Looking over the Quadrangle clocktower to the Sydney CBD skyline
Partnership_

Industry partnerships

Partner with us to develop tomorrow's business leaders
The University of Sydney Business School actively engages with industry, believing contemporary business and relevant business education are inseparable.

Strategic links with the corporate world play a crucial role in all our teaching, research and other engagement activities. All our degree programs, as well as our case studies, placements, workplace-based projects and other learning activities are developed with the direct involvement of business, industry and government.

Industry Partnerships: Macquarie Group

Engage with our students

All our student engagement opportunities can be delivered face to face or virtually. This provides all our industry partners (corporate, government, SMEs, start-ups and social enterprises and community organisations) with great opportunities to:

  • advance your organisational objectives by having students work on real-life projects that add real value
  • identify, develop and potentially recruit tomorrow's business leaders
  • access the best emerging business talent
  • enhance your firm's profile as an employer of choice among our student population
  • share your knowledge, expertise and experience with our students

Collaborate with high-achieving undergraduate and postgraduate students on real-world projects of strategic importance to your organisation. After assigning your students a relevant business issue, they will work under the supervision of an academic adviser to deliver customised recommendations for potential implementation.

Submit a Business Project expression of interest form (pdf, 769KB) to register your organisation.

Provide work experience opportunities to our students with the Industry Placement Program, through which students enrolled in a Business School degree at the Business School can work for a leading local or international firm through their studies.

Submit an Industry Placement Program expression of interest form (pdf, 618KB) to register your organisation.

Do you run a successful startup? Mentor promising startup teams from the University of Sydney community through the Genesis Startup Program, which runs each semester.

Register your interest to become a Genesis mentor.

Our RARE Program connects students with remote, rural and Indigenous enterprises in Australia and South-East Asia to solve real-world business challenges.

Register your interest to become a RARE Program partner.

We offer free advertising of graduate and student opportunities through Canvas, our online learning and teaching platform. The Business School distributes an e-newsletter, CEO E-News, once a month to advertise jobs, paid work experience and events to all students.

To advertise, please complete the internship advertising form (pdf, 228KB) and send your completed advertisement via email to business.careers@sydney.edu.au.

Take part in our workshops and events as part of our calendar of career development activities. Workshops and events include topics such as how to network, developing your personal brand, successful applications and interviews, and "a day in the life". Profile your organisation and assist us in improving students' skills and abilities.

Contact business.careers@sydney.edu.au to get involved.

The University of Sydney Business School attracts a high number of international students. Some of these students will secure permanent residency which enables them to remain in Australia, but most students will return to their home country after graduation. Many international companies are seeking to recruit international graduates to take up roles overseas once they have completed their studies. Many Australian students also express strong interest in working overseas.

We provide an effective conduit for international employers to build a profile and to develop relationships with the students of the University of Sydney Business School before graduation.

Please email business.careers@sydney.edu.au for more information.

Our academic staff are interested in developing partnerships with commerce and industry, and we have been able to assist this process. For more information, please visit the Business School’s Research Partnerships page.

The Lucy Program is a leadership program for female students studying in the Business School or Sydney Law School. It aims to inspire, motivate and educate women about the opportunities available for employment and leadership in the corporate and public sectors. We facilitate relationships between individual students and mentors, who are all experienced professionals in the corporate or public sectors.

We are always keen to hear from prospective mentors. To become a mentor you will be a leader/manager working within the finance, accounting, business or legal sectors. You will be willing to share your time, skills, workplace and experiences with a student.

The program is about more than work experience – it is an opportunity for students to hear from successful women about the challenges, opportunities and lessons they have learned along the way. It is a reciprocal experience for both student and mentor.

If you would like to speak to someone about this Program, or speak to mentors who have been involved with the program for several years, please contact our Student Mentoring Programs Coordinator, Nadia McDonagh at nadia.mcdonagh@sydney.edu.au.

For more information, please download the Mentor information sheet (pdf, 120.6KB).

Are you a former student of the Business School interested in contributing your expertise to our current students? Does mentoring or coming to campus for a talk interest you? We are seeking alumni both in Australia and overseas who are interested in partnering with us in this way.

Please visit the Industry Mentoring Program page for more information.

Frequently asked questions about student placements

The program is open to competitively selected undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Business School. Students range from those in their first year through to those in their final year. They will work on projects assigned by the host organisation and their skills will be matched to suit the specified project. 

Students from a diverse range of specialisations or majors can apply. The range of specialisations include: Accounting, Finance, Business Information Systems, Business Law, HR, Marketing, Banking, Project Management, Strategy and Innovation, Quantitative Business Analysis, Quantitative Finance, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and International Business. Depending on the project your organisation can request a student (or more than one) from any of the above areas of specialisation.

Students are covered by the University of Sydney’s public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Host organisations are also required to have their own insurance. We would expect that your organisation provides a safe working environment in accordance with Work, Health and Safety requirements for the workplace, including Covid safe procedures and policies.

No. We ask that you provide a description of the project (or projects) that you expect the student to work on, including any specific skills required. Host organisations are also required to sign a Letter of Agreement with the University. This will be provided via our placement platform SONIA.

 

Students will require daily supervision and should be working as part of a team environment. They will be capable of working on projects either autonomously or within a team with daily supervision. We expect they will be able to add real value through their knowledge and skills.

 

Each placement is supported by the Work Integrated Learning Team at the Business School.

If you would like to discuss engagement opportunities further please contact Fiona O'Sullivan or Christine Brooks, whose details are provided on this page.

The Business School does not support any form of unpaid work experience unless it is part of degree requirements. The Business School can only advertise unpaid roles that abide by the Fair Work Act.

Please be aware that according to the Fair Work Ombudsman, unpaid internships should only be with a voluntary or not-for-profit organisation, or be of an observatory nature within a business environment. If you require students to perform productive activities within your business, the person would be considered an employee and entitled to payment.

Alternatively, your opportunity may fit within the structure of our Industry Placement Program, whereby students complete a placement as part of their degree requirements.