ENGN3100 Practical Experience

Step 1: Understand the process

For Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Software Engineering (AENSE) students:

• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Software Engineering is required to undertake 420 hours work experience. A minimum of 280 hours must be in a software engineering environment, under the supervision of a software engineer. The maximum 140 hours can be in any sort of employment.

• Please note any work undertaken within the ANU or any other university cannot be counted towards ‘a minimum 280 hours of work in a software engineering environment’.

For Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (AENGI) and Bachelor of Engineering (Research and Development) (Honours) (AENRD) students:

• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Engineering (Research and Development) (Honours) are required to undertake 420 hours work experience. A minimum of 280 hours must be in an engineering environment, under the supervision of a suitably qualified engineer. The maximum 140 hours can be in any sort of employment.

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

Read the information about ENGN3100 available via this Program and Course page to ensure that you understand the learning outcome and the assessment.

Step 2: Arrange the 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. 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.)

Step 3: Apply for the placement pre-approval

Step 3.1: Submit the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement

If you are planning to start an engineering/software engineering placement that counted towards to ENGN3100, you are required to complete the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement with your Host and submit the signed agreement (by you and your host) here. Submission via email is not considered. It can take up to 20 business days for the placements with 100% Australian Owned Organisations and 45 to 50 business days for the placements with non 100% Australian Owned Organisations from the date you submit the completed agreement to finalise this step and receive the outcome. To understand the reasons for the longer timeline for the latter option, see information here. Students cannot start the placement until the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement is fully executed and you have received the email outcome.

ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement

If you and your host has any concerns about the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement, please contact studentemployability.css@anu.edu.au.

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.

Step 3.1.1: Apply for ANU Insurance (if applicable)

If your placement is unpaid and not covered by the host organisation’s insurance, you can apply for ANU Personal Injury Insurance Coverage.

To apply:

Step 1: When submitting your ENGN3100 Placement Pre-Approval Agreement, answer the required questions and you will then be directed to the ANU Insurance Cover section, if applicable.

Step 2: Enter all required information relating to your unpaid domestic placement.

Do not commence your placement until you have received confirmation that the ANU Insurance cover has been granted.

For overseas placements, you may need to arrange private insurance to meet placement or visa requirements or for your own safety. ANU personal injury Insurance coverage does not provide coverage outside Australia. 

Step 3.2: Submit Travel Approval (if applicable)

If your placement requires travel outside the ACT, excluding your home city/country, you are required to submit the Travel Approval via ATPI Travel Hub concurrently with step 3.1.

Find a SAMPLE Travel Approval here and select the ENGN3100 Convener as your supervisor. Once you receive the travel approval confirmation via your ANU email, your travel insurance will be activated on the dates you have entered in the Travel Approval.

For overseas placements, proof such as passport stamps or flight tickets must be submitted with your report. Do not book flights or make travel arrangements until your Travel Approval and placement are approved. ANU cannot provide Visa advice. Students are responsible for researching and meeting relevant visa conditions, including specific insurance or vaccination requirements.

Step 4: Start 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.

Step 5: Wellbeing Health & Safety and Onboarding Form

All students must complete the Wellbeing Health & Safety and Onboarding Form (Mandatory) within the first two weeks of their approved placement. Students will receive the link to this mandatory survey in the placement approval confirmation email from CSS Student Employability.

This form is to ensure that appropriate Work Health and Safety (WHS), wellbeing, and induction processes have been provided by the host organisation at the commencement of your placement and if ANU could support you with anything during your placement. 

ENGN3100 appointments will remain available for students who require additional support or wish to discuss their placement with CSS Student Employability and the Course Convener. You can book a ENGN3100 appointment via ANU Career Central(please log in to the portal with your ANU single sign-on). You will find the CSS - ENGN3100 appointment under appointments.

Step 6: Finishing your placement

Obtain necessary documents from your host. Please refer to the ENGN3100 report template (attached in step 7) and Frequently Asked Questions section below for more information.

Step 7: Enrol and submit your report

To satisfy the ENGN3100 requirements, you must submit a written report. Enrol in ENGN3100 in the semester you plan to complete and submit your report.

Important: You must have the placement(s) counting towards a minimum 280 hours in an engineering or a software engineering environment approved by ANU earlier for you to enrol and submit your ENGN3100 Report.

Download ENGN3100 Report Template

Explore all the resources available on Career Central. This platform provides resources on job search, preparing a resume and cover letter, interviews, career planning, job postings, events etc.

• Complete ‘Internship Essentials e-Learning Pathway’, specifically the ‘Securing an Internship: Application Tips’ section. It will help you with the resume and application process.
• Complete ‘Find and apply for jobs e-Learning Pathway’. This pathway covers everything you need to know about the job applications process – from finding opportunities to how to prepare your application till interview preparations.

The Information Letter to Employers from the Course Convener included in the ENGN3100 report template can be provided to potential employers to explain the relevant requirements.

This is an engineer either:

1. registered for practicing engineering in specific fields in Australia or overseas; or
2. obtained a tertiary degree in an engineering discipline; or
3. a professional engineer with either a tertiary degree in a related discipline (e.g., IT, physics, science) and is currently working in an engineering role, or have substantial (>10 years) experience working as an engineer.

Yes, your host will be cc’ed while we sending out the outcome to you and will have access to the executed agreement.

No, you can complete the hours in segments and in a number of ways. For example, you can complete a 420 hours 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. Just a note: if you are working in different segments (i.e., with different hosts) to fulfill the minimum 280n hours of work in an engineering environment, you will need to go through the pre-approval process for each segment. You don’t need pre-approval for the maximum 140 hours in a non-engineering environment.

Yes, remote/hybrid placements are accepted as long as they meet the ENGN3100 Practical Experience requirements. Please indicate “remote” as the placement location when filling out the ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement.

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

Yes, it can still be counted towards “the maximum 140 hours in any type of employment”.

No, You CANNOT commence in your placement until your ENGN3100 Practical Experience Placement Agreement is fully executed, and you have received the outcome via email.

No, any engineering work experience placement commencing after 31 March 2024 cannot be approved retrospectively.

Check-in arrangement is now via the Wellbeing Health & Safety and Onboarding Form (Mandatory). Students must complete this form within the first two weeks of their approved placement. Students will receive the link to this mandatory survey in the placement approval confirmation email from CSS Student Employability.

This form is to ensure that appropriate Work Health and Safety (WHS), wellbeing, and induction processes have been provided by the host organisation at the commencement of your placement and if ANU could support you with anything during your placement. 

ENGN3100 appointments will remain available for students who require additional support or wish to discuss their placement with CSS Student Employability and the Course Convener. You can book a ENGN3100 appointment via ANU Career Central

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 420 hours total.

Get the Feedback form filled by your employer.

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

If you need to update your ENGN3100 agreements, you must ask your host to send the corresponding updates to studentemployability.css@anu.edu.au for approval and record-keeping.

When submitting your ENGN3100 report, 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.

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 420 hours total.

Get the Feedback form filled by your employer.

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

No. For example, if you completed all the required 420 hours in Winter 2025, you do not need to complete the report immediately in Winter 2025.

Yes! Please send an email to studentemployability.css@anu.edu.au and we can arrange an appointment with you.