Engineering Cadetships
CQU proudly partners with a variety of organisations to offer Engineering Cadetships. You can enter the workforce early and continue studying until graduation with the support of one of our partners.
Cadetship benefits
As an aspiring engineer, you'll benefit from a structured work-study program that allows you to gain valuable practical experience while completing your engineering degree.
Cadetships offer real-world experience, which is highly valued by employers. By working alongside experienced professionals, as a cadet you'll apply theoretical knowledge to actual engineering projects. One of the significant advantages of a cadetship is that you'll often receive financial support from the employer. This assistance may include a regular salary, payment of university course fees, or a combination of both.
Plus as a cadet, you'll establish valuable connections within the engineering industry, often leading to paid part-time or full-time employment well before graduation. CQUniversity is actively engaging with industry partners to offer cadetship opportunities each year, ensuring our graduates are the most work-ready in Australasia.
What courses are included?
We have a variety of Engineering courses that integrate into cadetships.
- Associate Degree of Engineering
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Diploma of Professional Practice (Co-Op Engineering)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil Construction ) and Diploma of Construction Management
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Control and Instrumentation) and Bachelor of Information Technology (Application Development)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Design) and Diploma of Building Design
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Major) and Master of Project Management Engineering
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Major) and Diploma of Project Management
- Bachelor of Engineering Technology
You'll need to check the entry requirements of the course when applying for the cadetship with a particular employer. Plus, your potential employer will have their own selection criteria for the cadetship.
Where can I do an Engineering Cadetship?
Our cadetship partners span a range of locations, including Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Mackay and Rockhampton. We also support our online students with opportunities throughout Australia.
Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL)
Position: Engineering Cadetship
Location: Gladstone, QLD
Employment Type: Fixed-term two-year program commencing June 2024
Discipline: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Instrumentation/ Control Systems, Electrical Engineering, Civil and Structural Engineering
Course Status: Third year students encouraged to apply
Salary: Competitive monthly salary package
How to Apply: Visit qal.au/working-with-us/careers/ and create an account to apply
Closing Date: Sunday, 12 May 2024
Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL)
Position: Graduate – Information Technology / Industry 4.0 Engineer
Location: Gladstone, QLD
Employment Type: Permanent, full-time role working a 9-day fortnight roster
Discipline: Information Technology, Computer Science, or Engineering (or equivalent degree)
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree
Course Status: Completed in the last 12 months or to be completed by January 2025
Salary: Competitive salary package with annual performance bonus
How to Apply: Visit qal.au/working-with-us/careers/ and create an account to apply
Closing Date: Tuesday, 7 May 2024
Lackon Pty Ltd
Position: Cadet Project Manager
Location: Bundaberg, QLD
Employment Type: Part-Time
Discipline: Project Management and/or Civil Construction
Course Level: Professional Engineer (Bachelor Degree or equivalent)
Course Status: Any Combination
Salary: Hourly rate ranging between $25-$30
Available Position/s: 1
How to Apply: Submit your applications to projects@lackon.com.au
Closing Date: 1 July 2024
Cascade Australia
Position: Intern - Work Experience
Location: 36 Kiln Street Darra, QLD 4076 Australia
Employment Type: Part Time
Discipline: Mechanical
Course Level: Engineering Associate, Engineering Technologist, Professional Engineer
Course Status: Third Year and Final Year
Available Position/s: 1
How to Apply: Apply via email to florin.paval@cascorp.com
Closing Date: 12 May 2024
Custom Fluidpower
Engineering Cadet (Mechanical, Mechanical with Industrial Automation)
Cadet Role - 38 hours per week under casual employment, open to negotiation
Salary: $30.10 p/h (inclusive of casual loading)
Course: Bachelor-level engineering courses (professional engineer)
Location: Mackay
No closing date
For more information email mackay.training@customer.com.au or visit Custom Fluidpower
Becker Sunner
Employment Type: Full time or Part Time - hours to be negotiated to fit study schedule
Discipline: Civil
Course Level: Engineering Associate/Technologist/Professional Engineer
Course Status: All levels
Location: Mackay, QLD
Salary: To be negotiated based on experience hours of work. Tuition costs by agreement.
