The Defence Industry Internship Program (DIIP) is a national initiative funded by the Commonwealth Government Department of Defence designed to connect engineering and technology students with small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) operating within Australia’s defence industry. 

Through a structured, paid internship experience, DIIP helps students gain industry exposure, develop critical workplace skills and explore career opportunities, while supporting defence industry employers to gain access to high-potential STEM talent and build the future workforce they need.

The program creates meaningful pathways between university and industry by matching talented students with defence industry SMEs working across a broad range of engineering and technology disciplines. Through professional work experience over the course of 12 weeks (450 hours), students benefit from mentoring, networking, career development support and potential employment opportunities, while SMEs benefit from emerging talent with fresh perspectives and access to a valuable talent pipeline of graduates. 

The program outcomes are focused on increasing student awareness of defence industry careers, encouraging more graduates to pursue and gain defence industry employment, and strengthening workforce diversity and inclusion across the sector. 

The Career Network (TCN) administers the DIIP on behalf of the Department of Defence, managing all operational aspects of the program and delivering support to students, defence industry host organisations and other stakeholders including universities and industry groups. 

TCN carefully matches interns with suitable host SMEs based on their skills, studies and career interests. Throughout the internship, TCN provides ongoing support through regular check-ins, networking and engagement events, and career development services to help ensure a successful internship experience.