scholarly journals Integration of Work Experience and Learning for International Students: From Harmony to Inequality

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ly Thi Tran ◽  
Sri Soejatminah
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Critical Gap ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

The integration of work experience and learning in tertiary education is a complex issue for different stakeholders, including students, institutions, and employers. The provision of course-related work experience for international students is far more challenging as it involves issues of visa status, different cultural expectations, recognition/misrecognition of skills and experiences across cultures, English language competency, and local employers’ attitudes toward international students. Even though there is a significant body of scholarly research on work-integrated learning in tertiary education, empirical research on this issue related to international students remains scarce. This article responds to a critical gap in the literature by examining the provision of course-related work experience for international students from both the teachers’ and students’ perspectives. It is derived from a 4-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes 155 interviews with staff and international students and fieldwork from the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and field as conceptual tools to interpret the empirical data, the research found work-integrated learning is unevenly distributed and inconsistently implemented across institutions. The article addresses the complex interplay between the student habitus and the habitus within the institutional field and the workplace field in shaping international students’ work-integrated learning access and experience. Practical implications for institutions on how to improve access and experience to course-related work experience for international students are discussed in light of the findings of this research.

scholarly journals Challenges to providing work integrated learning to international business students at Australian universities

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catriona Gribble ◽  
Jill Blackmore ◽  
Mark Rahimi
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
International Business ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Integrated Learning ◽  
Australian Universities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a three-year Australian study of international business and accounting students and the transition to employment. For international students seeking to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive global labour market, foreign work experience is now an integral part of the overseas study “package”. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is seen to provide critical “employability” knowledge and skills, however, international students have low participation rates. The high value placed on WIL among international students poses challenges for Australia as well as opportunities. Understanding the issues surrounding international students and WIL is closely linked to Australia’s continued success in the international education sector which has broad, long-term, social and economic implications. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on 59 interviews with a range of stakeholders including international students, universities, government, employers and professional bodies. Central to the paper is an in-depth case study of WIL in the business and accounting discipline at one Australian university. Findings – Providing international students with access to discipline-related work experience has emerged as a critical issue for Australian universities. The study finds that enhancing the employability skills of internationals students via integrated career education, a focus on English language proficiency and “soft skills” development are central to success in WIL. Meeting the growing demand for WIL among international students requires a multipronged approach which hinges on cooperation between international students, universities, employers and government. Originality/value – This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap by advancing theories in relation to international students and WIL. While there is a significant body of research in the fields of international education and WIL, there is an absence of research exploring the intersection between the two fields. The study will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in both fields by exploring the emerging issue of WIL and international students.

Academic's perceptions of work-integrated learning in non-vocational disciplines

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle A. Lloyd ◽  
Bonnie Amelia Dean ◽  
Michelle J. Eady ◽  
Conor West ◽  
Venkata Yanamandram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

PurposeWork-integrated learning (WIL) is a strategy that enhances student learning and employability by engaging students in real-world settings, applications and practices. Through WIL, tertiary education institutions forge partnerships with industry to provide students with access to activities that will contribute to their career-readiness and personal growth. The purpose of the paper is to explore academics perceptions of WIL from non-vocational disciplines, where WIL opportunities are less prevalent.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a qualitative, case-study methodology to unpack academics' reflections on the question “What does WIL mean to you?” Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 subject coordinators across a number of non-vocational degrees at one university in Australia. Open coding and thematic analysis was used to explore qualitative data and identify common themes.FindingsData suggest that academics largely have placement-based understandings of WIL that cause tensions for embedding WIL meaningfully in their courses. Tensions surface when WIL is perceived as a pedagogy that contributes to the neoliberal agenda that sits in conflict with theoretical approaches and that restrict notions of career.Originality/valueAlthough WIL is not relevant in all subjects, these understandings are a useful starting point to introduce WIL meaningfully, in various ways and where appropriate, in order to provide students opportunities for learning and employability development. The paper has implications for faculty, professional learning and institutional strategies concerning WIL for all students.