How to Apply: Send an email to recruitment@beckersunner.com.au, or use link on their website
Closing Date: Continuously Open
Haslin Constructions
Position: Site Engineer
Location: Rockhampton (across several Haslin sites)
Employment Type: 38hrs/week / aiming for full time but open to part-time/casual
Discipline: Civil / Civil Construction
Course Level: Civil Engineer
Course Status: All levels
Salary: Intern: $220/day + Super; Graduate: Starting at $65k+ Super (plus laptop + phone)
How to Apply: Apply via email to lrodrigues@haslin.com.au
Closing Date: Continuously Open – Until the end of 2024
How Do I Apply?
You can find CQU Engineering Cadetships advertised with our partners either via their website or job listing websites such as Seek. Each cadetship will be different so be sure to check the application requirements carefully with each listing.
Remember, applying for a cadetship is also applying for employment with an organisation so, pay particular attention to your resume, cover letter and additional requirements.
Recent Engineering Cadetships
Aurecon
Engineering Cadet (Electrical)
Location: Brisbane
Engineering Course: Associate Degree of Engineering maintaining full-time or part-time study.
Bundaberg Regional Council
Engineering Cadet
Cadet Role - Temporary full-time (3 years)
Salary commencing at $61,714 per annum plus super and benefits
Area: Infrastructure Services
Location: Bundaberg
Exclusive to current CQU engineering students.
Downer Group
Engineering Cadet (Mechanical, Electrical or Mechatronics)
Cadet Role - Temporary full-time (6-12 months)
Area: Rail and Transit Systems
Downer Rail and Transit Systems
Engineering Cadet (Mechanical, Mechanical with Industrial Automation)
Cadet Role - 3 days per week, flexible with study commitments
Salary commencing $32,400 with the option to increase to full-time during non-teaching periods. Plus, all course tuition fees are included.
Course: Bachelor of Engineering Honours or lower level course with intention to articulate.
Area: Rail and Transit Systems
Location: Maryborough
Exclusive to current CQU engineering students.
Glencore
Engineering Cadet (Industrial Automation, Mechanical, Resource Systems)
Cadet Role - Temporary full-time
Salary determined by experience and course level
Area: Mining and Resources
Location: Hail Creek Mine (outside of Mackay)
Lovejoy Services
Engineering Cadet (Civil or Electrical)
Cadet Role - 12 month (initial trial)
Salary commencing at $32-40 per hour depending on experience and course level
Area: Infrastructure Services
Location: Bundaberg
Partner With Us
At CQU, we're always looking to engage and form strong partnerships with our community to support our students, regions and workforce.
At CQU, we take pride in attracting a diverse range of students, each with a genuine eagerness to learn. This passion for knowledge, coupled with our unwavering support, empowers our students to emerge as confident and highly skilled engineers. Our track record speaks for itself - we're ranked #1 in Australia for full-time employment among engineering graduates*.
Plus, our undergraduate engineering courses have been awarded five-star ratings for full-time employment, starting salary, and the availability of top-notch learning resources*. This is proof of the exceptional quality of our graduates, assuring you that your commitment to CQU will support your workforce now and into the future.
*The Good Universities Guide 2023.
The demand for professional engineers in Australia continues to grow rapidly; for civil engineers alone, it is projected that by 2026 there will be a strong 13.4% growth in demand. Strong growth is also expected across the board for other engineering specialities, including electrical, mechanical, mining, chemical and more, according to Labour Market Insights reports.
We know there is a shortage in the industry for qualified engineers, Infrastructure Australia predicts the demand for engineering skills to be 48% higher than supply by 2025, which is equivalent to more than 41,000 new engineers needed.
By combining CQU and industry efforts we can work towards meeting the demand for engineers, ensuring a skilled and capable workforce to contribute to the country's development and growth.
Plus, our graduates are highly regarded by employers, with the latest national employer survey showing CQUniversity is ranked #1 in Queensland and #4 nationally for overall employer satisfaction. QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey 2022
If you would like to partner with CQU and offer engineering cadetships, or for more information on the cadetships, please contact Ben Taylor.
A/Prof Ben Taylor
Head of College (Engineering and Aviation) | School of Engineering and Technology
P: (07) 4150 7176
E: ben.taylor@cqu.edu.au
