Work Integrated Learning

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OLT projects on Work Integrated Learning

Careers was involved as a partner university in two OLT (Office for Learning and Teaching) funded Work Integrated Learning (WIL) projects which were completed in 2014:

The primary focus of this research was to determine the impact of WIL on the development of employability capabilities of students. The research findings categorically confirmed that WIL placements do have an impact on student work-readiness and contribute to employability capabilities, as do simulated activities.

This project responded to the need to support WIL leadership capacity building in universities and industry and set out to describe the characteristics of WIL leadership; develop and test a WIL leadership framework which was underpinned by a distributed leadership approach; and nurture communities of practice for WIL leaders.

The WIL leadership framework identified five domains for WIL leadership: Shaping the vision; Creating and sustaining WIL relationships; Fostering WIL engagement, expertise and student learning; Communicating and influencing; and Driving organisational and joint industry/university outcomes. The framework was identified as having multiple purposes, in particular as a support tool; WIL vision tool; promotional tool; leadership map; and position description tool.

This is a two-year research project which aims to develop and pilot a set of resources to help students, academics and professional staff make better use of personal, mobile technologies to connect learning and work. This research will focus on Education and Nursing students who undertake placements as part of their course.

Australian Collaborative Education Network

Careers is an active member of ACEN, the professional association for WIL practitioners and researchers from the higher education sector, industry, community and government representatives in Australia. Western Sydney University is an institutional member of ACEN and all university staff can register (opens in a new window) as individual members and access valuable resources and information on WIL.

WIL Symposia

Careers was actively involved in convening the Annual WIL Symposia in 2013 and 2014.