Building Institutional Capacity to Enhance Access and Participation in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)

Abstract

The diversity of the student population within Australian and New Zealand universities has changed dramatically across recent decades due to greater focus on policies of social inclusion, widening participation and the massification of higher education (Leach, 2013). At the same time there has been a movement towards increased student participation in work-integrated learning programs, with some universities (see for example Griffith University, Flinders University, and Victoria University strategic plans) setting requirements for all programs to have some form of work-integrated learning opportunity. Work-integrated learning opportunities have been shown to be beneficial for students seeking graduate employment (Jackson, 2014), improving student retention and academic performance (Gamble, Patrick, & Peach, 2010) and for guiding the development of professional identity (Campbell, 2009). A disconnect exists, though, between the benefits of work-integrated learning and the capacity for diverse student populations to fully access, participate and engage with these opportunities. This paper presents an exploration of this challenge for higher education outlining an argument for the further exploration of these.