Get implementable solutions to your business challenges.
Are you exploring a new idea, facing a complex challenge, or seeking fresh perspectives? Our student Industry Projects connect you with groups of 5–30 talented students who will analyse your business challenge and deliver practical, implementable recommendations.
Projects can have single or multiple points of focus – from smaller tasks such as market scans to larger projects such as reimagining part of an existing business. Each project is embedded in our undergraduate or postgraduate programs, ensuring structured, for-credit learning for students and high-quality outcomes for you.
What are the benefits of engaging with a student project?
Practical, implementable solutions to business challenges
Fresh insights from the next generation of business leaders
Access to problem-solving, IT, and communication skills
Opportunity to connect with academic activities and potential research collaborations
Examples of past projects
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The partner:
Large Banking Industry organisation
The challenge:
The organisation in this example is doing research into a new electronic financial product, and wants to explore some of the issues that may arise in relation to this product. Given students will frequently come with fresh perspectives, they see real value in having a student group examine this question. Ideally they would like students to research and present their thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed products, including things like regulatory considerations, market attractiveness, technical considerations.
Skills involved:
Research, Knowledge of securities laws, Knowledge of similar financial products, Teamwork and Presentation skills
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The partner:
Large Retail chain store
The challenge:
The organisation is a household name in its Retail space, and predominantly operates in metropolitan and regional areas. While it is well known and would potentially see success in remote regional areas, their traditional model of large store is unlikely to work in a remote regional area. The organisation is keen for a student group to examine other businesses that have created successful models that work in a setting with a smaller customer base, and propose a model that would be viable for the organisation. This includes value proposition, logistics, cost drivers, pros and cons of the model.
Skills involved:
Research, Knowledge of Recruitment and Employee Value Propositions, Knowledge of the traits of high performing teams, Teamwork and Presentation skills
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The partner:
Financial Group
The challenge:
This organisation manages a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio. They are eager for a student group to identify the impact of macroeconomic factors and key risk items on the performance of the portfolio and create a modelling tool to assist investment managers to conduct scenario analyses.
Skills involved:
Research, problem solving, data analytics, macroeconomics and finance terms
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The partner:
Government Department
The challenge:
This government department is interested in successfully utilising AI/ML. They are keen for a group of students to conduct research in how AI/ML in similar sectors has been implemented thus far and outline what skills are needed to design, implement, test and monitor AI/ML successfully within this department.
Skills involved:
Research, data science, AI/ML
How does a project work?
Projects run over a structured period, typically lasting 12 weeks during a standard semester or an accelerated 4–6 weeks in intensive mode. These projects benefit from a multidisciplinary approach, drawing students from various fields including management, marketing, finance, HR, and accounting. The working format is flexible, accommodating on-site, hybrid, or on-campus arrangements to suit project needs.
A key element of support comes from the industry mentors, who generally commit just 1–2 hours per week of their time, supplementing the guidance provided by the academic staff to ensure students are fully supported throughout the project's duration.
Key dates & timelines
| Semester 1 | Winter | Semester 2 | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Express interest by | Mid-December | Mid-May | April - May (depending on project subject) | Mid-September |
| Project period | 12 weeks, March – June | 4 weeks, June - July | 4 weeks, June - July | 4 weeks, either Nov/Dec or Jan/Feb |
More information about getting involved
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- Be achievable within the timeframe: The project can be completed within an intensive (3-4 week) or semester-long period by a team of students.
- Address an open-ended business challenge: The problem should allow multiple approaches and solutions, culminating in actionable recommendations.
- Go beyond simple data collection: Projects should involve synthesis and analysis of data as the basis for recommendations, not just interviews or surveys.
- Please note within the intensive (4-week) mode students cannot conduct surveys: so relevant data should be provided in advance.
- Primarily draw on business expertise: The project should require the application of business knowledge. If it involves non-business areas, guidance should be available from the host organisation.
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- Sign an Industry Project Agreement.
- Work with our Academic team to scope and define an achievable project.
- Depending on the subject, provide student working space or a schedule for office visits.
- Nominate a staff member as a ‘project champion’ to be available to guide the student group in weekly meetings (approximately 1 hour).
- Provide ongoing guidance and discuss relevant issues with students.
- Attend a final student presentation, where outcomes are shared both in presentation and report format (depending on the subject).
Ready to get started?
Whether your project is clearly defined or requires initial consultation with our Partnership Team, we are equipped to guide you at every stage. We work effectively with organisations across all structures and locations—local, global, in-person, or hybrid—to scope and deliver meaningful projects that align precisely with your business goals.
Case Competitions bring together high-calibre student teams to tackle real-world business challenges and deliver innovative solutions within a set time frame.
Teams progress through multiple rounds, with the top-performers advancing to a final where they pitch their solution to a panel of expert judges. Winning teams receive prizes and recognition, while all participating organisations gain exposure to fresh ideas and potential future talent.
What are the benefits of participating?
Increase brand awareness and visibility
Generate ideas for solving real world business challenges
Engage with the next generation of business leaders
Be actively involved in supporting their growth
Involvement opportunities
To get involved, your organisation can sponsor the event to increase brand recognition, run a workshop like a Case Cracking or Presentation session, or become a Case Partner by leading the event with a real-world business challenge your team is facing. You can also contribute by being involved in competition judging.
