Work-integrated learning (WIL) plays a crucial role in introducing students to work environments to enhance employability skills and career readiness. These opportunities are made possible through university-workplace partnerships. Despite the numerous benefits associated with such partnerships, effective initiation and management of partnerships…

The University of Victoria, Canada, strives to enhance undergraduate students' labor market readiness through work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences. Students with disabilities have historically encountered low participation and success rates in WIL, potentially resulting in their under-representation in the post-graduation labor market. To…

International students represent a large talent pool in America's higher education sector and labor market; however, their experiences and unique needs during the school-to-work transitions remain an area with limited exploration in both research and practice. The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine and strengthen the support…

In the UK context of an ageing population, degree apprenticeships represent a new opportunity to study for a degree while working. Apprentices are full-time employees granted time to study for a degree with a significant workplace learning component. The aim of this study was to focus on whether degree apprenticeships are working for adult…

This research investigates the integration of industry projects and mentorship into academic curricula, aiming to enhance student learning and professional readiness. By incorporating real-world projects and pairing students with industry mentors, this approach seeks to provide a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application.…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is widely used to connect students with the world of work and authentic industry practices. WIL research and practice is primarily focused on the benefits to students and universities, whilst the value of WIL to partner organisations remains relatively underexplored. This study takes an industry, government and…

Using data collected from co-operative education students at two different times over a four-month long work term, we test and find support for the hypothesis that students' approaches to learning explain the relationship between their lifelong learning characteristics and work adjustment. Students' lifelong learning characteristics were…

This study examines the effect of participation in cooperative education (co-op) programs on engineering undergraduate students' academic and employment outcomes, with particular attention to diversity in engineering. Co-ops are partnerships between an academic institution and an employer designed to engage students in early practical work…

Industry worldwide calls for highly qualified STEM graduates that are ready to work. Work-integrated learning (WIL) has been implemented to address this need. WIL is a strategy to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and emphasize "employability." However, students often perceive a confusing disconnect between their training and…

Career-connected learning is an educational strategy that combines high-quality academic instruction, skill-based learning, and real-world experiences to prepare students with the knowledge and skills that they need to pursue their college and career goals. Career-connected learning can be delivered in a variety of ways, including in core content…

There is limited research available that examines students with disabilities' participation rates and perceptions of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) while in post-secondary. This is problematic as universities in Canada are growing their WIL programs to improve school to work transition rates. This research finds that 23% of students who are…

Undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students are graduating with insufficient communication skills, thereby diminishing their employability and upward socio-economic mobility. The purpose of this action research study was to explore ways of improving the alignment between academic outcomes and employer needs related to…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine which measures of technical skill attainment and program hours predict positive post-program placement of secondary Pennsylvania career and technical education (CTE) students who completed a Phase I or Phase II program of study. Predictor variables included performance on the end-of-program…

This paper investigates the impact of entrepreneurship on cooperative job creation in a large North American post-secondary institution. The data-driven analysis is enabled by two unique datasets: a list of companies started by the institution's engineering students and faculty, and a database of the institution's cooperative education (co-op)…

The German Dual System is a model educational and employment approach that other nations could emulate. The ability of young apprentices to work and study at the same time to gain both practical and theoretical skills leads to more meaningful education and decreased dropout and youth unemployment rates. The collaboration of the government,…