Access Talent
Access Talent
Case Competitions
How do I benefit?
- Engage with the next generation of business leaders
- Generate ideas on solutions to your business’ challenges and opportunities
- Opportunities to be involved range from being a competition judge, developing a case study, providing financial support or in-kind support for competitions logistics and prizes
- Actively involve yourself in the student community and support their growth
Our story
Our range of case competition programs offers students the chance to develop solutions to industry challenges and apply their theory to real-world business questions and cases. This also offers industry the chance to interact with some of our brightest students and be involved in high-profile activities.
Our partners from previous years have included commercial and investment banks, management consultancies, community sector organisations, government bodies, corporations and industry experts.
How does it work?
Competitions run both locally and globally, on and off campus. On campus, we run at least two faculty-run business case competitions each year, each with its own theme.
High-calibre student teams run through a series of challenges with the goal of tackling real-world business case studies and provide innovative solutions to real-life companies within a limited time frame.
Through a process of elimination, the top-performing teams enter a final round, where they pitch their solution to a panel of expert judges. Winning teams are eligible for a range of prizes and recognition.
This sounds great. What’s next?
Contact one of our expert team members to discuss how you can get involved. We can tailor sponsorship and participation packages, according to your needs and resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who are the students?
High-achieving early career Bachelor of Commerce and specialist Masters students studying in the business fields of Accounting, Econometrics, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Management and Marketing students studying in the business fields of Accounting, Econometrics, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Management and Marketing.
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When do the competitions take place?
Competitions normally take place in the second half of the year, from July to September. We generally have sponsors confirmed in the first quarter, so we can start promoting the competition to students.
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What type of cases are generally given and is this open to any industry?
Over the years, we have had a range of cases from different industry sectors. We can provide more details and examples during an in-depth discussion with you as to what will work.
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What are the costs involved for sponsorship?
You will be assigned a dedicated account manager who can efficiently manage any day to day queries. Depending on your type of sponsorship and involvement, you may also be involved in designing the case with our academic team with opportunities for mentoring and professional development days. We will provide timelines and detail in advance to ensure that your organisation's involvement can be managed and planned for.
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What will I get in return for sponsorship?
We can tailor sponsorship packages to broadly suit your organisational goals. This activity can help promote your brand both internally at the University to students and staff, and externally through a range of marketing channels.
Past sponsors have been able to connect with and recruit our brightest students who take part in case competitions. Being a judge or mentor can provide a great professional development opportunity and ultimately, your sponsorship will give something back, in helping to shape the minds of students and learn.
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This sounds great, but we run our own corporate student case competitions/hackathons/business challenges. Are you able to promote these?
Yes, we can promote your organisation's programs through a range of channels, once we have ensured that the programs are suitable for our students. Please contact us to find out more.
Consulting Projects
Over the past few years we have hosted a number of student teams. They bring fresh perspectives, thorough analysis and deliver ideas that provoke conversations at the bank. Steven Aney, Head of Risk Methodology, ANZ
How do I benefit?
- Engage with the next generation of business leaders
- Obtain implementable solutions to your business’ challenges
- Consulting teams have well-developed problem solving, IT and communication skills, often with multi-lingual skills and are managed by a dedicated and experienced project lead
- Receive a detailed written report and presentation on key recommendations
- Connect with academic activities and form a research collaboration
- No cost to take part and insurance is covered by the University
Our story
For over a decade, we have provided high-calibre student teams to deliver actionable business solutions to strategic questions posed by industry.
We have worked with a range of global partners, including the major banks, Big Four, listed multinationals through to community-sector and start-up organisations. Our partners have benefited from the insight our project teams have created.
By taking part in this program, your organisation will benefit from the valuable application of the latest theory and research methods to address your business challenges.
How does it work?
We consult with you to define a project of strategic importance, real business value and impact. Projects can happen anywhere - across Australia and globally. Once confirmed, we build a consultancy team of four to five high-performing business students to deliver the project.
Students are provided with intensive and rigorous consulting training prior to commencement, ensuring they have the necessary skills to develop a well-researched solution. In conjunction with the training, they are assigned an academic lead who has extensive experience in successfully guiding students to deliver results.
The project time frame will depend on the program which runs intensively over two weeks, or spread across eleven weeks. With projects spanning either time frame, the student team then undertake analysis and investigation to address your business idea or challenge. This will involve contact hours within your organisation and consulting with key stakeholders. At the end of the project, the team will present their findings and recommendations to key stakeholders. The team will produce a report and you can choose to implement their recommendations.
This sounds great. What's next?
Contact one of our expert team members to begin the process of scoping your organisation’s project and discuss the next steps to bring your project to life.
