Computing, Maths and Technology
At the University of Newcastle, career-ready placements enable you to work directly with industry and community partners by undertaking a placement relevant to your area of study through your degree.
Career-ready placements are a compulsory requirement of the Computer Science, Data Science, Information Technology and Mathematics degrees. A career-ready placement experience provides an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on training and experience in real world situations. This practical experience is critical in helping you transition into the workforce upon completion of your degree.
What you need to do
Career-ready placements allows students to integrate real-world skills and experience with theoretical concepts and knowledge obtained during their studies.
Computer Science, Data Science and Information Technology
In your final year, you will work on a project related to the fields of computer science and information technology. The work will be undertaken in an organisation (industry, research groups, labs) or as an innovative proposal that has been approved by the course coordinator.
This direct experience will offer exposure to the project management practices of managers and/or researchers. Under supervision and in a group work environment, you will undertake 240 hours of work with an appropriate organisation involved in computer science, data science, and/or information technology related areas.
It is your responsibility to attain a placement within your final year of study. Project and placement opportunities will be published on the Canvas course site on a rolling basis. At the start of the semester, you will coordinate with and submit applications through your course coordinator.
Upon being selected for a placement, you will be required to write a project plan in conjunction with your supervisor, along with a Placement Agreement Form.
Mathematics
As a Mathematics student, you will complete 140 hours of career-ready placement experiences or activities before you graduate from your degree. It is your responsibility to find appropriate career-ready placement opportunities in a field related to your studies. Please refer to the information and instructions on the MATH3600 Canvas site.
Students must be enrolled in MATH3600 and have an approved Placement Agreement Form to be covered by insurance for unpaid placements.
Insurance
If you are undertaking an approved, unpaid career-ready placement experience, you are under the University of Newcastle Student Insurance coverage. For further clarification, please contact the University’s Insurance Team (insurance@newcastle.edu.au).
SONIA
SONIA is The University of Newcastle’s placement management system. The software supports you in managing your placement quickly and easily. For any enquiries related to SONIA, contact the Professional Experience Unit for the College of Engineering, Science and Environment (CESE-PEU@newcastle.edu.au).
Student Manuals and Policy Information
The student manuals contain all the information regarding placement and must be read thoroughly. Please refer to the College of Engineering, Science and Environment Professional Experience website for more information regarding the placement requirements of your degree.
You must also read the Student Professional Experience Policy, Student Conduct Rule and Code of Conduct to understand your responsibilities while completing your placement.
Sourcing your experience
Now you understand the requirements of a career-ready placement experience, the next step is to prepare yourself to connect with employers. To do so, you will need to put together a strong application to ensure you stand out in a competitive job market.
CareerHub is the university's online job board that links you with industry and provides you with resources to help you with job-seeking.
On CareerHub you can find resources and tools to help you:
- Refine your job search
- Write a job application
- Prepare for an interview
- Develop a LinkedIn profile
- Learn more about an industry
Being confident and well prepared is essential when approaching a potential employer.
As a student, you aren’t expected to know everything. However, doing preliminary research, going in with a positive attitude, and taking initiative will go a long way. Try to find the best contact person in the organisation and approach them directly.
Here are our top tips for approaching employers:
- Use LinkedIn: Complete a search on LinkedIn, using the organisation name and browsing the listed employee with a title that mentions ‘Human Resources’, ‘Hiring Manager’, ‘Recruitment Specialist’, ‘Talent Acquisition' or other similar titles related to the Human Resources function.
- Find the right contact: If you are unable to find the most appropriate person, call the general contact phone number. In the call, ask if there is a specific contact you can speak with about a work placement opportunity within the organisation.
- Contacting via email: Keep your email concise, direct, courteous, and professional. You may find this resource helpful as a guide.
- Contacting via phone: Make sure you look and sound professional. Prepare your spiel ahead of time and be sure to show your passion and interest for the organisation. A Zoom or Skype call can be a great alternative to a phone call and can add a level of personalisation.
- Keep a record: It’s essential to keep yourself organised by keeping track of who you contacted and the status of the conversation. This will be particularly helpful if you’re asked to call back or follow up via email. This Prospective Host Communication Tracker (EXCEL, 21KB)
can help you stay on track.
When sourcing your career-ready placement experience, you may be asked some questions from your host supervisor about their requirements, roles, and responsibilities. You can refer employers to the Career-ready placement for Industry page to aid those discussions and ensure they understand their commitment.
The Application Pack (CESE) (PDF, 191KB)
As an international student, you may find it tricky to navigate the Australian work environment. However, you have access to information and resources that have been developed specifically to help support you in sourcing and preparing for career-ready placement experiences.
Support and resources
The Careers Service is available to provide guidance for finding a placement if required – make the most of their services including:
- Access to CareerHub, an online portal with discipline-related work and work experience opportunities
- Information about job and placement searching strategies
- Assistance aligning your studies and interests with industry opportunities
- Drop-in and appointment-based resume and application checking, plus an interview preparation service
Explore job vacancies in CareerHub
Read more
Access job application and interview resources
Read more
Professional Bodies
It is also recommended that you join the relevant professional bodies of your degree with the added benefit of retaining connections within your industry:
- Australian Computer Society
- Australian Information Industry Association
- Association for Computing Machinery
- IEEE Computer Society
Job Opportunities
For local job opportunities in the tech sector, you may also like to monitor the activities of the following organisations:
- Newy Tech People – a hub for tech talent in Newcastle
- Newwwie – an open community of digital creators in Newcastle
Contact us
If you have additional questions about your placement, you are encouraged to seek advice from your Placement Coordinator whose details can be found below.
Placement Coordinator – Computer Science, Data Science and IT
Dr Alexandre Mendes
Email: alexandre.mendes@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4921 6172
For all other enquiries, including SONIA enquiries, please contact:
Professional Experience Unit - College of Engineering, Science and Environment
Email: CESE-PEU@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4921 7302
Location: W357, Callaghan Campus (interactive campus map)
If you would like to meet one of our team face-to-face, please email CESE-PEU@newcastle.edu.au to arrange your appointment. Appointments are available at both Callaghan and Ourimbah campuses.
Need extra help?
The Careers Service offers free support to all current and past students of the University of Newcastle. Visit Careers to learn more and to get in touch.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.