We welcome organisations to collaborate with us to offer placement experiences for our students in community services, education, engineering, health and law.
Our next_gen creative and innovative students – both from vocational education and higher education – can inject new insight into your organisation and help achieve your goals.
What study levels are the students at?
- Vocational education students (sometimes referred to as TAFE students) are studying certificates and diplomas.
- Higher education students are studying bachelor degrees, master degrees, graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and higher qualifications.
Will a placement cost my organisation?
Swinburne does not charge your organisation to host our accreditation placement students. There are some conditions, such as adequate supervision, that must be met before a placement can go ahead.
Accreditation placements are generally unpaid, although payment to students is not discouraged for law and engineering.
Accreditation placements
Vocational education
If you would like to support a Community Services or Youth Work placement or require further information, please email vecommunityplacements@swinburne.edu.au.
If you would like to support a Mental Health placement or require further information, please email vehealthplacements@swinburne.edu.au.
Vocational education
If you would like to support any of these placements or require further information, please email eceplacement@swinburne.edu.au.
Higher education
Professional experience placements are a mandatory component of teacher education courses. Each course stipulates the number of placement days that must be completed each year of the course, which is a requirement for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
For undergraduate students, this will be no fewer than 80 days and no fewer than 60 days for postgraduate.
Placements occur during the semester and provide an essential link between theory and practice. The experience underpins the theoretical and pedagogical knowledge taught in the education units.
Contact the Professional Experience Manager to find out how to engage with our education students by emailing eduplacements@swinburne.edu.au.
Higher education
Undergraduate engineering students must complete a minimum of 12 weeks approved, relevant experience before graduation.
Placements provide students with an opportunity to apply their studies in engineering practice.
Contact us for more information on engaging with our engineering students across 10 disciplines, including civil and construction, mechanical, electronic and electrical, robotics and mechatronics, software, product design, biomedical, telecommunication and architectural.
Email the professional placements team for more information at employer@swinburne.edu.au.
Vocational education
If you would like to support any of these placements or require further information, please email vehealthplacements@swinburne.edu.au.
Higher education – Undergraduate level
If you’re looking to take on a nursing or exercise and sports science accreditation placement student, the following placement requirements apply:
- Our Bachelor of Nursing students must complete a minimum of 800 hours of placement during the course to be eligible for graduation and registration.
- Our Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science students must complete 140 hours of placement in year three of their course.
Higher education – Postgraduate level
If you’re looking to take on a postgraduate accreditation placement student, the following placement requirements apply:
- Our Master of Occupational Therapy students must complete three blocks of placement during the two-year course, for a total of 1000 hours of placement.
- Our postgraduate psychology students must complete between 60 and 200 days of placement depending on exact course requirements.
- Our Master of Dietetics students must complete four five-week placement blocks in the second year of your course, totalling 100 days of placement.
- Our Master of Physiotherapy students must complete 1000 hours of placements over the course which includes block placements and work integrated learning.
- Our Master of Counselling students must undertake 120 client contact hours of placement in year 2 and 3 of the course.
Have a question?
If you have any questions around our health accreditation placements, contact the Health Placement team by emailing healthplacements@swinburne.edu.au.
Higher education
Our Bachelor of Laws students must complete three 20-day accreditation placements over the course of their degree.
These placements must be for a minimum of 20 days full-time equivalent work with no time limit for completion.
This gives you the flexibility to host the student in a single block or over an extended period.
You’re able to host a student on a placement for as many days as is suitable for you and the student.
The work experience during a placement must have legal content. This can be varied in nature but a placement including only non-legal work, such as accounting or reception, at a legal workplace does not meet the requirements.
Have a question?
If you have any questions, email employer@swinburne.edu.au.
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"Our organisation has greatly benefited from the program, with extra assistance to complete new and existing projects using the student’s fresh ideas and approaches. It has also afforded existing staff the opportunity to develop themselves through interaction and engagement with the students."
Peter Moran , Co-ordinator of Construction Development, City of Yarra
Vocational work placements with the Salvation Army
Hear from the Salvation Army and their experience hosting Swinburne students for vocational, community services work placements.
- Title: Work Integrated Learning - Salvation Army Industry Testimonial
- Creator: Work Integrated Learning
- Year: 2024
[NATALIE] Hosting, Swinburne students has added so much value to our organisation. Firstly, it's given a lot of our staff the opportunity to mentor and coach it's helped our staff develop leadership traits that they wouldn't have an opportunity to develop otherwise. And I think that's been a really amazing thing. For example, with one of our current staff, she was supporting a Swinburne student and that helped her realise that she actually wanted to enter leadership, which she's now doing.
[NATALIE] Second to that, the Swinburne students that we've had are so passionate, they're so interested in what we're doing. They want to learn. They care about what we're doing. They ask really amazing questions. They're positive. They have an energy that I think is really amazing and it adds so much value to our organisation in that way.
[ALISON] We partner with Swinburne because, just constantly see positive effects in the office. Students bring an energy and creativity that is really unique. I think it boosts the morale within the team and staff get an opportunity to mentor and maybe see if they like a little bit of leadership and overall it's just really really positive experience.
[ALISON] They start the day with morning check-ins. They'll attend regular team meetings. Attend client appointments. Also, if there's a crisis presentation, they'll attend those, so it just depends, every day so different. So it's quite a varied placement.
[NATALIE] I would absolutely recommend Swinburne's student placement program to other organisations for a few reasons. Firstly, Swinburne have been so easy to work with. Second to that, the students that we have had on placement with us have been amazing. They are really keen to learn. They take on any and all opportunities.
[NATALIE] Partnering with Swinburne has resulted in so many students either continuing on to further study in the field or securing employment in related fields. And an example, we had a student who completed her placement with us just earlier this year. She's gone on to find a job within the homelessness field. Prior to doing her placement with us. That wasn't something that she thought about doing, but completing her placement within a homeless of service made her realise that this was actually an area that she really wanted to work in. She was passionate about and really interested in.
[NATALIE] So I feel that in that way we've been able to contribute to their career growth and help them to realise a potential pathway that they may not have realised otherwise. It's also, like I mentioned, helped students to realise that they actually do want to further their studies within the field. It's helped them to realise their career aspirations that again, I don't know that they would have realised had they not been able to complete their placement with us.
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Partner with us
For vocational education placements, please email chscplacements@swinburne.edu.au.
For higher education placements, please call the placements team on +61 3 9214 4577 or submit your query online.