your placement and subsequent assessment is completed, you will receive your mark.
Who do I contact regarding my result for SEL703?
The unit chair is responsible for uploading your results and should be your first point of contact for any assessment related queries.
When can I start my placement towards my enrolment?
All placements must be approved prior to commencing. Students must align their placement start date to the study period they intend to complete SEL703 due to the unit content.
Can I complete placement at my current workplace?
While we can consider your request, approval from the unit chair will be necessary.
Can I complete a placement that is observational?
While we appreciate the value of observational experiences, placements must provide practical, hands-on opportunities to help develop essential soft skills required in various work environments. We understand that observational elements can be beneficial, which is why we allow for up to 50% of your placement to be observational. However, to ensure you gain the most from your experience, at least 50% of your placement must involve practical, hands-on activities.
This balance ensures that you can apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings, enhancing your overall learning and skill development. Please note that the unit chair will need to approve of any observational placement opportunities.
Will I be paid for my SLE768/9 placement?
Typically, placements for SLE768/9 are unpaid. However, if you can secure a paid placement, that option is available.
Can I get Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for SLE301?
The school of LES recognised that in some very specific, uncommon circumstances an undergraduate student might have a valid reason to be considered for RPL SLE301 Professional Practice. This is when:
a. they have extensive experience in the field they are studying or;
b. they are transferring their degree and have already completed and passed a very similar type of placement unit. In both cases the student must demonstrate with evidence how they have met the unit learning outcomes.
Formal Learning
You must submit supporting documents via the Deakin Recognition of prior learning website to demonstrate the purpose, nature and scope of the previous successfully completed professional practice unit. The equivalency will be based on evidence of ALL the following minimum standards:
- Proof of a pass grade+ (successful completion) of the previous placement unit.
- The placement activity was undertaken in a relevant discipline area.
- The timing in which the unit was taken during the previous course (first, middle or final years).
- The placement duration - minimum of 80 hours of placement activity in/with industry.
- The placement experience of the unit was assessed and contributed to the overall weighting grade.
- The unit learning outcomes stipulate a demonstration of employability-professional practice learning.
- Extent of industry and academic supervision
- The list of tasks for assessment
- The list of activities undertaken in the workplace.
- Critical Reflection Statement (CRS) (see template).
Informal Learning
You must submit supporting documents via the Deakin Recognition of prior learning website and relevant work experiences will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
1. Summary of current work (and past) work history:
- Australian work experience in a discipline-related role relevant to the course
- 5+ years of full time (equivalent) appointments.
- All 5+ years must have been undertaken within the last 15 years.
Related discipline may include:
- Environmental Management
- Corporate sustainability or environmental regulation sector
- Any land management agency (i.e., Fisheries Victoria, Parks Victoria, NSW Parks and Wildlife etc.)
- Other, comparable environmental industries.
- Scientific / medical laboratory research (e.g., in medical research institutes, university departments, biotechnology industry, government organisations)
- Pathology laboratories
- Hospitals / Medical Centres
- Allied Health
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Aged Care
- Other organisations undertaking scientific research or other relevant work
2. Statutory Declaration (made before a solicitor, Justice of the Peace, or other such relevantly qualified person) supporting accuracy of current CV and all position descriptions demonstrating the above work history criteria, or a testimony from each previous employer to confirm appointments.
3. Reference from current employer outlining responsibilities and achievements for the current role in which RPL is sought (or if owner/sole trader, references from clients outlining the working relationship).
4. Submit a Critical Reflection Statement (CRS) (see template)
Where can I learn more about SLE301 Professional Practice?
Please view the SLE301 Professional Practice information for students webpage.