Work integrated learning (WIL) encompasses educational experiences that merge academic knowledge and practical application in a professional setting, benefiting both students and the existing workforce. The objective of incorporating WIL into education is to foster the integration of theoretical understanding by engaging students in a combination…

Purpose: This paper aims to identify challenges in business school and business collaboration when implementing work-integrated learning (WIL) as a vehicle to enhance student work-life realities and possible employability opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a five-step literature synthesis method. In-depth review and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive description and analysis of quality levels with regard to dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) at companies participating in this programme in Spain, with a specific focus on company size. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a quantitative cross-sectional…

Purpose: This study illuminates the assumption that internships facilitate labor market entry and answers the question of why internships have a positive effect on students' self-perceived employability. It is assumed that internships enable more positive employability perceptions by reducing career-entry worries -- the worries of not finding a…

Reflection, reflective thinking and reflexivity have received significant attention in the scholarly literature on higher education yet there is limited research that explores these concepts in relation to international students. This paper consequently explores what reflection and reflective thinking might look and feel like for international…

The purpose of this paper is to identify faculty perspectives on the integration of work-related issues in engineering education. A mixed methods approach was used to explore faculty attitudes towards work-related learning, to describe activities related to working life that have been introduced into the curriculum and to identify factors that…

The thinking required by higher education student engagement in research processes may segue into the development of students' work skills, enabling them to professionally transition to the workforce. However, although this transition may be facilitated before and during Work Integrated Learning [WIL] experiences, there is typically a gulf between…

Embedded Work Integrated Learning (EWIL) is a specific model of Work Integrated Learning (WIL); students work with industry in small blocks of time at regular intervals throughout semester focussing on reflective learning in authentic work environments. This study highlights benefits and challenges experienced when incorporating EWIL into a…

Higher education institutions are increasingly concerned with the professional insertion of graduates in the labour market and with the design of institutional mechanisms to facilitate students' transition from higher education to work, particularly given the context of scarcity of financial resources and the rise of graduate unemployment. This…

Universities are adopting institution-wide projects to increase student work placements and work-related learning across all subject disciplines. However, there are large variations between programs in uptake, with limited evidence explaining why this might be the case. This study uses identity theory (Stryker, 1980) to explore student perceptions…

Many universities have graduate attributes, sometimes referred to as generic skills, soft skills or work ready skills. This paper reports a study of the professional work experiences of recent Australian Information Technology (IT) graduates who identified that communication, time management, teamwork, working with people, working across cultures,…

Study Programmes were introduced in 2013 so that every post-16 provider could offer their learners coherent study programmes with breadth and depth, enabling learners to progress successfully to employment, apprenticeships, or higher education. Study programmes should include: at least one substantial qualification; English and mathematics for…

This study evaluates the impact of an intervention on business school graduates' employability comprising of a curriculum-based career management skills (CMS) module and an industrial placement year. The study uses data from the destinations of leavers of higher education survey to examine the employability of different groups within the cohort…

Purpose: This paper seeks to report the results of an empirical investigation of the relationship between internship participation and student employment marketability. The study aims to identify the value that employers attribute to internships as a qualification for employment and as a factor in determining compensation.…

Research demonstrates that when ex-offenders gain employment the risk of their re-offending reduces by between a third and a half. However, many prisoners have few qualifications and low levels of literacy, and many have never held a proper job. Learning, Skills and Employability (LSE) aims to provide appropriate education and training so that…