No matter which degree you choose to study at Monash Art, Design and Architecture, you will have an opportunity to gain hands-on work experience to help you prepare for your chosen career.

Hear from Yiwen Li, a final-year Bachelor of Industrial Design student, who recently completed a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) internship at Moose Toys, a leading global toy company based in Melbourne. The internship provided her with technical hands-on experience, valuable industry connections, and a positive career outlook.

Choosing Monash for Design

Originally from China, Yiwen chose to study Industrial Design at Monash University because of its interdisciplinary electives and strong balance between research and practical skills.

“I wanted to study in Melbourne as a destination,” Yiwen explained. “I checked the course structures at other universities, but I found Monash had more interdisciplinary electives, including coding, glass and sculpture forming, jewellery practices, mould making and casting, furniture design and game design. The Monash Design course was a great combo of research and hands-on skills.”

Settling in as an international student

Moving to Australia was both exciting and challenging for Yiwen. While she had strong written English skills, verbal communication was initially difficult. However, Monash provided a supportive environment that helped her transition smoothly.

“During orientation week, the teaching staff were really supportive and made me feel welcome,” she said. “The Monash English Connect program was a great resource. I took two classes a week, which helped me become more confident in speaking English.”

Yiwen also highlighted the impact of her lecturers. “In my first semester, my lecturer, Ned Culic guided me and helped me with my assignments. He was always willing to answer my emails and even recommended helpful websites.”

Yiwen used Monash's facilities to develop her practical industrial design skills

Finding the right internship

Yiwen was eager to gain industry experience, so she looked for internships early in her second year. She initially missed the application deadline for a Monash-sourced internship but was able to find an opportunity at Moose Toys herself.

“I looked on LinkedIn and saw a posting for Moose Toys that really interested me. Even though the post had expired, I sent my portfolio, introduced myself, and was able to get an interview.”

With the support of Monash’s WIL Design coordinator, she secured a one-month internship, at the end of which she was offered a  one-month extension as a freelance intern.

3D animated character developed by Yiwen.

Hands-on experience

During her internship, Yiwen worked three days a week, contributing to various projects. She focused on 3D rendering with Vray, 3D sculpting with Zbrush, and developing animated digital instruction manuals.

“The highlight of the internship was prototyping products. It was exciting to see something I worked on being developed for the market,” she shared. Yiwen worked primarily on Moose’s biggest brands, creating industry standard 3D visualisations and digital instruction manuals.

Her mentor, 3D Art Director Ryan Alford, played a crucial role in her development. “Ryan was an excellent mentor to me. He was patient in explaining new software and always open to my questions.”

Industry insights and career growth

Yiwen’s experience at Moose Toys gave her a glimpse into a professional design environment. “The culture of the company was quite casual and fun. We even played ping pong during breaks! It was my first time working in a professional design environment, and my colleagues helped me improve my interpersonal skills.”

Ryan praised Yiwen’s contribution. “The design internship with Yiwen was incredibly successful. She was an absolute pleasure to have on our team, contributing in a meaningful way from day one. Her dedication, creativity, and professionalism impressed us so much that we offered her a contract extension for another month.”

Ryan also emphasised the value of Monash interns, stating, “We look forward to the opportunity to engage with more talented Monash Design interns in the future.”

Before the internship, Yiwen was uncertain about her career direction. Now, she is passionate about toy design and feels ready to take the next step in her design career, hopefully in Melbourne,

“Studying in Australia helped me become more confident and the internship helped me improve my design and communication skills. It has also given me good connections with people in industry,” she said.