An Integrated Professional Practice and Employability Initiative in an Engineering Undergraduate Programme

Abstract

To attain accreditation, Engineering programmes in Australia must meet Engineers Australia’s Stage 1 Competency Standards. In addition to the academic criteria, there is an expectation that students meet professional practice requirements. In the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith University, the professional practice requirement is that students “must complete a minimum of 12 weeks (60 days) of approved experience in an engineering practice environment (or a satisfactory alternative) during their degree studies.” While there have been several opportunities for scaffolded student-industry interaction in earlier years of the programme, the opportunities were not integrated into the programme, were inconsistent across the disciplines, and not coherently articulated as professional practice and employability opportunities for students. The result was that some students entered the final year of the programme without sufficient industry internship experience, or exposure to industry professionals, or a lack of understanding of professional expectations and practice. The paper discusses the introduction and implementation of an integrated Professional Practice and Employability Skills stream within the programme to improve graduate employability and better support students as they develop into engineering professionals. The paper also describes a method for monitoring and assessing professional practice supported by a reflective ePortfolio.