Work Integrated Learning - University of Wollongong

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is a core component of the Bachelor of Creative Arts (BCA) and Bachelor of Communication and Media (BCM) at UOW, embedding industry engagement across the curriculum. Through a diverse network of partnerships spanning media organisations, cultural institutions, non-profits, and government agencies, students access internships, live projects, residencies, and collaborative opportunities.

These engagements with local industry partners, such as WIN Television, the Illawarra Mercury, and Merrigong Theatre, state-based institutions including the Sydney Opera House, and arts and cultural organisations like Hazelhurst Art Centre, enable students to apply disciplinary knowledge in real-world contexts while building professional networks.

WIL within our degrees supports career readiness while sustaining strong connections to the cultural sector, fostering adaptable, critically engaged graduates who contribute to the creative industries and broader community.

Case studies

Professional Design Practice

Professional Design Practice is an advanced Work Integrated Learning (WIL) subject that has connected Visual Communication Design students to real-world clients and projects from the non-profit, community, research and social enterprise sectors for over 17 years. Subject coordinator and lecturer, Jo Stirling says “We call them our ‘Do-Good Design projects’- where students work in collaborative design teams, and respond to authentic and challenging project briefs through a process of consultation, research, iteration, concept development and professional presentation.”

Visual Communication Design subjects provide an important bridge between university learning, industry practice and community benefit, enabling students to experience project timelines, client feedback, professional workflows and the ethical responsibilities of contemporary design practice. Across more than 80 industry and community projects since 2009, students have developed confidence, teamwork and professional communication skills while contributing meaningful outcomes for local, regional and state-wide partner organisations. Community collaborators also gain access to emerging creative perspectives within a supported educational environment, often continuing to employ students and communication outcomes long after project completion. External partners have described the subject as a ‘flagship’ WIL program that demonstrates the transformative value of design in addressing real-world social and community challenges.

Lecturer Jo Stirling working with students on branding for UOW’s Values in Action initiative.
One Big Newsroom

The Journalism major at UOW has been running One Big Newsroom since 2023. This new program is built on peer-to-peer collaboration across levels of learning through a public-facing, student-led media centre - UOWTV.com.

One Big Newsroom creates a shared learning environment based on experiential learning, peer feedback and collaboration across subjects and year cohorts. For example, first-year students produce local news articles each Monday passing on these works to second-year students who edit them, and on Wednesdays the third-year Editorial Leadership students select and publish stories on UOWTV.com. This structure allows students to learn by doing while experiencing newsroom workflows, editorial decision-making and professional communication in an authentic setting.

The success of the One Big Newsroom model has deepened ties with local media organisations, supporting students as they build the independence and confidence needed for work beyond graduation. Editors and producers from the Illawarra Mercury, WIN Television and ABC Illawarra have visited the newsroom to mentor students, contributing to opportunities for co-publication and broadcast of local stories.
Internship at Hazelhurst Art Centre

The long-standing partnership between UOW and Hazelhurst Art Centre provides Visual Arts students and recent graduates with an important bridge between university study and professional practice. Through the annual Vital Signs exhibition, students gain experience presenting work in a public gallery context, while a recent graduate is offered a curatorial internship that supports the development of practical skills in exhibition planning, gallery programming and arts administration. The partnership strengthens pathways for emerging artists from the Illawarra and Southern Sydney, connecting students with professional networks, public audiences and regional cultural infrastructure. Alumni Kieara Quintal completed an internship at Hazelhurst Art Centre before being appointed an assistant curator of First Nations art (local and global) at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Kieara Quintal interned and had her artwork exhibited at Hazelhurst Gallery in Sydney. Picture: Supplied
Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House (SOH) is a major supporter of the Performance and Theatre program. In 2024 Angela Sullivan, Technical Integration Manager, SOH carried out training interviews on campus for students specialising in technical theatre as part of the Performance program. All the participants recognised the significance of the coaching, one student pointing out they appreciated the “debrief after the interview … to receive feedback.” The interviews built on two bespoke tours of the Opera House for students in October.

SOH currently employs UOW graduates Ellen Wedgwood (BPT 2022), James Sutherland (BCA Theatre Major 2021) and Thomas Doyle (BCA Honours 2020) as Senior Lighting Technicians and other graduates have started their careers at SOH. Sullivan commented, “I have been pointing to the UOW course as an example of students coming out of it into the workforce work-ready … I hope we can continue to employ more of your graduates!”