Engineering employers run at least four separate windows, and they are set by what kind of employer it is, not by your discipline. A civil student aiming at both a design consultancy and a contractor has two seasons to manage. A mechanical student aiming at mining has one hard close in April and nothing after it.
01The engineering year at a glance
Each bar is the usual application window for that employer type, drawn from the 2026 round. Your targets will sit in two or three of them.
4
engineering windows a year
3 to 4
months from close to offer
13 to 30
days: the shortest windows
Consultancies: expressions of interest · Aurecon, WSP, Arup
Consultancies: formal round · Aurecon, WSP, GHD, AECOM, Beca
Networks and utilities · Powerlink, Ausgrid, Transgrid, AEMO
Mining, energy and defence · BHP, Rio Tinto, Santos, BAE, Thales, Defence
Contractors and state government · John Holland, Fulton Hogan, TfNSW, NSW Gov
Networks: mid-year echo · Siemens, ElectraNet, ASC
Late and rolling · Robert Bird, Newmont, councils, BAE round two
02Window one: design consultancies, February to April
Expressions of interest open from November. The formal round runs from late February to April, and at Beca it was two weeks long.
2026 round, as published by each employer. Windows move by a week or two each year.
Worth knowing
Roles at consultancies are advertised per office and per team. Bridge and Civil Structures in Brisbane is a different application from Water in Melbourne. You apply to a city and a discipline, not a company.
03Window two: mining, energy and defence, March to mid-April
The hard one. Most of these close in the first half of April and run no second round, so a student who starts looking in May has missed the year.
Expect the longest waits here: three to four months from close to offer for engineering, utilities and mining employers, and the Department of Defence published offers from August to October for an April close.
2026 round, as published by each employer. Windows move by a week or two each year.
04Window three: contractors and state government, June to August
Contractors and state agencies open mid-year. Government assessment centres then run in September and October, with offers late in the year and a February start.
2026 round, as published by each employer. Windows move by a week or two each year.
Worth knowing
If you missed window two, this is your second chance in the same year, and contractors pay more than consultancies.
05Networks and utilities: February to April, with a mid-year echo
Electrical students targeting transmission and distribution businesses face a tight cluster. Assessment centres follow in late April and May, with offers around July. A smaller mid-year group gives a second chance.
2026 round, as published by each employer. Windows move by a week or two each year.
06Window four: late and rolling, September to January
Boutique structural firms, some miners and the councils open last, and a few employers never really close.
2026 round, as published by each employer. Windows move by a week or two each year.
07Software has three clocks of its own
Product companies run early, banks and the Big Four run mid-year, and a late group runs into October or never closes.
2026 round, as published by each employer. Windows move by a week or two each year.
08The software year at a glance
Product companies and big tech · Atlassian, Canva, Google intern
Banks and the Big Four · PwC, Deloitte, EY, Westpac, CommBank, ANZ
Spring intake and rolling · Macquarie; Amazon and scale-ups all year
09Let Prepped keep the calendar
You do not have to build this yourself. Follow a firm on Prepped and it sits in your tracker with its closing date, alongside a calendar view of everything you follow. A daily email lists new postings in the fields and job types you chose, and a reminder goes out when a firm you follow is closing within days.
- Follow every firm you are considering, even the long shots, so their windows land in one calendar.
- Pick your fields and job types in settings. The daily email only covers what you chose.
- Treat a 13 to 30 day window as normal. Xero, Beca, Canva and Deloitte have all run one.
- Prefer paper? Write firms in one column and their window in the next, and set reminders for January, May and September.
“January: EOIs to Aurecon and WSP, two uni projects written up. February to April: consultancies and networks, plus BHP and Rio Tinto if site work appeals. May: prepare STAR stories. June to August: John Holland, Fulton Hogan, Transport for NSW. October: Robert Bird and the councils if nothing has landed.”
Common questions
When do engineering graduate programs open in Australia?
There is no single date. Design consultancies open in February and close in April, mining and defence close by mid-April, contractors and state government open in June and close in July or August, and boutique structural firms and some miners open in October. Check each employer's own window.
Is it too late to apply for an engineering graduate job in June?
No. Contractors such as John Holland and Fulton Hogan and most state government programs open in June and July, and boutique structural firms open in October. Mining and defence rounds are usually closed by June.
How long after applying do engineering employers make offers?
Allow three to four months for engineering, utilities and mining employers. Government programs can take five to six months, with offers late in the year for a February start.
Prepped tracks every window above and emails you the day a posting opens.
Follow your firmsGeneral information, not personal career advice. Program details and dates change, so always confirm specifics on the employer’s official page.