Professional Engineering Practicum and Portfolio

Practicum Process Explained

Registration

So that we can better support you on your Practicum journey, you will be required to register your details and details of when you intend to undertake your professional engineering placement. You will receive a welcome email and a link to a Registration Form in our placement portal SoniaOnline.

SoniaOnline is a one stop placement portal. The portal is used to manage all aspects of your one registration with the WIL placement team and your placement(s). You can access all the procedural requirements, forms and other useful templates and resources.

Sourcing a placement

You are encouraged to seek your own placements so that you can follow your interests. Look for opportunities everywhere. We have multiple resources and services available at UWA, such as the UWA Careers and Employability Centre, to help you build the skills needed to find and secure opportunities.

We encourage you to access these resources to grow your industry knowledge and connections. Students who find success are often taking part in multiple internship/job search and work related activities including: 

• networking through joining student societies and professional association bodies
• attending events, speaking with lecturers, industry representatives and classmates
• attending conferences
• volunteering
• taking part in ongoing learning opportunities
• completing the UWA Careers and Employability Award program

Practicum Experiences Approval Process

It is important you ensure any activities and experiences you undertake and intend to include in your Professional Engineering Portfolio are suitable. All placements must be approved. You must also complete the UWA Pre-placement program via LMS before your first placement. 

Professional placement approval process: SoniaOnline

It is a requirement of your course to have your Professional Engineering Placement proposal reviewed and approved BEFORE you commence your placement. Once you have secured a placement, please submit your Engineering Placement Proposal in SoniaOnline. The proposal will be reviewed to ensure the placement is suitable and meets the learning outcomes of your course. 

Other experiences approval process 

Please submit any activities not listed in the Engineering Professional Practicum Guideline for review and approval by completing an Engineering Practicum – Other Experiences Proposal Form in SoniaOnline. You will be asked to include a clear explanation as to why the activity should be considered a suitable practicum experience and it will be evaluated on individual merit.

Recognition of prior placement 

If you have undertaken a placement prior to starting your Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or MPE studies at UWA, you have an opportunity to get recognition for your previous placement(s). Please submit your Practicum – Recognition of Prior Placement Form in SoniaOnline. 

 

Before your placement

Placement preparation

In preparation for your placement, you will be required to complete UWA’s Pre-placement program via LMS. The program has been designed to help you make the most of your placement. The three modules will provide you with information and guidance on health and safety in a workplace, expectations and understanding of professional behaviour, feedback and performance.  You can complete the modules at any time, but no later than BEFORE the commencement of your placement. You will be asked to upload the Certificate of completion in SoniaOnline

Administrative arrangements

Depending on whether you undertake a paid or unpaid placement, you and your host organisation might be required to complete further paperwork.

During your placement

Check-in surveys

Once on your placement, you will be required to complete a check-in survey after completing 30 hours, then after completing 60 hours via a form in SoniaOnline. These surveys are an opportunity for us to check how your placement is progressing. We check with your host supervisor as well. 

Important: In case of any incidents, accidents or concerns, please do not wait for the survey and get in touch with your placement coordinator as soon as possible.    

 

Keep a Journal of your Placement Experiences  

It is strongly recommended that you keep a journal of your placement experience(s), which you can then refer to when working on your portfolio. Note down any information that will help you with the required content of the portfolio, including important dates, names of the people that you deal with, points of interest, personal observations of the work place, and your roles and activities. The journal should also describe how the experience has contributed to your development as a professional engineer, including the attainment of the 16 Elements of Competency in the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer and any lessons learnt. The journal and your notes will be instrumental when compiling your Professional Engineering Portfolio.

After your placement

You will be required to ask your host supervisor to complete a Certificate of Work Performed. Make sure you keep copies of all Certificates of Work Performed as these must be completed for each placement and included in your Portfolio. You will be also required to complete a final survey via a form in SoniaOnline.

Practicum Resources

Preparing for your experiences 

The Careers and Employability Centre and their team are your one stop shop for preparation. Located on campus in Student Central, access a wealth of resources to help you build your professional engineering identity. Workshops, videos, plus one-on-one consultations are available to discuss topics related to your resume, cover letter, internship/job search strategies and applications. 

Make sure you access:

• Resume and cover letter workshops - to help prepare you for success in your application. Book in to these sessions via MyUnihub to secure your spot.
• VMock - online resume checking tool providing feedback on the structure of your resume. This tool is crucial for students considering companies who vet applications using algorithms. Your aim is to achieve a score of 75% or above before submitting to organisations. Most students will start on 25-30% - there are huge improvements to be made! Once you have uploaded to VMock use the feedback provided to you to improve your score. Note: Free resume feedback is limited to a max of 10 uploads per year, therefore make all improvements suggested before resubmitting each time. Careers team run workshops on the use of VMock so make sure you attend one. . 

• Big Interview –  valuable online resource to assist you in preparing for an interview including hands-on practice and simulation with mock interviews tailored to your specific industry, job and experience level.

Head to My UniHub to see and access all the services and resources and to book into workshops and individual appointments. 

• LinkedIn Learning - a global online platform for developing or enhancing your professional and personal skills and employability.

Resources for students with a disability or medical condition

Register with UWA’s UniAccess. We can help with:

• guidance on your rights disclosing your disability or medical condition including whether and how to disclose to potential host supervisors and employers 
• guidance on the reasonable adjustments needed for you placement
• support during your placement and to ensure you settle in to your new role
• direct referrals to UWA services and programs that may also benefit you

Apply for an internship via Australian Network on Disability’s Stepping Into program. AND’s Stepping into program is a paid internship scheme that matches talented university students with disability with roles in leading Australian Businesses. 

Join AND’s PACE Mentoring program that helps bridge employment gap for jobseekers and students with disability. 

Discover resources in AND’s Job Seeker’s toolkit.