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About the program

The Virtual Work Experience program (VWE) connects a small group of school students with industry professionals, to work on a project, helping inform their study and/or career plans. Experienced STEM industry professionals remotely supervise the students, and guide them through tasks to complete a project that gives them an insight into real-world research and industry challenges.

The program is designed for Year 10 and 11 students enrolled in school anywhere in Australia. The virtual nature of the program opens-up the opportunity to students who may face geographic or other barriers to participating in traditional, in-person work experience. There is an application process that students and supervisors must go through to participate in the program. The duration of each placement is five (5) days. 

In 2025, CSIRO will deliver VWE under the STEM Skills in Defence Industries Program, an initiative delivered by CSIRO Education and Outreach and made possible through the Schools Pathways Program, a Commonwealth commitment under the Defence Industry Development Strategy.

Learn more about our VWE initiative

Are you a Defence Industry professional looking to inspire the next generation?

The Virtual Work Experience Program - Defence Industry stream will commence in Term 1, 2025.

Expressions of interest are invited from Defence Industry professionals who are interested in offering a project and supervising a small group of 5-10 students over a 5-day placement.

Remuneration of $500 is available per organisation/business for each 5-day placement.

Please read the essential information for supervisors PDF (331 KB) before applying.

Apply now

The opportunity

Work experience is a great way for high school students to start exploring what they might like to study or what kind of career they might like to pursue. The virtual program enables Year 10 and Year 11 students to benefit from work experience no matter where they live, removing travel, geographic and cost constraints. Students participate using a secure online communication and collaboration platform while at school, home or a supported community venue, such as a library.

Groups of up to 10 students connect with CSIRO staff or industry professionals, and work together on a real-world STEM challenge, over the course of a week. At the end of the week, the students will have produced a project that responds to an industry challenge, that they can add to their portfolio of work for applications to further study or jobs.

CSIRO staff or STEM professionals who participate as supervisors agree to prepare a task for the students to work on, and to guide and mentor them throughout the week as students build up to presenting a final project. The CSIRO Work Experience team assists supervisors to optimise projects for online collaboration with students. Supervisors may also arrange for colleagues to speak to the student group about their own roles. This helps the students understand the breadth of roles in STEM and to spark ideas about the area of STEM that interests them most.

Program eligibility

Students
To be eligible to participate, students must be:

  • in year 10 or 11, and aged 15-17 years for the duration of the work experience
  • enrolled in a school in Australia
  • able to commit to a designated week between March/April and December
  • be supported by a teacher, parent or other approved adult in their physical location throughout their work experience project.

It is free of charge for students to participate, and there will be no payment made to students for participation. Due to limited places available, CSIRO cannot guarantee participation for all students applying to be involved.

Supervisors 
Supervisors should consider the commitment before applying to mentor students through this program. This includes meeting with students online for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon each day, as well as setting and monitoring tasks, and reviewing students’ projects.

Supervisors will participate in a short (30-60 minute) presentation from CSIRO on how to use the SAP Jam platform for the program. Supervisors must have a Working with Children/Vulnerable People check, and must attend a 2-hour child safety training session.

How to apply

We are not currently accepting applications from students or supervisors for the Virtual Work Experience program. Please subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of upcoming opportunities.

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Program outcomes

An evaluation of the program undertaken by CSIRO in 2019 found that students gained valuable experience in STEM and in new ways of working, while developing crucial life skills, such as teamwork, communication, negotiation and resilience. The virtual aspect of the program mimics the way CSIRO staff work every day, providing students with realistic expectations and building valuable skills for successfully working remotely in the future. At the end of the program, students produce a project that they can use in a portfolio of work when applying for further study or jobs.

Supervisors and their colleagues report unexpected benefits for their own professional development and job satisfaction through participating in the program. For example, sharing their career story to an enthusiastic group of students reconnects them with their original reasons for pursuing a career in STEM. For scientists who have little opportunity for public speaking, the chance to present their work in a low-risk environment enables them to further develop their skills in that areas. Beyond that, supervising young students builds mentoring and coaching skills that helps them guide their own teams on a day-to-day basis.

Read our evaluation reports

Virtual Work Experience supervisor stories

ECLIPS Logistics

Learn about the experience of our Virtual Work Experience supervisor, Erica Barrett from ECLIPS Logistics.

Gilmour Space Technologies

Learn about the experience of our Virtual Work Experience Supervisor, Rosie Wall from Gilmour Space Technologies

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