The Academy WIL Program gives students a valuable opportunity to significantly develop their design skills, which benefits their studies, work after University, and provides a pathway to a paid internship position at BMW Group overseas.

Yes, as mentioned above you must be enrolled in QUT WIL unit to apply for the Academy internship program. Please contact the WIL team (ci.wilsupport@qut.edu.au) for eligibility requirements and any questions you may have.

If completing a WIL unit is not possible for you, or not of interest, we also offer projects for the Capstone units in select design degrees. We can also facilitate student iniated projects for Capstone, if not a project we have developed.

Typically our Internship Program is only for School of Design (SoD) students (Industrial, Visual Communication, Interaction and Fashion), however projects can sometimes be open to Games Design students or other disciplines. If we are seeking applications from outside the SoD for the upcoming semester we will advertise this across our social media platforms.

Students enrolled in a double degree (examples: Design and Engineering, Design and Business) are able to apply.

Academy WIL Program interns are fortunate in the way that they often get to choose what internship project they want to complete from our list of projects that semester. We try to offer a variety of projects created by the Academy, or real BMW projects which are offered by teams in Germany. These can be conceptual, or tangible and realistic design briefs across Industrial, Visual Communication and/or Interaction Design areas - things like 3D modelling and viusualisation/presentation, UI/UX and app design, hardware design, robotics and even VR, just to name a few.

As our WIL Program is ultimately designed to upskill students and be a stepping stone to the BMW Group Internships, most of the projects and the skills students focus on, are tailored to the teams and work that our BMW Group partners are doing.

We seek high-achieving students for our WIL Program. It is essential that students have a professional attitude, a desire to excel and continually improve, an ability to follow instructions with the initiative to find solutions independently, and is someone who takes their future career seriously. Competency in problem solving, research, sketching, visualisation and presentation areas is required, while experience with 3D modelling (Blender, Fusion360 or similar), the Adobe Suite, prototyping software, and some experience with AR, VR and/or coding languages is favourable.

If you aren’t accepted, don’t worry! You can always apply next semester if it fits your study plan. We also provide general feedback to unsuccessful applicants to help you improve your design skills and portfolio.

The Academy Internships are based at QUT Kelvin Grove Campus in our Alpha Studio and Beta Lab workspaces.

The Academy internship program has a duration of 100hrs, with a schedule of 2 days per week.

Applications open at the start of each semester, however specific dates are always advertised online and through online or in-class information sessions. The online information sessions, if being held, are advertised on our social media platforms and generally occur in O-Week or Week 1 of semester. During the presentation we introduce you to the Academy, our Internship Program, plus the internship projects on offer for that semester (some details may be withheld if confidential/live BMW Group projects are on offer). Specific application details and some time for a Q+A are included.

You can register your interest for the Academy Internship program here, and the team will contact you prior to the start of your nominated semester. Students are welcome to attend the information sessions even if they are not eligible for a WIL unit just yet, or are looking to apply for a future semester.

Yes! You are able to apply for a BMW Group Internship without completing an Academy WIL internship prior. However, as the Academy WIL Program is designed to upskill and prepare students before a potential BMW internship, it can be more beneficial to have undertaken an Academy Internship first.

Both students and graduates can apply and will be considered. It is very important to note that BMW has a rule in place where graduates cannot start their internship more than one year from their graduation date.

The BMW Internship Program is open to School of Design (SoD) students (Industrial, Visual Communication, Interaction and Fashion). If opportunities for students from other disciplines come available in future we will advertise this across our social media platforms. Students enrolled in a double degree (examples: Design and Engineering, Design and Business) can also apply.

We seek high-achieving students for the BMW Group Internship Program. It is essential that students have a professional attitude, a desire to excel and continually improve, an ability to follow instructions with the initiative to find solutions independently, and someone who takes their future career seriously. Competency in problem solving, research, sketching, visualisation and presentation areas is essential. Specific skills and requirements vary depending on the team and projects, but commonly used skills include 3D CAD modelling and visualisation, VR and AR, Graphic Design & UI/UX, photography, videography and animations, presentations and slide decks, and systems design. Our information session about each intake of interns covers specific skill requirements for each team and their ongoing or upcoming projects.

Typically our BMW Group Interns are working on research and development, creating prototypes and MVPs, presentations and pitches for internal funding, supporting on-going projects, or participating in events (internal and external).

The teams that we send our BMW Group interns to are all within the logistics and manufacturing areas of BMW Group. The work they do can often change each year, however previous and current projects have included: UI and app design, 3D modelling and texturing, systems design, a VR autoshow planning app (+ other game engine use cases), 3D animations, iconography and vectors for presentations or documentation, 3D web viewers and Digital Twins.

BMW Group internships are full-time positions and have a duration between 6 months (minimum) and 12 months (maximum). This can depend on the team and the positions that they have available, or the preferences of the design intern.

As a general rule, most teams will not offer internship contracts that cross over into a new calendar year.

Our BMW Group internships are with teams based in Munich, Germany (idealworks, Tech Office Munich, Logistic Robotics & Innovation) and Birmingham, United Kingdom (Production Systems - Plant Hams Hall).

No, it is not a requirement that you have German language skills. However we do recommend that you make an effort to learn the basics as it is beneficial for everyday life in Germany.

Yes. BMW HR supports the Visa process for students, but graduates are required to organise their own documents. The Academy provides some guidance on the process, but it is still the responsibility of the individual to check they have completed all necessary steps.

QUT and BMW are not able to provide financial support for individuals who have been accepted into a BMW Group internship. We encourage interns to consider Government HELP loans if they require financial assistance.

Yes! BMW Group pays all of their interns - you are a BMW or idealworks employee while there. The pay is enough to support living costs.

Applications for the next round of interns typically open in within the last few months of the year, however specific dates are always included in our information sessions. These information sessions are advertised on our social media platforms and it is essential that interested students attend. During the presentation we introduce you to the Academy, the Internship Program plus the teams that are taking applications from QUT design students. Some information about the teams, their projects and the required skills are provided, along with specific applications details and some time for a Q+A.

Students are welcome to attend the information sessions even if they are not wanting to apply for the next round of overseas internships.

You can register your interest for the BMW Group Internship program here, and the team will contact you prior to the start of your nominated year.