You can also learn more and take a look at the next intake timelines on the Business Practicum, Management Consulting, and Applied Syndicate subject pages. Please also feel free to review the project proposal form and begin the process of formulating your project idea.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What type of projects are acceptable and how do I choose the right project?
Projects should feasibly be completed within a two- or ten-week period depending on the program you undertake. Examples of project topics are:
- How can we gain greater procurement efficiency?
- Analyse perverse tax incentives for sustainable behaviour
- Feasibility assessment: creation of a new maintenance division
- Strategies for becoming an employer of choice
- How to develop an innovation culture in the workplace
- Creating a financial model for headcount, productivity and long-term competitiveness
- Examine implications of social media for enabling customer social investment
- Insight into customers’ use of search and social media
- Reviewing international financial processing
- Assessing the viability of entering a new market with an existing product
- Conducting a feasibility analysis on business expansion
- In-sourcing versus out-sourcing
- Developing plans for attracting specific customer groups
- Development of a financial database management program
- Identification of a geographic growth plan
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Who are the students?
High-achieving early career Bachelor of Commerce and specialist Masters students studying in the business fields of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Management and Marketing.
They have well-developed problem solving, teamwork, IT and communication skills, with many speaking more than one language and all have a high degree of nous.
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Who will own the intellectual property?
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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I run my own small business; can I take part?
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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What if the consulting team is not performing?
Students are supervised remotely by an Academic staff member. If you feel there is a problem, you can be assured of our support to mediate the issue quickly.
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Why is this free and what’s the catch?
There is no catch, 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 your consulting project. Students are not completing day to day work for you (work that would normally be handled by an employee). They are conducting analysis, review and research in order to develop detailed recommendations and solutions, which you as an organisation may wish to operationalise at a later date.
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My organisation is from Melbourne but based interstate/outside Australia. How will this work?
If in Australia (but outside Melbourne), in July 2023 we will be running the Business Practicum in Sydney (2-week intensive), please contact us to learn more.
For other locations outside of Melbourne please contact us to discuss further as there may be hybrid or online opportunities available
If outside of Australia we do support projects via our Global Business Practicum and our Global Management Consulting subjects. Please contact us to learn when our students will next be in your region. Students, similar to our local/Australia-based program travel and take part in consulting projects for an intensive 2-week period.
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Can the project team implement their recommendations?
The project team are there to develop the strategy, conduct relevant analysis, benchmark or make recommendations in relation to your challenge. Many organisations then operationalise the strategy, either using their internal team or by hiring interns.
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Can I hire students that completed the consulting project?
Yes. This becomes an employment agreement between you and the student. There is no charge from the University.
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My organisation requires all staff, volunteers, consultants and students to complete police checks/working with children checks (WWCC) etc.
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.
Business Internships
How do I benefit?
- Connect with the next generation of global business leaders
- Build your graduate recruitment pipeline
- Enhance your team's productivity and professional development
- Bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to your team
- No recruitment fees
Download the internship request form
Our Story
We partner with a range of organisations to facilitate the provision of internships for our leading business students in disciplines such as Accounting, Economics, Actuarial Studies, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Management, and Marketing. Our students have well-developed problem-solving, teamwork, technological, and communication skills, with many speaking more than one language. We offer you the opportunity to advertise paid internships at any time to our students. For-credit internships (unpaid or paid) can be offered to our students through our internship subjects - Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Masters, which run each teaching period and is subject to a short approval process.
How does it work?
We will consult with you in developing your internship opportunities and can advise on timelines, fit, and how best to reach your talent acquisition goals. Whether it’s increasing diversity or seeking hard-to-find skill sets, our team has a wealth of industry experience to develop the best solutions.
For our internship subject, if the opportunity is unpaid, we will cover all relevant insurances and provide a shortlist of suitable applicants. For the internship to meet our learning requirements, you must provide appropriate supervision and a suitable learning environment for our students, and the internship must be at least 90 hours.
This sounds great. What’s next?
If you are keen to get started right away you can download the internship request form/schedule, complete all the details, and send it to us before the deadlines outlined below. From there we will reach out to you to confirm receipt, clarify any information, and seek to have the opportunity approved by our Academic team.
Once approved, the opportunity will be promoted to our eligible student cohort as per the outlined times below. We will keep you up to date along the way!
