Frequently Asked Questions

What are the industrial experience requirements for my degree?

All Engineering degree programs at the University of Newcastle (including Combined degree programs with at least one Engineering degree) are accredited by Engineers Australia (EA) and require participation in a minimum of 12 weeks of approved industrial experience before completion of studies. This experience can be accumulated through a single 12 week block, or a number of shorter periods totalling at least 12 weeks.

The Construction Management degree is accredited by the Australian Institute of Building (AIB), the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS), Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

If you are undertaking a Construction Management degree, from 2012, you are required to complete 20 weeks of approved industrial experience before commencing your final year of study. This experience can be accumulated through a single 20-week block, or a number of shorter periods totalling at least 20 weeks. It is important that you gain a suitable range of experience including both on-site and office work.

How do I find somewhere to do my industrial experience?

It can be challenging and rewarding to find an appropriate placement. While the University is unable to organise your employment, the Careers Service may be able to assist some students with obtaining opportunities for industrial experience. Some of the services that they provide are:

  • The CareerHub, an online portal with discipline related work and work experience opportunities.
  • Information about job searching strategies.
  • Drop-in and appointment based resume and application checking as well as an interview preparation service.
  • An Engineering Register developed and provided by the Newcastle Division of Engineers Australia that lists information about local companies such as contact details, work experience availability and discipline.

To increase your chances of finding the right placement you should also join engineering associations and societies (many of whom offer free student memberships), go to professional networking events and build relationships with the contacts you make, attend career fairs and most importantly, don’t give up!

As well as this, Engineers Australia has an Engineering Employment Handbook available on its website for members. As a University of Newcastle engineering student you are eligible to join this organisation for free. According to the EA website “the Handbook contains listings from over 165 organisations and each listing provides the organisations engineering disciplinary area of interest, the type of work available, application methods, direct contact details and closing dates.” This would be particularly useful if you’re searching for a placement outside the Hunter region.

Can I be paid?

 While there is certainly an advantage to gaining paid employment, there is no requirement for you to undertake paid work. This aspect of your industrial experience is negotiable between yourself and your employer and will have an impact on the type of insurance you receive.

What paperwork do I need to complete before I start?

You need to complete the Industrial Experience Pre-Approval Form  and the Industrial Experience Work Health and Safety Form  and submit them to your Industrial Experience Coordinator

What insurance cover will I have while I am undertaking industrial experience?

How do you know that I’ve completed my industrial experience?

At the end of each block of practical work you must provide your Industrial Experience Co-ordinator with:

  1. A statement of your experience signed by your employer/s, on an official letterhead from the host organisation;
  2. A report on the work carried out for each block of practical work undertaken, confirm your report length with your industrial experience co-ordinator;
    An Industrial Experience Diary maintained for the duration of (all blocks of) the practical work. No standard format is required but there are some suggestions provided below. The Industrial Experience diary must be available for review with the final report.
  3. A completed Industrial Experience Verification Form.
  4. Please note that some disciplines, such as chemical engineering, provide students with a log book in place of a diary. Contact your Industrial Experience Coordinator for more information about discipline specific requirements. 

When does everything need to be completed?

You need to submit your completed report to your Industrial Experience Co-ordinators in order to graduate from University. If you hope to graduate at the March/April ceremony you must hand in your completed report by the 31st of January and by the 31st of July for the October ceremony.

What if I’m a UNISS scholar?

Students who are awarded a UNISS scholarship are required to complete more than 12 weeks industry placement as part of their scholarship provisions. If you are a UNISS Scholar, you must also submit the following with your verification documents:

  • Industrial Experience Report (coversheet only). These may be collected from School Offices, and must clearly identify you as a ‘UNISS Scholar’.  

Please note that UNISS Placement reports by both the scholar and the sponsor company must be made available to Industrial Experience Coordinators on request.

Are there any special requirements for students studying at PSB Singapore?

If you’re enrolled at PSB Singapore you must also submit a pre-approval form which is available, along with a PSB specific cover sheet, through the school office at PSB.  As well as this, submission of all materials by students enrolled at PSB should be made to the school office at PSB.

What do I do while I’m there?  

To get the best from a period of industrial training it is essential to develop an enquiring attitude leading to keen observation of what is being done and a suitable curiosity as to why it is being done in that particular manner. Material for the report will be based primarily on work you carried out, but may also include:

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

To collect this information you are required to keep a diary. This diary record is not a suitable form for the report, and should contain much more material than will be included in your report. During the period of training many jobs may be carried out so it’s usually better to give a general description of the work and confine detailed appraisal to one or two tasks.

Examples of information to be gathered and written in diary

  1. A general description of the project or projects being undertaken, including names of principal and contractors.
  2. A general description of the work you did.
  3. A detailed description of at least one of your major tasks, showing where the task fitted into the project, the form in which you received information, calculations, drawings and, if possible, an evaluation of the final result.
  4. Description of some features of special interest in the project or other related projects.

    Additional comments may cover:
  5. Management structure of principal's and/or contractor's organisation
  6. Work Organisation-Allocation of jobs to people or machines. Control of materials, time and costs.
  7. Construction equipment-Type and number of major items of construction plant.
  8. Labour relations and personnel-Skill classification of workers. (Wage structure, incentives, union activity, morale. Training for plant operators, supervisors.)

What does the report involve?

We have developed a report writing guide that will give you an indication of what is required.

Who are the industrial experience coordinators?

Chemical Engineering Dr Michael Stockenhuber
Civil Engineering Dr Majid Nazem
Computer Engineering Dr Galina Mirzaeva
Electrical Engineering Dr Galina Mirzaeva
Environmental Engineering Prof. George Kuczera
Mechanical Engineering Dr Ho-Sung Kim
Mechatronics Dr Ho-Sung Kim
Software Engineering A/Prof. Ljiljana Brankovic
Surveying Dr Karl Bretreger
Telecommunications Dr Galina Mirzaeva