Defence Industry Information

Engineering Internship

DIIP Engineering internships provide defence industry SMEs with access to talented engineering students who are eager to apply their university learning in a professional environment. 

Through a 450 hour fully funded internship, host organisations can strengthen their workforce capability, support the development of Australia’s future engineering talent and build connections with potential future employees. Engineering interns bring fresh perspectives, current technical knowledge and a genuine interest in contributing to defence industry projects and outcomes. 

Defence industry host organisations must be able to offer a 12-week (450 hour) internship on a full-time or part-time basis within the designated internship period (November – April). Further, work experience must be relevant, meaningful and interesting, with high-quality supervision.

The purpose of the DIIP is to offer students exposure to genine career pathways within the defence industry, with the goal of motivating students to seek graduate roles at the conclusion of their studies. 

The Engineering stream requires internship experiences across a range of disciplines including:

  • Aerospace & Aeronautical
  • Chemical
  • Civil
  • Data Science & Machine Learning
  • Electrical & Electronics
  • Industrial & Manufacturing
  • Maritime
  • Materials
  • Mechatronic
  • Mechanical
  • Software & Systems
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Substantial support is provided to defence industry host organisations for their participation in DIIP. The Department of Defence funds a weekly benefit payment, made available to SMEs during the internship period to promote participation and cover internship overheads.

The Career Network (TCN), a company with extensive experience in the delivery of student career development programs, provides significant end-to-end support to the defence industry host organisation. Appointed by the Department of Defence to administer the DIIP, TCN facilitates the internship delivery and experience by:

  • managing the recruitment, matching, and placement of suitable candidates to meet specific defence industry host needs
  • monitoring the duration of the internship to track progress and provide guidance
  • offering ongoing assistance and pastoral care for interns, as well as support and resources for defence industry hosts
  • resolving operational issues encountered by the interns or the defence industry host, to ensure a seamless experience for all stakeholders
  • facilitating communications and reimbursing internship payments to the defence industry SME

The DIIP currently supports the placement of 90+ engineering internships nationwide within the designated internship period.

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Intern & SME applications are currently open until 30 August 2026

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I never realised a job in defence could be this interesting.

I used to think it was all project management or maintenance work, but this experience opened my eyes to the exciting R&D opportunities that exist behind the scenes.

I’ve also had the chance to connect with some amazing professionals whose careers I really admire. Being able to build that kind of network as a student has been a huge bonus. My supervisors also allowed me to pursue technical directions that aligned with my interests, which really helped me grow my skills.
K. AshcroftDIIP Intern, 2025
The Defence Industry Internship Program provided me with an invaluable opportunity to gain exposure to cutting-edge defence technologies.

During my time at Arkeus, I applied the skills I had acquired through my university studies while being mentored by incredibly bright, talented, and hard-working individuals.

As part of a team, I took on real responsibility for tasks that contributed meaningfully to the advancement of Arkeus’ mission.
L. SinghDIIP Intern, 2025
I would strongly recommend the program to university students seeking an internship.

Throughout the internship, the DIIP team maintained regular check-ins with both my supervisor and me to monitor my progress and ensure I was benefiting from the experience.

Their ongoing support played a big part in making the internship such a rewarding and productive opportunity. I had the opportunity to contribute to real-world engineering projects that were both highly technical and deeply engaging. Through this I gained practical knowledge relevant to my field.
L. AbantoDIIP Intern, 2025
My internship was an incredibly enriching and positive experience that reinforced my passion for applying data science to solve complex problems, providing me with the support and resources needed for me to kickstart, as well as excel within my professional career.

I had the opportunity to apply my data science skills in a real-world engineering context.

I contributed to projects that focused on predictive maintenance and remaining useful life of mechanical systems, and gained first hand experience on how data can be used to improve decision making processes in defence engineering settings.
S. NguyenDIIP Intern, 2025

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