You are welcome to reach out to discuss the opportunity first via fbe-industryprograms@unimelb.edu.au
Upcoming semester dates and deadlines are as follows:
Semester 2 2023 | Summer 2023/24 | Semester 1 2024 | |
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Deadline to provide internship opportunities to enable University advertising | 4 April 2023 | 1 Sept 2023 | 17 November 2023 |
Interview period | 10 May 2023 to 26 May 2023 | 5 Oct 2023 to 26 Oct 2023 |
23 Jan 2024 to 9 Feb 2024 |
Internship Placement (teaching period) | 26 July 2023 to 20 Oct 2023 | 27 Nov 2023 to 23 Feb 2024 | 28 Feb 2024 to 24 May 2024 |
Partnering with the University of Melbourne has given ShineWing access to China’s elite overseas students studying Business and Economics at Australia’s No. 1 ranked University. Matthew Schofield, Partner, Assurance & Advisory Services, ShineWing Australia

"Thanks to my internship with SJS Strategy, I developed both my technical and soft skills. The experience helped me assess my strengths and weaknesses, and see where my skills might take me in the workplace."
- Dharaa Chandrasekaran, Master of Management
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are we able to visit the university campus and provide more information to students?
We provide a range of other ways to connect with our students through various marketing and social media channels. We can also provide and promote virtual platforms such as webinars, depending on the context. On-campus visits are not always the most effective and efficient way to promote opportunities.
Some other ways you can engage with students and promote your brand include Case Competitions, Speaker Opportunities and Employability Workshops and Career Mentoring.
If you’re unsure what might be right for you, speak to one of our expert team members via fbe-industryprograms@unimelb.edu.au.
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Is it possible to only connect with domestic or international students?
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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Do internships need to be paid? What about insurance?
The Fair Work Act requires that students are paid at least the minimum wage for work experience undertaken within organisations, unless the work is undertaken as a vocational placement or is classified as voluntary work.
For a placement to meet the requirements of a 'vocational placement', it must be undertaken as part of a subject or a course. Alternatively, it should be classified as voluntary work. The consequences of an unpaid placement falling outside these exemptions under the Act is that the student is deemed to be an employee and is legally entitled to at least the minimum wage.
We do offer our master's internship subject, each Semester, that meets the requirements of a vocational placement.
The University of Melbourne has Guidelines for Professional Placements which assist in determining the type of professional placements that can be offered or facilitated by the University.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has information on internships, vocational placements and unpaid work.
What internships can be advertised?
- Paid internships that meet the Fair Work Act requirements or the country of employment requirements (see below). These will be reviewed and approved at the discretion of the University and in line with our terms and conditions.
- Unpaid internship opportunities that are a requirement of a student's course or subject or is classified as voluntary work in a registered not-for-profit organisation.
- We will work with you to ensure any unpaid internships meet the appropriate criteria and standards to ensure alignment with the Fair Work Act.
Insurance
The University’s insurance program covers enrolled students undertaking University of Melbourne (unpaid) course accredited and approved work experience, placements and internships.
The University must be connected to the proposed activity by either:
- A compulsory course requirement or;
- in accordance with a specific vocational placement agreement or contract.
Therefore, through our masters internship subject, insurance will be covered by the University.
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My organisation is not based in Australia. Can you still help?
Yes. As a part of the University’s effort to prepare our students as global citizens, we encourage students to connect and engage with industry both domestically and internationally. We also promote opportunities based overseas.
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Do you offer shortlisting or end-to-end recruitment services?
Every day we partner with employers to help them recruit interns from our talented cohort.
- If the internship qualifies as part of our internship subject we will coordinate the promotion of the opportunity, directly targeting students who are keen to undertake an internship as part of their university studies. At the conclusion of the advertising period, we will provide a list of suitable applications that you can select from to interview.
- If the internship does not qualify as part of the internship subject we will assist you in the promotion of the opportunity via our job boards, newsletters and social media platforms. The students will apply directly to you/your organisation.
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Who are the students?
Internships can be offered as part of our for-credit subject (paid or unpaid) and students include high-achieving early-career Bachelor of Commerce and specialist Masters students studying in the business fields of Accounting, Econometrics, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Management and Marketing.
For our internship subject (paid or unpaid), students from the following courses can apply:
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Master of Management
- Master of Management (Specialising in Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting, Accounting and Finance, Finance)
- Master of Finance
- Master of International Business
- Master of Actuarial Science
- Master of Applied Econometrics
- Master of Economics
- Master of Enterprise
- Master of Supply Chain Management
Central Careers UoM
Our graduates go into a wide range of careers reflecting their interests and the breadth of studies possible within their degrees.
Careers Online is a secure job notice board exclusive to current University of Melbourne students, featuring part-time and casual work, graduate programs and unique internship opportunities in Australia and overseas.
Did you know that you can promote employment opportunities, free of charge, on our Careers Online job board? The job board is frequented by over 10,000 students and recent graduates each month. Job listings are further promoted through newsletters and via our student affiliated clubs throughout the year.
All jobs are approved for advertisement in line with our terms and conditions.