The competitions take place during both the first and second semesters of the academic year; specifically, they run from March to May and again from July to September. We aim to source participating organisations six months prior to the competition dates to ensure ample time for promotion to students.
Ready to get involved?
Contact one of our expert Partnership Team members to discuss ways of getting involved. We can tailor sponsorship and participation packages, according to your needs and resources.
Engage with talent from Australia's leading Business faculty.
Our 12-week for-credit internship program connects your organisation with our top Business and Economics students. Internships typically involve students attending your workplace 1-2 days per week during the academic semester or summer break.They perform a range of tasks relevant to both your business and their studies, working under the supervision of a professional in your organisation who has a position or background related to the student's tasks.
What are the benefits of hosting an intern?
Benefit from innovative thinking and fresh perspectives
Garner support across various business functions
Build a talent pipeline and access future employees before they graduate
Contribute to the development of emerging professionals
Key dates & timelines
| Summer | Semester 1 | Semester 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express interest by | Mid-August | Mid-November | Mid - April |
| Interview period | Early - mid October | Late January – early February | Early – mid June |
| Internship placement | Late November - late February | Early March – late May | Late July – mid October |
Our simple partnership process
- Contact us
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Meet with Faculty’s Industry Partnerships team to discuss your requirements.
- Submit the Internship Request form
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Complete the Internships Request Form. Once submitted, a member of our team will reach out to discuss and provide further direction.
- Academic review
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Our academic team will review your submission to ensure it aligns with Fair Work requirements and provides valuable learning opportunities for our students.
- Academic approval
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Each project proposal is reviewed to ensure it is appropriately sized and scoped for the internship period and that the hosting organisation meets eligibility requirements.
- Legal agreement
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We’ll provide a commercial contract covering key legal and operational matters. This requires signatures from both University staff and your authorised representative.
- Internship advertisement
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Once approved, your position will be advertised to our students. At the end of the advertising period, you’ll receive a list of candidates to consider through your standard recruitment process.
- Commencement
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Once you’ve selected your intern(s), we’ll send you our Host Supervisor Guidelines. These outline the internship expectations, your role as a supervisor, and the support available from our university staff.
I have selected an intern, what do I do now?
To help students successfully complete their internship and subject requirements, we ask our host supervisors to play an active, but manageable, role in guiding and supporting the intern. Your involvement helps ensure students gain real workplace skills and means they can meaningfully contribute to your organisation.
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Please ensure the following arrangements are in place at least one week prior to the internship start date:
- Initiate contact with your intern to confirm working days, hours, location, and a pre-start contact person.
- Confirm first-day logistics, including arrival time, meeting point, and key contact.
- Prepare the workspace (for in-office roles), including office access, workstation, and any required equipment—or advise if the intern should bring their own.
- Set up digital access to necessary platforms and tools (e.g., Google Drive, internal systems).
- Assign a peer contact (e.g., a work buddy or mentor) to support the intern throughout their placement, if possible.
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- Provide a workplace induction, including introduction to the organisation, workplace culture and key emergency and OH&S procedures.
- Introduce the intern to team members, including their assigned buddy or mentor.
- Clarify internship roles and responsibilities.
- Review and approve the student’s Learning Plan which sets out clear goals and activities aligned with your assigned tasks.
- Reinforce key expectations, such as working hours, professional code of conduct and business confidentiality in assessments.
- Plan out learning engagement activities e.g. formal and informal trainings, job shadowing, exposure to relevant projects and meetings.
- For remote internships: establish communication channels, check-in frequency, and interaction protocols.
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- Ensure your intern has adequate tasks to complete throughout the internship
- Offer on-the-job training and ongoing feedback to support skill development and learning.
- Respond to University’s mid-placement email with any updates, questions or any concerns you encounter.
- Support your interns’ completion of academic assessments for demonstrating learning (e.g. reviewing their learning plan, providing performance feedback and signing timesheet).
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- Complete a final performance review and provide formal feedback using a simple template provided by the university. This helps the student reflect on their growth and your organisation assess their performance.
- Sign off on the student’s timesheet to confirm completed hours, a requirement for subject completion.
- Facilitate handover of the intern’s work
- Provide a recommendation/referee letter if applicable.
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We are available for support throughout the entire internship period. If you have any questions, issues or concerns during the internship, please contact us at fbe-internships@unimelb.edu.au.
Ready to get started?
Find out more or get in touch today.
If you have questions or would like to express your interest in the Career Mentoring program, please visit Business and Economics Career Mentoring.
About
The Career Mentoring Program connects alumni and industry mentors from a diverse range of business areas with students looking for support to identify and achieve their career goals and development.
The program runs from July to November and requires mentor and mentee pairs to meet at least three times during the mentoring period. Pairs are matched according to career interests and experience.
Become a mentor
We welcome talented local and global alumni from a range of business disciplines and industries to share their expertise with our undergraduate and graduate students to support their career development and transition into the workforce.
As a mentor, you must have a minimum of one year of professional work experience.