The Contribution of Part-Time Work Experience to Pre-Service Teachers' Development of Graduate Employability

2019 ◽  
pp. 20-47
Author(s):  
Tran Le Huu Nghia ◽  
Phuong Hoang Yen ◽  
Tran Le Kim Huong
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Work Integrated Learning ◽  
Part Time Work

Work-integrated learning (WIL) has been found to be effective in developing graduate employability. Working part-time while undertaking undergraduate studies may produce similar effects; however, its contribution to the development of students' employability has not yet been examined adequately. Therefore, this chapter will report a study investigating 22 Vietnamese pre-service teachers' experiences of how working as teaching assistants in commercial English language centers has contributed to their employability. Content analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed that part-time work experience elevated the pre-service teachers' specialized knowledge and skills, equipped them with soft skills, expanded their social networks, enhanced their adaptability to different work cultures, and modified their teacher identity. The chapter calls for universities to award credits for part-time work experience as a type of WIL, develop a mechanism for integrating it into curricula, and help graduates evidence their work experience to their future employers.

scholarly journals Employability of international students: Strategies to enhance their experience on work-integrated learning (WIL) programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Pham ◽  
Dat Bao ◽  
Eisuke Saito ◽  
Raqib Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Qualitative Review ◽  
Multicultural Diversity ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

This paper presents a systematic qualitative review of relevant literature, documents and reports, and critically discusses issues facing international students undertaking work-integrated learning (WIL) activities as part of their higher education in Australia. Initiatives utilised to better support international students on these WIL placements are described. Based on an evaluation of the data reviewed, the discussion highlights two main challenges to international students’ employment experiences: a limited competence in English communication, and a limited understanding of the local working context. In seeking explanations for the above, the authors identified factors such as inadequate student-entry procedures, limited opportunities for socialisation, limited input in cultural protocols, and the lack of soft-skills training. The recommended solutions include more uniformity between government and employer sectors, increased acceptance and support for multicultural diversity, an openness towards diverse ways of thinking, and an enhancement of training in diverse communication styles.

scholarly journals Integrating the World of Work Into Initial TVET Teacher Education in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-28
Author(s):  
Andre J. Van der Bijl
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Curriculum Framework ◽  
Work Integrated Learning ◽  
And Training

South African Policy on Professional Qualifications for Lecturers in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (2013) provides a framework of professional qualifications for lecturers in the TVET system, which requires work-integrated learning placements in both education and industry settings. South Africa, however, does not have a convention of industry placement for vocational lecturers. This absence led the Department of Higher Education and Training, with the European Union, to co-fund a research and development project, the ‘effective delivery of the work-integrated learning (WIL) component of TVET and adult and community education and training lecturer qualification programmes’. The key output of this project was the development of a comprehensive curriculum framework for the industry-WIL component of the qualifications. This paper provides a reflective analysis of the multiple institutions, the national process through which the curriculum framework was developed and the knowledge generated through it.

scholarly journals Work-integrated learning for TVET lecturers: Articulating industry and college practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
André Van der Bijl ◽  
Vanessa Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Adult And Continuing Education ◽  
School Based ◽  
International Discourse ◽  
Work Integrated Learning ◽  
Adult And Continuing ◽  
Teacher Placement ◽  
And Training

South Africa’s policy frameworks for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and adult and continuing education and training (ACET) lecturers require that the work-integrated learning (WIL) element of programmes include WIL in appropriate ‘industry settings’ to ensure that TVET lecturers develop expertise in both teaching their subjects and preparing their students for the demands of the workplace. Whereas the country’s education faculties have a strongly developed practice of school-based WIL, none currently offers a formal programme that includes WIL in industry. International literature on teacher placement in industry thus largely concerns the in-service placement of practising educators to develop and update their industry knowledge and experience. In South Africa, some institutions have embarked on projects that have developedknowledge of industry WIL for TVET college lecturers, one of these being the SSACI-EDTP SETA WIL for Lecturers Project, through which more than 400 college lecturers have completed a work placement, conducted between 2014 and 2017. It provides a significant amount of information on the possible nature and implementation of the industry-based WIL component of the lecturer qualifications currently being developed. Using the Shulman and Shulman (2004) framework on teacher learning, this article analyses the project. It seeks to deepen the understanding of the nature of lecturer learning through WIL and also to contribute to the national, African and broader international discourse on the placement in industry of vocational educators and articulation between the worlds of work and education.

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