What does it look like to apply classroom learning to a real business challenge? Swinburne Online’s Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Program does exactly this as it helps you build industry experience while you study, so you can apply what you learn in real-world contexts.
We’ve partnered with different industry partners to ensure our students get the best practical experience during their placements. In this series, we’ll be taking a closer look at what WIL entails and get feedback from our students on their experiences. For this article, we spoke to Bachelor of Business student Emma about her experience working with luxury bedding brand Kelly & Windsor, and the skills she developed through the program.
Building real-world skills while you study: Kelly & Windsor
Swinburne Online partnered with Kelly & Windsor, a family-run SME, to provide business students with a practical option for their Business Consulting Project, a third-year capstone unit. This project ran for Teaching Period 1 in 2026, with 6–10 business students participating. The project focuses on key business skills, including market research and analysis, consumer behaviour insights and data-driven consumer analysis. Students also get to explore digital marketing strategies, project planning and implementation.
In this project, students develop a strategy for Kelly & Windsor to identify, segment and target key strategic opportunities within the online luxury bedding market in India. Kelly & Windsor specialises in premium-quality bedding made from Australian natural fibres. The project, and Emma’s challenge, was to recommend strategies that would strengthen their position in the Indian market. Once developed, they present their findings in a written report and a video presentation to the industry partner.
Emma’s experience with WIL
We spoke to Emma, who is studying a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) with two electives remaining. As part of her degree, she decided to take part in the Kelly & Windsor consulting project for her Business Consulting Project unit.
Balancing part-time study with a full-time government career, Emma enrolled in the Marketing major to expand her leadership and business capabilities. As a mature-aged student, she wanted to challenge herself while strengthening her business skills to support her roles in government. Here’s what she had to say about her experience during the project.
What was your experience with this project?
“Through the Kelly & Windsor consulting project, I gained a much stronger understanding of how strategic business concepts operate in real organisations outside of the public sector organisations I’ve worked in for most of my career. The experience helped me apply both my academic learning and my existing professional experience in a practical setting.
The project also strengthened my confidence in leadership, teamwork, and strategic thinking.”
How has WIL impacted your study experience?
“The experience reinforced my interest in leadership, management, and strategic business roles. It helped me realise that I enjoy analysing problems, improving processes, coordinating teams, and contributing to decision-making. The project also gave me confidence that my professional background can transfer into broader management and consulting environments if I wanted to pursue that path.”
What is the most valuable thing you learned through the WIL?
“What surprised me most was how interconnected business decisions are in practice. Every recommendation impacted multiple areas, including marketing, logistics, finance, implementation, and customer experience. I was also surprised by how much ambiguity exists in real business environments compared to university assessments. There was rarely one ‘perfect’ answer, so our team had to balance strategy, practicality, and risk when making recommendations.”
How has the project impacted you?
“The experience strengthened my communication, organisational, analytical, and teamwork skills. I naturally took on a coordinating role within the group by helping structure content, maintain consistency, and keep the project on track. It also challenged me to manage my tendency toward perfectionism and become more adaptable and flexible when working collaboratively under pressure.
I can now more confidently apply processes and learned theory into my role as a Manager of Strategic Operations and Engagement to help shape better outcomes within the public sector.”
How has the project impacted your career?
“As a result, I have started exploring MBA pathways through Swinburne University of Technology to continue developing my leadership and strategic management capabilities.
Applying theory in a real-world setting made my university learning feel far more meaningful, which is one of the reasons I’ve loved being a mature-aged student. I’m able to contextualise my learning into my real-world career and experiences.
Concepts from strategic management, organisational behaviour, sustainability, and international business became practical rather than purely theoretical. The project also showed me that while theory provides important frameworks, real business situations require adaptability, collaboration, communication, and practical judgement.”
How has the project impacted your life?
“The experience significantly increased my confidence because it showed me that my existing professional skills are adaptable across industries. Although I had no prior experience in e-commerce or luxury retail brands, I was still able to contribute effectively through organisation, communication, coordination, and strategic thinking.
It reinforced that I could contribute beyond administrative support functions and succeed in broader management and business-related roles.”
Would you recommend WIL to other students, and why?
“I would strongly recommend WIL because it helps bridge the gap between university and professional practice. It gives students the opportunity to apply theory in realistic situations, build confidence, strengthen teamwork and communication skills, and better understand workplace expectations.
It was one of the most valuable parts of my degree because it helped confirm my career direction and recognise the transferability of my professional experience and skills across industries.”
Ready to explore Work Integrated Learning?
To explore the benefits of practical work and projects during your studies, you can find out more about WIL by contacting the WIL team or keeping an eye on our blog for more WIL Project articles coming soon.