The Career Mentoring Program allows you to enhance your leadership skills and connect with the next generation of leaders and innovators.
For more information and to apply, please visit Business and Economics Career Mentoring.
If you have questions about the program, please contact the mentoring team at career-mentors@unimelb.edu.au.
Program Key Dates
- April
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Applications open
- June
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Matching process
- July
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Students and alumni notified about the outcome of their application and introduced to their partners online
- July
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Preparation workshops held for matched mentors and mentees
- July - November
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Students are encouraged to organise meetings with their mentors. These can take place in person or online
This is my third year as a mentor – that alone confirms how highly I regard the Career Mentoring Program (CMP). It provides opportunities for both mentor and mentee to develop vital skills applicable to the workplace or generally in life. - Daniel Begala, Senior Private Client Manager, NAB Private, National Australia Bank
Looking to connect with us but don’t see what you need? We’d love to hear from you.
What we can help you with
The Faculty of Business & Economics offers a range of programs designed to help you:
Build brand awareness
Connect with student talent
Explore solutions to real-world business problems
Give back to the student community
Opportunities to Engage
Our approach is simple: we start by learning about your goals, then recommend programs that suit your needs.
Immersion Visits
Give students a behind-the-scenes look at your organisation. These 2–3 hour visits host 20–80 students on-site, offering an office tour, presentation, and Q&A with senior staff. You’ll showcase your priorities, opportunities, and the skills you value. (Format is flexible to your availability.)
Speaker Panels
Join a panel (virtually or in-person) and share your career insights with students exploring pathways in areas such as HR, Finance, Marketing, and more. Minimal prep is required—just your perspective and experience.
Event Sponsorship
Our flagship Annual Case Competition attracts 350+ undergraduate and postgraduate students each year. Sponsorship provides excellent visibility and brand recognition, with flexible levels of involvement. Other sponsorship opportunities are also available.
Cross-Faculty Internships
If your organisation spans disciplines (e.g. IT & Business, Law & Business), we can connect you with students from multiple faculties to work together on collaborative projects.
Guest Lecturing
Our academic staff sometimes invite industry experts to enrich their courses with real-world insights. If you’d like to contribute, let us know.
Career Mentoring
Support the next generation by mentoring FBE students. Our structured program (July–November) pairs mentors and mentees based on study area, career interests, and experience. Each pair meets at least three times during the program.
Central Careers Expo
Engage with the wider student community through expos and events run by our central careers team.
Ready to get involved?
Contact one of our expert Partnership Team members to discuss ways of getting involved. We can tailor sponsorship and participation packages, according to your needs and resources.
General
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Our students are studying in a range of disciplinaries within the Bachelor of Commerce and Melbourne Business School (Masters) including:
- Accounting
- Actuarial Studies
- Business Analytics
- Economics
- Finance
- Management (including Human Resources, Supply Chain Management and International Business)
- Marketing
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To ensure fairness and equity, engagement opportunities are for all students. We do not exclude any student groups from accessing these programs. We understand that employment opportunities may require certain work rights for students to be eligible. We can identify the target audience in communications, but we will not exclude students. Find out more.
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We are always available for support and further enquiries. If you have any questions, issues or concerns please contact us at fbe-internships@unimelb.edu.au
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It is free to take part in our programs. Why? You are providing a learning opportunity for students to work on real world challenges for your organisation. Students are receiving credit towards their degree for the completion of an internship, consulting project or WorkHub.
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There are opportunities for all sizes of companies to engage with our students. Please contact us and we can discuss further.
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The intellectual property remains with the host company with permission for the student to use the work as part of their studies and assessment.
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Yes. This becomes an employment agreement between you and the student. There is no charge from the University.
If you would like to advertise a position to our students, please visit the Careers Online portal.
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This isn't an issue. Please provide us with advanced notice so we can organise for students to complete these. Please let us know should you require these checks as soon as possible. Police checks generally require 2.5 weeks and WWCC generally require 4 weeks' notice.
Internships
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If your internship aligns with our for-credit internship subject, we will promote the opportunity to students actively seeking internships as part of their studies. At the conclusion of the advertising period, we’ll provide a list of suitable applicants for you to interview and select from.
If the internship is not eligible for academic credit, we can still assist you by sharing the opportunity via our job boards, newsletters and social media channels, with applications directed to your organisation.
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Students cannot be supervised by a family member. An alternative supervisor within the organisation must be arranged.
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We are committed to fairness and equity. Our engagement opportunities are open to all students. While we understand that some employment opportunities may require specific work rights, we do not exclude any student groups from accessing programs. We can help tailor communications to reach your target audience, but participation remains open to all.
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Please refer to the Fair Work Act for all legal and work rights information.
We will work with you to ensure that any unpaid internships meet the necessary criteria and align with the Fair Work Act.
For unpaid internships, we strongly recommend students work no more than 14 hours per week to maintain a balance with their academic commitments. Compliance with the Fair Work Act is essential.
For paid internships, the student and organisation can agree on a suitable balance between academic study and internship hours within the placement period.
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We can advertise your paid opportunity to students through the University's Jobs Board at any time.