Employers seek work-ready graduates who have work skills appropriate to the role such as adaptability, team-work, communication and technical skills aligned to their profession. Work-integrated-learning (WIL) encompasses any arrangement where students undertake learning in a workplace outside of their higher education provider (or one operated jointly with an external partner) as a part of their course of study. Section 5.4.1 of the HES Framework requires quality assurance of WIL placements but the TEQSA guidelines go beyond quality assurance processes when WIL must consider other sections of the Framework such as Learning Outcomes and Assessment and Course Design. This leads HE institutions to often design WIL around a business or industry problem which may not deliver the outcomes expected by industry and the student, being work-ready graduates and employability respectively.
The challenge is that students pay fees for WIL subjects which implies a need to demonstrate learning. However, by placing so much emphasis on learning, are the expectations of industry partners to deliver work-ready graduates, created by their investment in WIL, being met? The Guidelines emphasise learning as opposed to work readiness. This presentation examines if this focus benefits all WIL Industry partners.
More dialogue with industry is needed to understand how the HE framework should shape the learning expectations of WIL. Research projects and problem-based approaches produce good learning and no doubt develop the student but does this meet the expectations of industry? Are these approaches still too remote and theoretical to develop the types of skills needed by employers? This paper explores alternative WIL frameworks in order to highlight the ambiguity surrounding the definition of WIL, and the dissonance amongst the various partners of what is expected of WIL. Strategies are presented to navigate ambiguity to provide better communication, clarity and agreement.