This is the placement system used by UniSC Engineering. You will use this system to manage all aspects of your engineering professional practice placements while you are studying at UniSC.

Once you have logged in (see instructions on right), the Engineering Sonia Online homepage will become active. You can apply to have your engineering professional practice approved at any time but please be aware that you are not allowed to commence any professional practice (paid or unpaid) before you have received your approval to do so.

On this page:

Professional Practice Information

Professional Practice (PP) FAQs  

Professional Practice Handbook 2024 (PDF 756KB)  

UniSC Engineering Professional Practice Report Guidelines 2025 (PDF 361KB)  

Steps Involved in Registering for and Getting Approvals for Your Engineering Professional Practice:

Step 1

• You identify a potential organisation (host) for you to undertake professional practice with making sure that the work is relevant and appropriate for your engineering degree.
• You complete and submit the online Professional Practice Student Application form (after logging in to Sonia Online)
  You can find this self-select application under the Forms Tab, once you have logged into Sonia Online - FAQ.

Step 2

• You receive in-principle approval for intended Professional practice placement.
• After you receive in-principle approval an email from the placement team labelled “Professional Practice Mandatory Requirements - Action required” will be sent to you.  The following Checks then become available in Sonia Online for you to action:
  • PrePlace Modules (completed in Canvas)
  • Engineering Code of Conduct form
  • UniSC Generic Engineering Risk Assessment form
  • Student Placement Agreement form
    When you receive your email from the placement team, Guides on how you complete your mandatory checks will be included.  These documents are also available Online under the Documents heading Mandatory Requirement Guides.
    When you navigate to the Checks section of Sonia Online, each Check will have a description and information on how to complete each Check.
• At the same time as you receive your in-principle approval:
  • UniSC sends a UniSC Placement Partner Agreement to host organisation for review and approval. Host sends signed agreement back to UniSC.
  • After the agreement is received back from the host, the Head of School counter signs the agreement and this is filed (Copy to host).

Step 3

• You will receive an email notification when all your forms and tasks have been successfully approved. This notification allows you to commence your professional practice placement.
• Within one week of commencing your professional practice, you must submit (in Sonia Online) a copy of all internal risk assessments and safe work method statements you have developed with the host organisation to manage your potential risks while you are undertaking your professional practice.

Mandatory Checks

You need to ensure that you have completed the following mandatory checks prior to the commencement of your placement.

Contact the Placement Office

Regional and Remote

The below guide provides a complete overview of the regional and remote placement process, including eligibility, how to apply, scholarships and financial aid, what to do once you have a regional or remote placement, an essential placement checklist, etc.

Regional and Remote Placement Guide (PDF 766KB)  

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure their mandatory documents are current and that the originals are available for sighting on request from UniSC or Placement Staff.

You may still need to check Canvas for additional information, and some facility information may be provided via additional emails. If you believe any of the content is incorrect please contact the placement coordinator.