What will I get out of engineering Industrial Training?
The main reason engineering students need to do Industrial Training (IT) is so they are well prepared for a graduate job in their chosen field. It is a chance for you to put what you have learned at university to work in the kind of real-life situations you will come up against when you start your career. Industrial training gives you great experience during your Bachelor of Engineering degree including:Turn theory into practice.
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First-hand experience working as an engineering professional
Apply your technical knowledge and engineering methods to a real-life situations
Work with other engineering professionals
Experience what it’s like to work in a professional organisation
Increase your technical, interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written
Observe interactions of engineers with other professional groups
Witness the functioning and organisation of business and companies
Be attractive to Engineering employers
Many employers use industry work experience as a prerequisite for new graduates. Employers also use this period as a chance to assess new employees for future employment. If you can demonstrate the ability to take responsibility, make sound decisions and apply technical skills – you will stand out as someone that might be great for their organisation.
In reverse, you will also have the opportunity to evaluate the company for yourself to see if it’s somewhere you might wish to work. At the very least, you can make better decisions about whether or not you will enjoy that field of engineering.
Organise suitable Industrial Training
It is up to each engineering student to organise their own employment for Industrial Training. It is important to make an effort and give lots of thought to getting the most relevant and effective experience to your engineering degree that you can.
Don’t be surprised if you have to make more than 30 enquirers about engineering work experience before you find a suitable position. That’s completely normal. So don't leave it too late!
You can work for more than one company; however, try to complete your Industrial Training requirement at just one or two companies to improve the depth of experience. The following resources will be useful for finding Industrial Training:
UNSW Careers and Employment
YouTube videos
It is not always possible, but ideally your experience will let you get exposure to a range of engineering activities including:
Design
Analysis
Experimental and
On-site activities
You should also make the most of your Industrial Training by asking your employer for varied and challenging projects. It's your training, so take control of it as best you can.
It is in your interest to extend the training over as long a period as possible, not just the mandatory 60 or 80 days, and to regard training at the end of both years 2 and 3 as part of your academic goals.
Engineering Industrial Training - labouring or trades work
We may approve labouring or trades-type work as engineering related industrial training, in some circumstances, as the degree of your technical competence could be limited by the stage you have reached in your program. However, it is unlikely that credit for more than 25 days of work experience would be given for this type of work, regardless of the actual days worked.
If you have any doubts or questions about a proposed employer, or the nature of the work you have been offered, you should consult the specific Industrial Training Coordinator for your school.
School Offices are also good contact points, and may be able to advise you directly, or make an appointment with the Industrial Training Coordinator.
School Industrial Training Co-ordinators
Contact details of your School's IT Co-ordinator can be found by clicking below.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Computer Science & Engineering
Mining Engineering
Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Petroleum Engineering
Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering
