Bachelor of Engineering degrees at the ANU is accredited by the Engineers Australia. A requirement of Engineers Australia, as part of the degree accreditation, is that ALL students MUST complete the equivalent of 12 weeks (420 hours) of full-time work experience outside the University during their studies. A minimum of 8 weeks (280 hours) should be in an engineering environment, under the supervision of a qualified engineer. The remaining 4 weeks can be in any sort of employment. At ANU, this is completed through the ENGN3100 course.

Besides accreditation, the work experience has the following two purposes:

  • to expose the student to the workplace and workplace issues (such as human and industrial relations, job organisation, maintenance, safety and environmental issues).
  • to provide direct insight into professional engineering practice.

Students have the option to complete their Work Experience requirements in a number of ways. For example, you can complete a 12-week block over the Summer Holiday period, or weekly shifts with an organisation over the course of your degree, or multiple shorter blocks of full-time work.

Course Information and Templates

To satisfy the ENGN3100 requirements, students must submit a written report via Wattle once you have completed your 12 weeks of Work Experience.

We have collated the some important information (including the report template) and other documents for your information.

Download ENGN3100 Report Template

If you have undertaken ENGN3200 Engineering Internship and wish to claim the same work experience completed towards ENGN3100, see the guide on How to claim work experience completed in ENGN3200 towards ENGN3100

ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Process Steps from March 2024

Students applying for a placement pre-approval from 1 March 2024 or placement commencement date 25 March 2024 and after will need to follow the amended placement pre-approval process.

Please follow this link to access the recording for the ENGN3100 Information Session. If you wish to access the PowerPoint slides for the Information Session, you can find them here.

Please click through the following drop-down items for the steps you need to follow.

1. Understand the process

Undergraduate Engineering students are required to undertake 12 weeks (420 hours) practical work experience. A minimum of 8 weeks (280 hours) should be in an engineering environment, under the supervision of a qualified engineer. The remaining 4 weeks can be in any sort of employment.For Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering students, the minimum of 8 weeks experience must be Software Engineering related.

Please note any work undertaken within the ANU or any other university cannot be counted towards ‘a minimum 8 weeks (280 hours) of work in an engineering environment’.

Read the information about ENGN3100 available via this page to ensure that you understand the process and the types of suitable employment.

2. Arrange a placement

Identify the type of experience you wish to undertake. Apply for advertised opportunities or make a direct approach to companies of interest to you. For advice on finding work experience opportunities, get in touch with CECC Student Employability Team at studentemployability.cecc@anu.edu.au. Refer to resources and services provided by ANU Careers Centre to assist with job search, networking, preparing a resume and cover letter, and interview preparation.

Discuss with your potential employer how your placement could meet Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies.

Competencies 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, and 3.6 are mandatory to be met. The Information Letter to Work Experience Employers in the ENGN3100 report template can be provided to potential employers to explain the requirements for Practical Work Experience.

3. Apply for a placement approval and arrange a placement agreement

If you intend to undertake a work experience placement to be counted towards ‘a minimum of 8 weeks in an engineering environment of ENGN3100’, you must complete the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement together with your Host and submit the completed agreement signed by you and the Delegate of your Host Organisation via Practical Experience Placement Pre-approval and Agreement Submission Form.

You are responsible for:

  • Sharing ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement form with your Host Organisation,
  • Ensuring all the details are completed correctly, and
  • Getting the signature of your Host Organisation’s Delegate.

ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement

Please download the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement before filling it out. Do not fill out the form in the web browser, as some functions may not work correctly.

It is recommended that you seek independent legal advice before signing the agreement. ANUSA has a Legal Officer who can provide confidential free advice and review the agreement with you. For any reason, if you have concerns about accepting the terms and conditions of the placement agreement, please reach out to studentemployability.cecc@anu.edu.au.

We recommend to submit the completed ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement form signed by you and your Host, minimum 4 weeks before the placement commencement date for a domestic placement and minimum 6 weeks before the placement commencement date for an overseas placement.

ANU will advise you of the final outcome via an email.

We will send you and your Host Organisation a copy of the executed ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement form via an email, if approved. The assessment and approval process may take up to 20 Business Days. It may take longer than 20 Business Days for overseas placements.

You CANNOT commence in your placement until your ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement form is fully executed.

If the host is requesting to have a separate Confidentiality Agreement in place, ANU’s preference will be not to go into the Confidentiality Agreement. Instead, we wish your Host Supervisor to work with you to ensure that no confidential information is included in your ENGN3100 report and assessment. Please contact studentemployability.cecc@anu.edu.au if you have any concerns.

Any engineering work experience placement commencing after 31 March 2024 cannot be approved retrospectively.

4. Insurance (if the placement is unpaid)

If your placement is ‘unpaid’ you will not be covered by the organisation’s insurance in most circumstances. ANU Insurance coverage can be arranged for pre-approved unpaid placements.

To apply for ANU Insurance coverage, please complete the ANU Student activity approval form and submit the completed form to the ENGN3100 Convener at ENGN3100@anu.edu.au.

You will be notified via an email once the insurance is in place.

You must wait until you receive the Insurance confirmation before you commence your placement.

If your placement is overseas, there will be limitations around what insurance cover ANU can provide. It is likely that you will need to arrange some insurance privately to meet the conditions of your placement and/ or any visa requirements.

5. Travel approval (if the work experience is overseas or interstate)

You must submit the Travel eForm if your placement is outside ACT. You can submit the eForm concurrently with the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement form (See Step 3). **Select the name of the ENGN3100 Course Convener as your Supervisor on this form. **

Once you receive the travel approval summary sent to your ANU email, please forward the pdf to studentemployability.cecc@anu.edu.au so we can arrange your travel insurance.

For overseas placement – proof is required in the form of passport entry and leaving or actual flight tickets (to submit as evidence when submitting your report).

You can find a SAMPLE Travel eForm here

Do not book your flights or make travel arrangements until your Travel eForm and your placement is approved.

ANU cannot provide any Visa advice. It is the responsibilities of the students to research the relevant visa conditions and make arrangements to ensure you satisfy required visa conditions (e.g. any specific insurance cover or any vaccination requirements).

6. Enrol in ENGN3100

You need to enrol in ENGN3100 during any placements counting towards a minimum of 8 weeks in an engineering environment. CECC will annotate the Host Organisation Name on your transcript against each ENGN3100 enrolment for all your engineering placements. You do not need to enrol in ENGN3100 during your non-engineering placements.

You can self-enrol in ENGN3100 via your ISIS in Semester 1 and Semester 2.

CECC Student Employability team will manually enrol you in Summer Session and Winter Session as self-enrolment option is not available for non-primary teaching periods.

7. Undertake your placement

Make sure that you and your Employer/ Host record the hours you work. This can be done manually (for instance, recorded in a diary) or electronically through spreadsheets or by using an app such as the Record My Hours app. You will need a formal letter from your Host confirming your actual completed hours at the end of your placement.

8. Check-in during your placement

You are recommended to book check-in appointments to meet with the Course Convener and/or the CECC Senior Student Employability Officer. For any placement that are up to 12 weeks one check-in is compulsory.

Recommendation for the check-in appointments are as below:

  • One check-in, if the placement is up to 4 weeks
  • Two check-ins, if the placement is up to 8 weeks
  • Three check-ins, if the placement is up to 12 weeks.

You can book your placement check-in appointment via the ENGN3100 placement check-in booking page.

Please note, students are also welcome to reach out to the Course Convener (email: ENGN3100@anu.edu.au) and CECC Student Employability (email: studentemployability.cecc@anu.edu.au) at any point during their placement.

9. Finishing/after your placement

Obtain a formal letter of employment from your employer detailing the duration of the placement (including total hours), the nature of work undertaken and your supervisor’s name and position details. This is required for each placement you are counting towards the 12 week (420 hour) total.

Get the Feedback form filled by your employer.

Inform your employer that a “Signed Letter confirming claims made within Report” will be needed from them, once the report is written.

10. Enrol and submit your report

Once you have completed 12 weeks (420 hours) of work experience, enrol in ENGN3100 in the semester in which you intend to complete and submit your work experience report.

Write your report including all the mandatory documentation for your work experience and get it confirmed by the employer with the “Signed Letter confirming claims made within Report” form provided in the ENGN3100 report template above.

Submit your work experience report via Wattle, including a copy of your letter of employment (for each placement). The due date for submission will be posted on the Wattle site and is usually in the final week of semester.

When submitting your ENGN3100, please make sure you inform ENGN3100 Course Convener, if your Host Organisation has arranged any Confidentiality Agreement around the work you had undertaken with them. It is your responsibility to discuss this with the Convener, if there is any Confidentiality Agreement. ANU’s preference will be not to go into a Confidentiality Agreement. Instead, we wish your Host Supervisor to work with you to ensure that no confidential information is included in your report and assessment.

Previous ENGN3100 Process Being Phased Out by the End of February 2024

Old Process

Note: If your placement is unpaid and need ANU Insurance Cover, please complete the ANU Approval of Activities for Insurance Form and CECC Student Placement Risk Assessment Form, submit the completed forms to the CECC Student Employability team at studentemployability.cecc@anu.edu.au.

Together with your completed ANU Approval of Activities for Insurance Form, you must also provide the following supporting documents as part of your insurance approval process:

  • Host Organisation’s Workplace Health & Safety and Critical Incident Policy and Procedure
  • WHS and Safety Induction Training the Host will provide for the placement
  • Position Description (a brief summary of the main tasks) and type of placement such as on-site/ Remote/ Hybrid (some on-site and some remote).
  • If the placement is a remote placement, Host Organisation’s Remote work WHS Policy

IMPORTANT: If you are applying for ANU insurance, please ensure you submit all required documents listed above minimum 2 weeks before your placement commencing date.

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