Practera Industry Placements
La Trobe is offering students the opportunity to complete an industry placement through the Practera Program. Enrolling in either the Industry Placement Minor or the 15-credit point LTU3IND elective subject, students complete a 6-week program offered by Practera.
How it works
6-week remote Industry Placement Project where teams of students work collaboratively to solve a real industry client challenge. You will receive a project brief from your client and will need to present your research and insights at the end of the program. You’ll receive client and professional mentor feedback along the way and will be supported with content via the Practera work-based learning platform.
The program aims to provide students with an opportunity to:
- Develop 21st century employability skills
- Get real business experience
- Expand social and professional connections
Student requirements
To complete the Practera Program and get the most out of your learning experience, you must:
- Commit to 100 hours of work across the program duration
- Attend and actively contribute towards team, client and mentor meetings
- Complete all Practera project deliverables with your team, which include: a project plan, a draft project report and a final implementation report
- Complete and pass LTU subject assessments for your enrolled subject
Example projects and clients
| Client | Project |
|---|---|
| City of Melbourne | Student teams were tasked with researching the future of retail, dining and entertainment expenditure by tertiary students in order to identify business opportunities and navigate change in a post-pandemic world. Included analysis of changes in people's shopping behaviour and a comparison of the popularity of precincts within the municipality. |
| Department of Land, Water and Planning | The Forest and Fire Assets Branch tasked student teams with completing a product and service analysis. This involved research into the future of their Flight Dispatch System, a gap analysis with recommendations for improvements and prioritisation and a project plan to explore potential developments in aviation services. |
| BrainSTEM | Student teams were required to develop a new social media strategy for BrainSTEM, providing recommendations for content strategy and key messages, a content calendar, an outline of key deliverables and research into best practice across comparable organisations. |
How will the Practera Program support my career development?
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Team-based | Work as part of a diverse and multidisciplinary team, giving you the opportunity expand your transferable skill set by collaborating with students from a range of courses. |
| Real-world learning | Deliver projects for a real client and get exposure to a high-performing workplace cultures. |
| Real outcomes | Provide recommendations to solve real business challenges for your client, presenting these for them in a final report and presentation. |
| Scaffolded and supported | Receive three types of support throughout the experience; mentorship from your industry client, guidance from your Practera placement supervisor, and academic support from your La Trobe Work Based Learning subject coordinator. |
| Curriculum-based | Connect your learning at Practera to specifically-designed, for-credit learning tasks through your Work Based Learning subject and its assessments. |
| Remote/online | Work with global clients without being limited by your location. |
How do I apply?
The first step in accessing a Practera industry placement is to enrol in an Industry Placement Subject (LTU3IND or the Industry Placement Minor). Also known as Work Based Learning (WBL), industry placement subjects ensure that you will get course credit for the experience.
After you have enrolled, apply for the Practera industry placement by completing the application form via the below link. Please make sure you tell us which subject you are enrolled in and that you want to undertake the Practera placement when you complete the form.
Contact us
For further information about the industry placement subjects, the application process and placement opportunities, please email: industryplacements@latrobe.edu.au
For general enquiries about La Trobe WBL placements, please submit via the Work Based Learning Placements Student Enquiry form