IT Professional Year

Take Control of Your Future with Performance Education’s Professional Year in IT!

Are you a recent international IT graduate from an Australian university looking to start your career in Australia? Are you finding migration options confusing and the competitive job market challenging?

You can achieve your dreams and more with Australia’s leading Professional Year provider. Our 40,000+ graduates have discovered nothing prepares you better for an IT career in Australia than a PY with PE.

PE has become Australia’s #1 Professional Year provider by helping our students to achieve much more than just migration points. At Performance Education we know how hard it can be and we are passionate about changing the employment landscape for international graduates.

We focus on helping you become more than just ‘job ready’. Through combining employability training, workplace knowledge and a relevant and practical internship placement, we’ll give you a platform to launch your IT career in Australia. As a result of Performance Education’s Professional Year program our graduates achieve excellent program and employment outcomes, with 40% of students being offered employment by their internship host company!

We were one of the first approved providers of the ACS (IT) Professional Year program and today are the largest due to our trusted reputation and outstanding programs outcomes. We have campuses offering the IT Professional Year in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Course Structure

The ACS (IT) Professional Year is a Department of Home Affairs initiative which is designed for international graduates with an Australian IT degree just like you. Developed by the Australian Computer Society, the ACS Professional Year program provides IT graduates with a guided pathway from university to employment in Australia.

ACS IT Professional Year Program: Course Structure

The ACS (IT) Professional Year course is delivered over a 49 to 52 week period and comprises of the following stages:

Stage 1: Face-to-Face Classes

The first stage of the ACS IT Professional Year program consists of 8 x 4-week long subjects, totalling 32 weeks of formal learning in this stage. It is designed to provide you with the knowledge and communication skills to successfully integrate into a Professional Australian workplace.

To help you work your study around your life commitments students are required to attend the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane campus just one day a week for training. Find out more about the Professional Year subjects.

Stage 2: Interviewing at Host Companies

During your formal study you will meet with your Placement Consultant and commence the internship placement process. You will be provided with all the required tools and knowledge to successfully secure your internship in this period. Interviews and internship preparation continue for 2 weeks after your subjects are completed, where securing an internship is the main focus.

Stage 3: IT Professional Work Integrated Learning Placement (Internship)

For many of our students this is the most exciting part of the Professional Year program, where you get to put your knowledge into practice and add all-important Australian IT experience to your resume. This is your second formal learning experience. You will take part in a 12-week professional internship in the IT field organised by our specialist internship placements team. We work with 11,000+ host companies across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, and tailor your placement to your training needs and career goals.

Intake Dates

ACS IT Professional Year Program: Intake Dates

We want to help make achieving your dreams easier. For your convenience and work/life/study balance, we offer the flexibility to study one day a week with a choice of weekday and weekend days available.

Our Melbourne and Sydney campuses offer ACS IT Professional Year classes every day of the week. Adelaide and Brisbane offer them on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Melbourne IT Professional Year Course Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Sydney IT Professional Year Course Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Adelaide IT Professional Year Course Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Brisbane IT Professional Year Course Day: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday.

We encourage students to apply sooner to ensure they get their preferred day of study.

2024-2025 ACS IT Professional Year Program Intake Dates
Weeks commencing:

23 Mar 2026
20 April 2026
04 May 2026
01 Jun 2026
29 Jun 2026
27 Jul 2026
24 Aug 2026
21 Sep 2026
19 Oct 2026
16 Nov 2026
14 Dec 2026

IT Professional Year Course Duration: 49 to 52 weeks including a 12-week IT Work Integrated Learning (internship) placement at the final stage of your program.

Professional Year Class Size: Maximum 25

Entry Requirements

ACS IT Professional Year Program – Entry Requirements

To be eligible for the ACS Professional Year in IT you must have:

Completed a recognised IT degree in Australia that provides a minimum of two years credit points. This must be completed over a minimum of 18 months
Obtained or applied for a Graduate (Temporary) Visa (subclass 485) with a minimum 12 months validity
Hold a current English Language Test with an equivalent IELTS score of 6.0 or higher, with no bands below a 6.0. Tests must have been undertaken within the three years immediately prior to the date of PY commencement.
Students will need to complete a pre-enrolment interview and questionnaire before commencing the IT Professional Year Program
A valid passport

Unsure if you qualify for the course? Click on the “Enquire Now” button on the right and one of our Professional Year consultants will contact you for a casual discussion.

Fees

IT Program Fees

For upfront payments, the full fee is due at enrolment. For payment plans, a $1000 deposit is due at enrolment, with the remaining balance payable in six instalments every 4 weeks from the program intake date. These prices are for the upcoming intakes. Students must commit to a similarly priced study day throughout the duration of their Professional Year (Weekdays or Weekends). If they want to change their study day, the difference in fees must be paid regardless of when the study day is changed.

*Prices are subject to change.

Other Information

To support the integration of technology in learning, Performance Education’s Professional Year students are required to bring their own compatible device to specified classes. The device must be capable of internet searches, creation and saving of .docx files and access to MS PowerPoint is desirable. For more information please read our Bring Your Own Device policy.

All students should read and understand the Complaints and Appeals Policy & Procedure prior to confirming their enrolment with PE. The policy is available here.

Find out from our IT Professional Year graduates how the PE program has changed their lives.