Offer a work placement, internship, or project

Connect with talented students and help create a strong workforce in your industry by offering a work placement, internship, or consultancy project experience.

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington partners with innovative organisations to provide work experience opportunities for our students during their studies.

Organisations can be involved in a variety of ways, including through work-integrated learning and internships.

Work-integrated learning

Common examples of work-integrated learning are work placements and consultancy projects that connect to students’ coursework.

Placement experiences as part of coursework

Work placements—which can be course-based internships or practicums—are a great way for students to gain in-depth real-life experience and connect to the culture of an organisation.

In general, work-integrated learning placements, practicums, or internships:

• are part of a University course and involve a student spending 80 to 150 hours at an organisation’s workplace, usually working on a specific project
• are unpaid, as they are credit-bearing and completed as part of a qualification
• take place in the second half of the year
• include supervision and mentoring from the organisation and support from the University course coordinator
• require students to produce work for both the organisation and their course at the University.

Resources are available for organisations interested in hosting a course-based intern as part of a work placement. These resources include ideas for internship projects and guidance on good practice for supervising and mentoring student interns on placements.

Download resources for organisations:

• Managing, mentoring, and supporting your intern (PDF)
• Developing a placement or internship project brief (PDF)

Consultancy or industry projects as part of coursework

Another type of work-integrated learning is a coursework-related consultancy project. This is where students—as part of their coursework—act as consultants in small groups, tackling a project brief provided by an organisation.

Consultancy or industry projects require less time and resource commitment from the organisation. At the same time, they allow students to contribute fresh ideas and high-quality work while developing their industry knowledge and transferrable skills.

While students may not work at the organisation’s workplace during the project, they benefit from attending relevant meetings or field trips. These are often the highlight for students.

Organisations need to have a suitable project for an individual or group of students. They also need to share the initial project brief with the student, answer some questions from the project group, and provide feedback on the final presentation and report.

Work opportunities not related to coursework

Throughout the year, many students look for work experience or employment that is related to their degree but that isn’t part of their coursework. Not being an official part of coursework is what distinguishes this kind of work from work-integrated learning.

Examples of activities that are outside of coursework include paid internships and part-time work to permanent roles after they graduate.

To find out more about promoting your organisation's opportunities and employing a student go to our Employers page.

Connect in other ways

As well as work-integrated learning and general employment opportunities, there are other ways your organisation can connect with students—for example, through mentoring or community volunteering opportunities.

The University runs employability programmes such as the Wellington Plus Programme, where students volunteer at a community organisation and attend leadership workshops to gain a recognised certificate.

Through the Alumni as Mentors programme, professionals can connect with students in the final year of their degree and provide support with their career development and transition to the workplace.

Organisations can also reach our students through Ignite Consultants, a student charity that recruits volunteer student consultants to provide business or strategic planning advice to local non-profit organisations.

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