News Archive

I want to take this opportunity to again thank those teams and individuals who submitted high quality responses to the Education and Student Experience Green Paper, and those who took part in the many consultations that happened around our Crawley and Albany campuses. A key and consistent theme emerging from these consultations is the important role of the University in assisting graduates to develop the qualifications, skills and knowledge they will require for a multi-career life. One aspect of developing career ready graduates is embedding quality Work Integrated Learning experiences throughout the curriculum. This is the theme we take up for Education Quarterly Issue 2.

In this issue, Professor Sally Male reflects on the changing nature and role of WIL from the 1980s to today; we hear first-hand accounts from students about the role of WIL in their career development, including Conor McLaughlin, winner of UWA IQ Student Start-Up of the Year Award; we unpack some of the outcomes from the recent WIL Summit and audit; and academics from the McCusker Centre for Citizenship and School of Design write about some of the WIL units available to students in their areas, and the way these units are evolving and changing over time.

Into the future, the University will continue to focus on the provision of authentic, quality Work Integrated Learning experiences for all UWA students. As Vision 2030 begins to crystallise, and the Education Strategy is developed, there is no doubt that enhancing graduate outcomes and employability will be a key focus for the University. Making authentic and meaningful WIL opportunities available to our students will be a critical success factor in achieving this goal.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Education Quarterly.

Best regards

Professor David Sadler
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education