Information for students on professional internships

All undergraduate students in the Events, Leisure, Sport, and Tourism programs are required to undertake a Professional Internship which will provide real world experiences and assist in developing work-ready skills, knowledge and attitudes. Through their internship, students are exposed to managerial functions and activities within their chosen industry.

Students are required to undertake an approved placement of at least 210 hours with a relevant industry organisation. This may be completed in a block of time or spread over a longer period. For example, a student might undertake their internship Monday to Friday for 6 weeks or they might spend one day per week with an organisation over a period of 30 weeks. How the internship is completed is a matter for negotiation between the industry organisation and the student, to arrive at an arrangement that suits both parties. The organisation may be from the private, public or voluntary/non-profit sector.

The subject Professional Internship is available in both Autumn and Spring semesters. A series of lectures is held at the beginning of each semester to prepare students for the internship and inform them of the formal requirements, including approval procedures and assessment. Students must attend these lectures before they can be given permission to start an internship.

An internship may be either paid or unpaid. Provided the work meets the qualifying criteria for the internship (e.g. relevance to course/major, exposure to management functions, appropriate activities/tasks) a student may be able to count their part-time or vacation job for their internship. However, students must apply in the normal way and no credit will be given for time completed prior to approval.
 

Finding an internship

Some employers notify UTS of their interest in engaging a student intern. These positions are advertised on the Professional Internship Forum on UTS:Online. Students may also initiate the process by approaching employers. Students should select an organisation for which the core and ongoing activities relate to the management of their subject area (tourism/events/leisure/sport). The vast majority of internships arise from students taking the initiative to contact industry organisations that interest them.

Insurance coverage

UTS provides insurance coverage for unpaid internships only. The Internship Administrator will confirm the insurance cover with the employer once the internship has been approved by UTS. Should the student need to change the dates of the internship they must seek the approval of their UTS supervisor in order to maintain insurance coverage, and re-negotiate a time to submit their final report.

UTS approval

All internships must be approved by the UTS internship supervisor before a student starts a placement. No credit will be given for time completed prior to approval. Approval procedures and requirements are explained in the preparatory classes at the start of the semester.
Once approved by UTS the student's workplace supervisor will receive an email which contains a letter confirming the placement, insurance documents, and the workplace evaluation form.
 

Finalising the internship

At the end of the internship the employer completes the Workplace Evaluation form, which was emailed to the employer on approval of the placement. The original Workplace Evaluation form must be attached to the final internship report. Copies of this form can be obtained from Angela Powell, the Internship Administrator.

Subject guide

The subject guide for Professional Internship is available on UTS:Online.

Contact us

For further information contact Angela Powell, the Internship Administrator or Tony Griffin, the Internship Director.