The ACAP courses listed below include field education/ work placement component and in that way units and courses have learning outcomes related to employability. Refer to 1.8 below for a list of courses that include work placements.
ACAP has the following relevant policies:
ACAP has a dedicated placement unit which manages placements, organisation's requirements and liaising with faculty
All courses share the common ACAP Graduate Attributes that address the needs of its stakeholders, meeting the ACAP mission to:
There is also a page on the ACAP website that lists employment opportunities, both paid and unpaid:
https://www.acap.edu.au/current-students/managing-my-course/employment-opportunities/
The Course Approval and Quality manual is a consolidation of policies and procedures relating to course approval and quality at Curtin University. Policies and procedures related to course (program) level refer to strategies that promote employability such as professional accreditation and WIL. For example:
Graduate Capabilities Principles: • Curtin is committed to producing graduates who demonstrate the Graduate Capabilities. • Students are presented with appropriate learning, teaching, and assessment experiences to enable them to develop and demonstrate the Curtin Graduate Capabilities. • Students are made aware of the importance of development of the Curtin Graduate Capabilities early in their studies. • The Curtin Graduate Capabilities are explicitly communicated to staff and students in all course and unit documentation. • The Curtin Graduate Capabilities apply to all Curtin award courses of at least 200 credits in length, to allow sufficient time for graduates to develop the capabilities.
Each bachelor degree will have: • a dedicated core unit which develops communication skills and academic English language proficiency; and • Work-integrated learning to support the development of graduate employability.
The School Advisory Board (a consultative body comprised of relevant staff and industry, government, community and professional association representatives) will: • advise on changing trends, needs and priorities relating to the discipline areas of the School; • assist in developing links with industry, government and the community; • contribute to the general promotion of the School/discipline; • advise on future trends in the relevant industries employing graduates; • consider changes to courses and the introduction of new courses at the very broad level; • provide input to course reviews; and • consider proposals or submissions for course accreditation (where applicable). The three primary foci of Course reviews are: Course quality (curriculum design with clear, appropriate and developmental learning outcomes; engaging learning experiences; assessment clearly linked to outcomes; continual enhancement and efficient, management); course viability (cost effectiveness and sustainability); and course relevance (the course aligns with Curtin's strategic priorities and external stakeholder and graduate employment confirms the course is meeting expectations). Course reviews incorporate student, community and other stakeholder feedback, and satisfy professional and accreditation requirements.
WIL Guidelines The purpose of this the WIL Guidelines are to establish a university wide framework for Work Integrated Learning (WIL). This framework allows for effective collaborations with industry, ensuring an engaging and relevant student experience, evidenced by authentic assessment, and producing highly employable Curtin graduates with the relevant work-based skills. Underpinned by Curtin’s Teaching and Learning Policies, the WIL framework and guidelines provide the core principles for curriculum design, assessment practices, quality assurance and industry engagement in the context of WIL.
The Curriculum Design Policy outlines the principles to be applied in the design of the University’s coursework curriculum to support a distinctive whole-of-institution approach. In particular, the policy outlines that a whole-of-course approach is to be adopted and, among other reference points, to be informed by a Course Consultative Committee utilising the Course Consultative Committee Guidelines. The Course Consultative Committee is a forum comprising members from industry, employers and the community. It provides high level advice to the University about courses, teaching, research, and professional and community engagement.
The Curriculum Design Policy indicates curriculum design will: 4.12 Engage students in authentic tasks, including embedding experiential learning opportunities; and, explicitly include career development learning across a course to promote employability. Course Learning Outcomes ensure the Career Development Learning is embedded across the course. The focus is for courses to be clearly and explicitly mapped throughout each course to ensure that students’ recognition of their learning and academic and professional development is supported throughout their course. The aim is for students to graduate being able to articulate the knowledge, skills and achievements they have gained through their time at Edith Cowan University, and to have evidence to support this. The annual and major course and unit review procedures and the ECU Excellence Framework structure review processes and prioritise a focus on benchmarking course design and student outcomes internally and externally. The Course and Unit learning outcomes are benchmarked and show employability measures within the curriculum.
Griffith has some outstanding cases of programmatic employability learning practice (eg ‘My life as a musician’ and the Bachelor of Sport Development) and is on a trajectory to achieving institutionally systematic curricular integration (embedded into program development and review). The Griffith Graduate Employability Review recommended that Griffith adopt a curriculum integration approach to graduate employability, with a program-level framework supported by appropriate attendant supports and resources for Program Directors and Program Leadership teams. At course level, employability learning is being integrated into the Standards for Course Design and Virtual Learning Environments currently in development.
The Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) documents for new or revised courses always mention employability. Revised courses and programmes also require stakeholder engagement, and this includes major employers in our community.
There are several policies which specifically deal with employability and how it is achieved. Public Website SAE’s public website describes the practice based, industry aligned nature of SAE’s programs.
This is seen through linking of graduate attributes in Unit Information Guides, and the Graduate Attributes Policy: http://policies.scu.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00091
Themes related to employability and professional competencies are embedded in the course learning outcomes which drives assessment and teaching and learning activities. It is important to note that the graduate attributes (GAs) and course learning outcomes (CLOs) were developed with employability of graduates in mind, but most CLOs were developed before there were formal definitions of employability (for example, SCU still has not settled on an institutional definition of employability). DVC (Students) is reviewing Graduate attributes to more explicitly link to employability and assist with curriculum mapping of employability skills.
