Work Integrated Learning (WIL) at Waikato Management School
Watch the video to learn how students at Waikato Management School can gain real-world business experiences through our Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) papers, which bridge academic learning with professional skills to foster your future success in the workplace.
A Work Integrated Learning (WIL) paper is embedded in each of our undergraduate degrees, in the third year of the Bachelor of Business and the Bachelor of Communication. This provides students with hands-on experience to extend and develop their skills in business, critical thinking, innovation and communication.
WIL Workshop
Please log in to your MyWIL account to view the upcoming WIL Workshop sessions as well as upcoming dates and deadlines.
Your chosen WIL paper will depend on which degree you are pursuing and what you hope to get out of your WIL paper. The subject area of your WIL paper must relate to either your major or minor.
WSAFE Choose this paper code if you have a major or minor in: Accounting, Agribusiness, Finance or Economics.
WSOMM Choose this paper code if you have a major or minor in: Business Analytics, Digital Business, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Leadership Communication, Marketing, Project Management, Public Relations, Strategic Management, Supply Chain Management or Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Note: If you have a major and/or minor(s) in both WSAFE and WSOMM subjects, you must enrol in the WIL paper that matches the subject area of your internship/research. E.g. If you are studying a major in Accounting with a minor in Marketing, and your internship relates to Marketing, you would enrol in WSOMM396.
Preparing for your WIL paper
Unlike other papers, there are several steps you must complete before the start date of your WIL paper. Your enrolment is contingent on completing the preparatory steps outlined on this page.
396 internship
The 396 internship paper provides students with an opportunity to gain supervised practical experience within an organisation. This paper enables students to identify their strengths and weaknesses through a variety of reflective evaluations of their work.
Requirements for your internship:
- It must directly relate to your WMS major(s) or minor(s) subject area
- You must have a designated mentor at your organisation to oversee your work
- You must complete a minimum of 110 working hours in your internship
- Before the start of the trimester, you must complete steps 1 – 3
Please apply to enrol in your 396 paper at least 3 months before the start of your WIL internship (Drop Down)
- Once your application to enrol in your 396 has been approved, please accept your enrolment agreement in MyWaikato.
- Enrolling 3 months in advance ensures that WMS can offer you support in finding an internship, should you need it.
- Once you are fully enrolled in MyWaikato, you will start to receive the WIL preparation emails, including important information such as deadlines and due dates.
Note - WIL preparation emails are sent up to four months before the start of your WIL paper.
As part of professional development within your degree, you must have an approved CV and cover letter that is representative of your capabilities. This will enable organisations to determine your suitability for their position.
Do you need assistance building your CV?
There are a number of resources available to help you in your MyCareer portal. Please follow the steps below (in order). If you already have a CV that you would like to have considered, you may skip to step 3 - if your score is below 60%, please start at step 1.
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- If you are unable to attend an upcoming workshop, you can access the pre-recorded workshops on the MyCareer platform by clicking:
- Tools > Need CV help
- Click on CV Review, under ‘Your tasks’
- Click ‘Open Resource’ in the ‘Watch the pre-recorded CV workshop’ section.
- If you are unable to attend an upcoming workshop, you can access the pre-recorded workshops on the MyCareer platform by clicking:
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To view CV templates, you can find these in MyCareer under:
- Tools > CV360
- Scroll down, click ‘Start Here’‘
- Browse Templates’ to view.To view CV templates, you can find these in MyCareer under:
- Additionally, we recommend the following resources:
- Careers.govt.nz
- Microsoft Word Templates
- ZEIL (App only)
- Designed for mobile and made easy with smart prompts, the free step-by-step CV builder has been designed with NZ's top career advisors and employers to let you choose a professional template that suits you.
- Additionally, we recommend the following resources:
- Once your CV is created using a template, you can submit your CV to the CV360 tool by dropping your CV into the ‘Drag your CV here to start’ section. This will generate a score. Please make the suggested changes to your CV.
- Once your CV score is above 60%, click the blue ‘Submit for Review’ button for a personal/tailored review of your CV. This is where you will receive personalised feedback on your CV from a trained Careers Advisor.
- Once you have received feedback and notes from a Careers Advisor and have made these changes to your CV, please attend an online drop in session or online career chat.
