About the Program
The Defence Industry Internship Program (DIIP) is an annual program funded by the Commonwealth. Its purpose is to increase awareness of career opportunities in the defence industry and provide student interns with the opportunity to gain real-world work experience in a growing sector. It is an opportunity for SMEs to showcase the defence industry as interesting and technologically advanced and to gain exposure to the skills, aptitudes and abilities of future graduates.
Approximately 3,000 small to medium enterprises (SMEs) support the Australian Defence Force.
The Program matches small to medium sized defence industry enterprises (SMEs) with students nearing the end of an eligible degree for a paid 12-week internship (450 hours).
For the 2023/24 a total of 115 internships will be funded, 90 will be engineering internships and 25 will be technology internships.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
To be eligible for an internship you need to:
- Be an Australian citizen
- Be studying an eligible degree (with a strong academic record) currently enrolled full-time at an Australian university
- For Engineering: be in your 3rd or 4th year of subjects at point of applying
- For Technology: be in your 3rd year or 1st year since graduating from your degree
- Be able to commit to the full 12-week internship (placements take place between November and April each year)
- Be able to obtain necessary workplace clearances prior to commencement of the internship
- Be able to comply with Covid-19 vaccination requirements as per State legislation and/or employer requirements
- Have not previously undertaken a DIIP (or DEIP) internship
BENEFITS
Students are offered a paid 12-week internship (currently $1,089 per week for a 37.5 hour working week) as a casual employee, contributing to an SME project.
This is an opportunity to gain real-life experience using the latest cutting-edge technologies with leaders within the industry.
Internship hours can be allocated towards a student’s required practical industry experience hours. The internship cannot be used as a credit for a course of study but provides practical working experience as required by most Australian universities to complete your degree.
The timing of the internship is structured to take place during the summer University vacation period and is usually full time although can be completed part-time with prior approval.
Students should nominate their preferred internship opportunities from 1 to 5 and whilst every effort will be made to accommodate preferences, an offer may be made of an alternative placement which the student can then choose whether to accept.
These placements are a great addition to a student’s CV and often result in ongoing work being offered by the employer, whether permanent full time or part-time whilst the student completes their studies.