Work Integrated Learning Placements and Internships at UWA

Stand out to future employers by getting real-world experience while completing your degree

Through UWA's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement program, you will go beyond the classroom to apply your learning in real work settings. This program will see you undertake a placement or internship with one of 500+ host organisations across private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

Enrolling in a WIL unit during your studies could be a life-changing experience. Investing time and effort into clarifying and building your future career path while learning is a wise choice. It's never too early to explore your options.

Join hundreds of other students who undertake WIL placements every year and reap the benefits

Practise what you learn 

Putting what you learn at university into action in a professional setting is a great way to consolidate your learning and gives you a deeper and more authentic understanding of your discipline of study.

Gain credit

We are determined to produce graduates who not only have specific discipline knowledge, skills and understanding, but who have acquired a broader suite of transferrable skills that prepare them for employment in a changing world. WIL units enable you to do exactly this and more. They are academic units for which you get credit and they can be elective or broadening units in your degree. 

Learn from industry experts 

Through undertaking a WIL placement, you will be mentored, learn from and work with sector-leading professionals. You can connect with and start building your professional contacts and networks. You'll also be exposed to new and diverse perspectives, and gain the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to adapt to new environments.  

Improve your employability skills

WIL placements give you the chance to expand your knowledge, identify gaps and enhance and develop skills that employers value such as professionalism, teamwork, problem solving and interpersonal communication techniques in work settings.

Clarify your career direction 

Undertaking a WIL placement is a great way to explore future career options. It gives you an opportunity to experience and understand work culture and specific competencies of professions and industries. You'll get to test drive your potential career, find out whether you enjoy the industry and decide whether it's a career path you want to pursue. 

Maximise your career prospects 

WIL placements are a fantastic way to learn career development strategies and expand your work experience portfolio, both of which boost your résumé, increasing your chance of graduating with employment in your field of study. With new skills, industry experience and a host of new contacts within the sector, you'll have a head start on the jobs market when you graduate. Many host organisations we work with end up hiring their interns following their placement or provide them with valuable references, contacts and guidance. 

Get started

  • 1. Check your eligibility
  • 2. Submit your Expression of Interest
  • 3. Prepare, be proactive and professional
  • 4. Before your placement
  • 5. During your placement
  • 6. After your placement

How the WIL placement program works 

  • Eligibility and Requirements
  • Elective and option WIL placement units
  • Apply or Find your own
  • Paid or Unpaid Placements and Insurance
  • Fair Work Act 2009
  • Intellectual Property and Privacy

The WIL is a great addition to any student's time at university. I would strongly encourage students to seek as many WIL opportunities as possible during their student cycle. Recruiters look for 'on the job training' in a résumé before your certificates and degrees, so take the time to get as much on the job experience as possible.

 

NETBALL WA

Katherine Scott

Internships are a really, really valuable way to figure out where your strengths and interests lie, what you're not so interested in, and to get a sense of what jobs are out there. The workforce is more nuanced than being an accountant or an academic or a nurse, which was hard for me to grasp without any experience in it. It's really helpful for figuring out what you want to learn at uni to take as many out-of-classroom opportunities as possible, as soon as possible.

 

Katherine Scott
Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Statistics, and Philosophy),
Internship with BHP

Resources and support available 

  • Finding your own placement
  • Preparing your résumé and application
  • Resources for students with a disability or medical condition

Have a question? Get in touch with us

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