- These drop-ins are weekly and you do not need to book. The sessions are 15 minutes one-on-one. The drop in session schedule can be found on:
- MyCareer > Events
- Drop-ins and Online Career Chats
- These drop-ins are weekly and you do not need to book. The sessions are 15 minutes one-on-one. The drop in session schedule can be found on:
Once you have your CV, log into your MyWIL account, go to the 'Forms' tab, click 'Edit’, and submit the 'CV Review Form'.
- You will be emailed when a decision is made on your CV. Once you have an accepted CV on file you will be able to access available internships through MyWIL. See the next steps for further information.
- Your cover letter does not need to be submitted for review in MyWIL. Your cover letter will be sent to your internship selections when you follow the instructions in the ‘Step 3: Internships’ tab. Any review of your cover letter can be done through your MyCareer portal.
If you would like to apply for an internship with an organisation that is partnered with WMS, you can view these opportunities two months before the start of your WIL paper. To view these:
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Logging into your MyWIL account
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Going to the ‘WIL Activities’ tab
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Click ‘Opportunities’ (top right corner).
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‘Select’ up to three preferred internship choices
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Click ‘Save’.
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You will need to attach your personalised CV and Cover Letter to each of your selected internships by clicking ‘Documents’ below each one, then click ‘Save’.
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- Note: Once you have saved your CV and cover letter, this will be submitted and then considered for the internship you have applied for. We are not able to guarantee acceptance from an organisation.
Important: Keep an eye out for incoming emails/calls from organisations. Take care to respond promptly and in a professional manner.
Finding an internship yourself?
Resources to help find an internship can be found:
Regardless of whether you have preferenced in MyWIL or have found your own internship, please see the next steps to complete your '96 Proposal Form'.
You will need to submit your ‘96 Proposal Form’ for approval as soon as possible before the start of your WIL paper. This form can be found by:
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Logging into your MyWIL account
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Going to the ‘Forms’ tab
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Once there, click 'edit' on the ‘96 Proposal Form’, fill in all required fields, and then click 'submit'.
Once you have submitted your 96 Proposal form, this will be reviewed for suitability.
We are not able to guarantee that your proposal will be approved. You will receive an email once a decision has been made.
Once you have submitted your '96 Proposal Form', this will be reviewed for suitability. Please note, we are not able to guarantee that your proposal will be approved. You will receive an email once a decision has been made.
399 research project
The 399 is a research project undertaken by a student with academic supervision. This project aims to solve a 'problem' and should be related to a company or industry that this might impact.
It provides students with the opportunity to complete a significant body of work with academic merit. Before undertaking a 399, students must discuss a topic that interests them with their supervisor or subject convenor and complete the following steps.
Requirements for your 399 project:
- It must directly relate to your WMS major(s) or minor(s) subject area
- SOMM students must have a company sponsor for your project
- Before the start of the trimester, you must complete steps 1 - 4 in the tabs above.
Every SOMM student and many SAFE students will conduct a sponsored investigation on behalf of an actual organisation. An ideal sponsoring organisation is:
- Established and reputable and is of a reasonable size
- Willing to share the information you need that ensures successful project completion
- Has a problem needing to be solved or is contemplating significant improvements.
There is no minimum organisation size as it is more critical that the problem/opportunity is amenable to academic investigation. Smaller organisations often strive to improve some operational aspects significantly or marketplace impact. It is also acceptable that your organisation is owned or managed by a family member or friend; however, you must declare this to your supervisor in the Initial Proposal, who will help you avoid possible conflicts of interest.
The 399 Student Guide will be available on your 399 Moodle page two weeks before the start of the trimester, or alternatively, reach out to the paper convenor directly if you have any questions.
Please apply to enrol in your 399 paper at least three months before you start your research project.
- Once your application to enrol in your 399 has been approved, please accept your enrolment agreement in MyWaikato.
- Enrolling three months in advance ensures that WMS can offer you support in finding an academic supervisor, should you need help finding one.
Initial Proposal
- Submit a '99 Initial Proposal Form' as soon as possible once you have access to the paper’s Moodle page (available two weeks before the start of the trimester) to ensure you are ready to begin your research as soon as the trimester starts.
- The outcome of your proposal will be emailed within ten working days.
