Engineering Practice Intensive (EPI)
Partner with UNSW Engineering to solve real-world challenges, engage with talented engineering students and help shape the next generation of graduate engineers.
About the Engineering Practice Intensive (EPI)
The UNSW Engineering Practice Intensive (EPI) gives industry partners access to multidisciplinary student teams who deliver real project work scoped by the partner organisation over six weeks.
Students work in small teams, supported by UNSW and guided by the host organisation, to deliver practical outcomes for industry.
The EPI gives employers early access to emerging engineering talent while helping students build the skills, confidence and professional experience needed for engineering practice.
Why become an EPI Industry Partner
Becoming an EPI industry partner gives you access to engaged and motivated students who bring fresh thinking, technical capability and focused effort to real organisational challenges.
The EPI enables you to:
- Access future engineering talent
- Gain fresh perspectives
- Structured and supported engagement
- Contribute to the profession
How the EPI works
As an EPI industry partner, you will create a project scope that students can work on over six weeks, based on a real challenge. UNSW will work closely with you to refine the project scope to ensure it is feasible.
Student teams are then selected by UNSW based on each project's requiements and student eligibility.
Students then:
- Meet with you at at the start of the project to understand the needs, requirments and project goals
- Work on the projects for six weeks full time on campus at UNSW and are supervised by UNSW professional staff and engineers
- Meet you weekly for 1-2 hours per to provide you with project updates and receive feedback
- Present the project findings and recommendations back to you at the end of the six weeks.
Become a 2027 EPI Industry Partner
If you are interested in becoming an industry partner for the 2027 EPI or would like to learn more, please reach out to the UNSW Engineering Employabilty Team by clicking the links below.
Our 2026 EPI Industry Partners
Industry Partners who supported the 2026 EPI Program and gained practical solutions to real engineering problems by UNSW students include:
Become an industry partner
If your organisation has a practical engineering challenge or innovation opportunity suitable for a student team, we'd love to hear from you.
Reach out to the Employability Team at EngEmployability@unsw.edu.au
FAQs
-
Projects should address a real engineering, operational or innovation challenge that can be completed by a multidisciplinary student team over six weeks.
Suitable outcomes include feasibility studies, concept designs, process improvements, technical analyses, prototypes, recommendations and test plans.
-
Industry partners typically spend around 1–2 hours per week meeting with the student team, providing feedback and answering questions.
You'll also participate in an initial project briefing session with your student team and the final presentation.
-
Students work full-time on campus at UNSW over the six-week program. The students meet regularly with your organisation throughout the project to ensure the work aligns with your objectives.
-
UNSW Engineering selects the student teams based on project requirements and student eligibility to ensure the best fit for each project.
-
No, there is no requirement to hire students after the program. However many employers have used the EPI to identify future graduate talent.
-
No, there is no cost to participate, however, if your organisation would like to contribute towards the cost of any materials that students may need to complete the project this can be arranged.