This paper explores ways to support the wellbeing of neurodivergent individuals participating in co-operative education (co-op). The authors propose a theoretical model for supporting neurodivergent student wellbeing in co-op, based on the current understanding of wellbeing in WIL and interventions for neurodivergent individuals at work and in…

Research supervisors and their higher degree research (HDR) candidates -- including Master, Professional Doctorate, and PhD candidates -- make critical contributions to research and innovation. In addition to providing research training, research supervisors have traditionally also acted as the graduate employability practitioner for their HDR…

Higher education plays a key role in cultivating graduate employability, which is essential to meeting multiple individual, community, social and labour market needs. Universities prioritise employability through strategic goals and initiatives designed to foster work-ready graduates equipped with the skills, aptitudes, and knowledge needed to…

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences, integral for equipping students with the skills and knowledge crucial for employment and success in their chosen careers, have traditionally been associated with accreditation requirements in professional programs. More recently, acknowledging the importance of WIL experiences in non-professional…

UK universities are increasingly focusing on employability and internationalisation strategies, resulting in the promotion and integration of an optional or compulsory Professional Training Year (PTY) within degree programmes. The University of Surrey encourages students to undertake a PTY in the third year of undergraduate study, either in the UK…

Definitions of disability are changing, shifting from a narrow medical diagnosis to a biopsychosocial model of disability, where disability is conceptualised as a series of relational conditions that can potentially disadvantage individuals within environments. Implications of this new understanding of disability will have significant effects in…

It is important that schools and districts measure the essential employability skills and knowledge that students gain from Work-Based Learning (WBL) experiences and give students an opportunity to document and reflect on their learning. The assessment and reflection process helps students in the following essential ways: (1) helps students make…

Recent focus on graduate employability has exposed the inadequacies of work preparation for science students, who need an employability toolkit to navigate the modern work landscape. An established mechanism to develop students' employment awareness is Work Integrated Learning (WIL), but Australian mathematics and science students participate in…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) placement is increasingly being prioritized in university course curricula as industry, students and government seek improved employability skills, work-ready graduates and stronger graduate employability outcomes. For disciplines such as business, without industry accreditation mandating WIL placement experiences…

Are some graduates going on to do non-graduate jobs? Evidence collected from interviews with universities careers services shows many have in fact seen an improvement in graduate employment -- specifically, in more graduates entering 'high skilled professions' and unemployment rates going down. Many universities have implemented a mandatory work…

Although work-integrated learning represents an increasingly prevalent part of the tertiary education landscape, there are limited explorations of student experiences through a wellbeing lens. Wellbeing represents more than an individual's quality of life; it is an individual's ability to manage different inputs across intersecting physical,…

A decade after the Great Recession, millions of job seekers in their late teens and twenties--especially young people of color and youth from low-income families--are still struggling to land and keep meaningful work, even as the economy improves. Traditional education and training models are failing to equip them with the skills and credentials…

Preparing today's students for careers that are emerging or not yet developed is a significant challenge for educators within the U.S. education system. In reaction to this challenge, there is a growing shift that focuses on ensuring that students have transcending and transferable skills, including academic, technical, and employability skills.…

In this brief, Owens and Welton provide an introductory overview of career and technical education (CTE) programs in both Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). They report that the State of Illinois, and the City of Chicago in particular, have some of the highest unemployment rates in the country for youth ages 16 to…

Surveys of New England employers, college academic officers, and graduates find that many consider today's college graduates inadequately prepared for the world of work. In 2017, the New England Board of Higher Education convened the Commission on Higher Education & Employability, under the leadership of Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo.…