- If approved, you will be allocated a supervisor to guide you in your research and report preparation.
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- If it is not approved, you will receive improvement suggestions and be invited to resubmit.
Formal Proposal
- Once the Initial Proposal is approved, schedule an appointment with your allocated supervisor to discuss and finalise your research topic.
- Prepare and submit a '99 Formal Proposal Form' (ideally soon after the meeting).
Refer to the Student Guide on your 399 Moodle page for guidance and a checklist.
Submit an 'Acknowledgement of External Relationship' Form
- If you are working with an external organisation for your research, you may also need to formally document this connection by completing an ‘Acknowledgement of External Relationship’ form. Please speak with your academic advisor to determine if it is necessary for you to complete this form before the start of the trimester.
- This form can be found by:
- Logging into your MyWIL account
- Going to the ‘Forms’ tab
- Once there, click edit on the ‘Acknowledgement of External Relationship Form’, fill in the required fields, and then click submit. It will then be considered for approval.
Frequently asked questions
396 Internship
The 396 requires students to complete a total of a minimum of 110 hours at a host organisation. Most internships are completed between 10 and 17 weeks. This paper is designed for you to complete your 110 hours in a way that suits you and your organisation. There are no set days or hours per week that you need to complete as long as you meet the minimum 110 hours required by the end of the WIL paper.
If you have found an internship that does not offer 110 hours within one trimester, and significantly overlaps with another trimester, please reach out to MSC for help with selecting which trimester to enrol in.
399 Report of an Investigation
The enrolment period is a normal trimester. Revisions of the topic with your supervisor's help are included in the 17 weeks you have to complete the full report. Please note that your draft report should be submitted to your supervisor, and a second assessor, one month prior to this end date.
Yes, you can!
If you've found your own internship, you'll need to submit your ‘Internship Proposal Form’ in MyWIL. Please submit this as soon as possible for review. Please note, we are not able to guarantee that your proposal will be approved. You will receive an email once a decision has been made.
If you have found an internship but do not meet the above requirements please contact msc@waikato.ac.nz or book an appointment to speak with an advisor.
WMS is partnered with organisations both locally and throughout the North Island. Students will be able to find a list of these opportunities in MyWIL which will be advertised two months before the start of the trimester.
To apply for these internships, students will need to follow the steps outlined in the ‘396 Step 3: Internships’ tab above.
Yes, you can!
If you've found your own internship, you'll need to submit your ‘Internship Proposal Form’ in MyWIL. Please submit this as soon as possible for review. Please note, we are not able to guarantee that your proposal will be approved. You will receive an email once a decision has been made.
If you have any questions in regards to finding your own internship please contact msc@waikato.ac.nz or book an appointment to speak with an advisor.
If the organisation that you have in mind would like additional information including requirements and expectations, you can refer them to this Work Integrated Learning brochure.
If your organisation has any questions, please refer them to email internships@waikato.ac.nz to speak with our WMS Engagement Manager.
An internship involves immersion in the workplace, so you need to be able to meet the time commitments required for the paper. You must work on a supervised project or series of work tasks that directly relate to your chosen subject.
An internship does not necessarily require you to be located at the organisation. Depending on what options are available in your degree, it may also be undertaken as an individual project, group project or class project.
To see the requirements of an internship, please see the steps outlined in the ‘396 Requirements’ tab above.
Still unsure what counts?
Please contact msc@waikato.ac.nz or book an appointment to speak with an advisor.
Alternatively, you can submit your proposal form by following the instructions outlined within the “Step 4: Proposal” tab above. The Paper Convenor will get back to you with a decision or feedback once they have reviewed your form.
396 Internship
- WSAFE396 can be taken in A, B or C trimesters.
- WSOMM396 can be taken in A, B or C trimesters.
399 Report of an Investigation
- WSAFE399 can be taken in A, B or C trimesters.
- WSOMM399 can be taken in A or B trimesters.
You will need to work with your organisation mentor ahead of time to choose a start date. The agreed start date will determine which trimester you will need to enrol in.
Please ensure you are enrolled three months prior to the start of your chosen trimester for your WIL paper.
Questions?
For questions, expressions of interest or further information please contact msc@waikato.ac.nz