Information for employers
Hosting a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement allows you to bring a fresh perspective to your projects and tasks and is an excellent opportunity to source new talent for your organisation.
Purpose of a WIL placement
The aim of a WIL placement is to provide students with work experience in their chosen field and to further develop discipline-specific and generic professional practice skills. Hosting a Deakin student for a placement provides them with the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge to a real workplace context in addition to strengthening their soft skills.
Benefits of hosting a Deakin student
- The assistance of a motivated student who brings the latest theory, techniques and new ideas to your organisation.
- Support of WIL staff and promotion of your organisation to students and the wider Deakin community.
- Access to students and an opportunity to see them perform within your organisation prior to them entering the job market at the end of their course.
- Students available to assist on special projects.
- A strategic partnership with Deakin University.
Placement structure
Depending on the Deakin unit the student is enrolled in, they are required to complete a set number of hours work under the guidance of a supervisor assigned by the agency.
The hours can be completed part-time 2-3 days per week over the 11-week trimester or as a full-time block for 3-4 weeks. The actual days and times of attendance are negotiated between the agency supervisor and student before commencement. This may depend on the student’s availability around other university or work commitments, the supervisor’s days of work and available desk space at the agency.
Insurance cover
Deakin University provides insurance cover for students on placement or work experience.
Students are covered under Deakin’s insurance policies while on placement as long as the placement is approved by Deakin and is a requirement of their studies. If a student and the host agency agree for the student to continue in a volunteer capacity past the formal placement period, the organisation must provide their own insurance cover for the student.
Any accidents, injuries or incidents must be reported immediately to the health WIL team who will follow university procedure for making a report and lodging an insurance claim.
Practicum tasks/projects
The types of tasks and projects that students can undertake while on work placement vary significantly and will depend on the needs of the agency and the student’s area of study.