Stepping into industry through Work Integrated Learning

Infosys is one of the school's key industry partners and in recent years have been involved in creating opportunities for IT students to engage with their program, with an aim to deliver successful employability outcomes for students.

InStep is a global internship program which selects around 250 students annually to engage in multi-disciplinary business functions. The program offers internship students to work on real-time STEM projects in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data, cloud computing, data security and Internet of Things (IoT). Vault Rankings has recently ranked the Infosys InStep as the Best Internship Program for 2020.

Nathan Thompson, a Bachelor of Information Technology student, took part in the program.

'The InStep internship program, facilitated through the SEBE WIL team, was an invaluable experience as not only did it work towards completing my degree, but it also connected me with high-level functioning individuals in the tech sector,' Mr Thompson said.

'Since the InStep program focused on training and developing the interns by giving them mentors within the company, I was able to live the daily life of someone in the industry, whilst also allowing me to bond with other interns that I still talk with today. With InStep also giving me a great pathway into the Infosys' graduate program, it allowed me to secure my future career, and has led to me to improve my skills even further.'

Professor Karen Hapgood is the Executive Dean of SEBE.

'As one of the most progressive and open-minded young universities of Australia, with the highest level of student satisfaction in Victoria, we are at the forefront of enabling work-ready graduates,' Professor Hapgood said.

‘The Infosys InStep program allows our information technology students to gain first-hand experience of working in an organisation that is disrupting the traditional boundaries of business whilst engaging in real-time STEM projects. Our partnership enables our future strategic direction, ensuring Deakin graduates have skills that are valued and relevant for their future employers.'

Professor John Yearwood is Head of School, School of Information Technology.

'Strengthening the strategic partnership with Infosys, the Vice President Ashok Mysore joined Deakin’s Information Technology Advisory Board earlier this year,' Professor Yearwood said.

'Ashok is an important addition to this board and is providing valuable industry insights from a global perspective. It is an affirmation that the Deakin focus on employability and careers through high quality experiences like the Infosys InStep program do lead to outcomes that benefit students and companies.'

Ashok Mysore is Vice President and Regional Head, Delivery and Operations for Australia & New Zealand at Infosys.

'Our strategic partnership with Deakin University enables us to help nurture the next generation of digital talent in Australia. This includes work integrated learning programs such as our award winning internship program InStep,' Mr Mysore said.

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. It has employed 14 School of Information Technology graduates for their 2020 graduate program. Additionally, 10 Deakin students took part with over 2000 others in the innovative global eight-week 'ideathon', in which students collaborate, conceptualise and create digital solutions.

Learn more about studying IT at Deakin.