ESE have a process in place for students, employers and teaching staff to compare evaluations of threshold learning outcomes. These results provide evidence that graduates are work ready. See abstract of in press publication, Using internship placements to road test threshold learning outcomes for environment and sustainability and link to related publication: Road Testing Graduate Attributes and Course Learning Outcomes of an Environmental Science Degree via a Work-Integrated Learning Placement. See also ESE employer Supervisor Evaluation document. Courses with external accreditation processes have employability and professional competency themes strongly embedded in the “course philosophy” underpinning curriculum and are reviewed by external accrediting bodies that guide the workforce.
Other programs include: • OT: Occupational Therapy Board of Australia, AHPRA, World Federation of Occupational Therapists. A School-based annual Health conference, OTSA (OT student alliance) organise networking and employment forums. • School of Education - Employability is explicitly addressed in the first and final Professional Experience units in the Education degree where students attend a Workshop Day centred on Employability. • SLJ - Employability is addressed in the Bachelor of Laws program through inclusion of relevant activities in compulsory residential workshop programs. • ESE - The generic skills that graduates need (navigating the workplace, interacting with others and getting the work done) are assessed as part of the host evaluation of students studying Internship Study (ENV00224). Hosts rate the students as either novices, advanced beginners, capable, proficient or expert. Any student regardless of their grade point average can enrol in the internship. Overall, students are rated as “proficient” for the generic skills assessed.
Swinburne in partnering with leading Australian and global organisations offer students authentic workplace experiences. The current iteration of the Industry Based Learning program is called the Swinburne Advantage. The Swinburne Advantage provides a range of opportunities covering all styles of engagement to suit both domestic and international cohorts. The Swinburne website accessible by students provides materials for students (both current and future) to explore and determine the best option to suit their Professional Purpose. At a course level there are varied activities which are embedded within the structure or the student can add to their course structure.
Swinburne Advantage examples are listed here:
• Professional Placement Co-Major 12-month or Professional Placement Minor 6-month Swinburne undergraduate courses students may choose either option. The co-major and minor includes a full-time work placement that allows students to apply their discipline learnings from university to industry and develop their employability skills. The Professional Placement experience includes an academic component that is assessed by an Academic Supervisor from the relevant discipline. Eligibility
• local or international undergraduate student enrolled in a standard three- or four-year degree program (students studying through Swinburne Online (SOL) or Open Universities Australia (OUA) are not eligible for a professional placement)
• weighted course average of 60.0% or higher
• completed a minimum of 12 units/150 credit points and have a minimum of 3 units/37.5 credit points remaining at the completion of the placement. Students are enrolled in two units each semester, both of which are assessed.
Professional undergraduate degree - from 2016, Swinburne introduced for high achieving students the opportunity to enrol in an undergraduate Professional degree which incorporates a paid, full time 12-month work placement normally undertaken during the third year of study. The student undertakes paid placement, receives academic credit and gains invaluable skills that assist our learners to be future-ready upon graduation. The Undergraduate Professional courses are available to both domestic and international students.
Professional Internships - a more recent addition to the Swinburne Advantage portfolio which is a unit of study involving a part-time workplace experience, (18-24 days) in an area relevant to a student’s academic study. The unit allows the student to integrate ‘real world learning’ and gain valuable experience in the workplace. The Internship unit is unpaid; however, they do earn credit towards their degree and participate in regular online learning activities as part of the unit.
Eligibility
• students in courses that have a Professional Internship as an accredited study option
• domestic and international students (students studying through Swinburne Online (SOL) or Open Universities Australia (OUA) are not eligible for a professional internship)
• completed a minimum of 150 credit points in degree, or in the last semester of degree have a minimum of one unit of study plus the Professional Internship unit remaining to complete degree
• have an elective unit free in their study plan
• weighted course average of 60.0% or higher
Accreditation Placement - in some courses, such as LLB, Nursing and Engineering, Education, Aviation or Postgraduate Psychology the mandatory requirement to undertake an accreditation placement. In these instances, the compulsory work integrated learning experience is designed to meet professional accreditation or registration requirements in specific professions.
Industry-linked Projects or Industry Study Tours - both provide further employability skills, through authentic engagement with industry and community-based organisations both locally and internationally.
Create their own opportunities - which are not part of an academic course and credit is not received towards their degree but include a range of extra-curricular activities supported by the University to enhance student employability and career management.
Swinburne Emerging Leaders Program - is an opportunity which identifies skills a student has developed during their course and translates these experiences into skills that employers recognise. E.g. part time work, volunteer work or work in a club or society.
At a course level, in 2018, Swinburne offered for the first time a revolutionary Bachelor of Engineering Practice (Honours) degree which provides an alternative to the traditional teaching and assessment approaches in engineering offered through the Swinburne Engineering Practice Academy. Recent reports had indicated that graduates from traditional STEM courses often lacked key employability skills that would enable them to contribute to a 21st century business environment. Existing traditional course structures are focused on creating graduates with technical depth which has been required up-to-date but who can’t necessarily apply this knowledge in realistic settings or who are limited in mindset and ability to contribute. The new course co-designed with multiple industry partners, where the students join a simulated engineering practice from day one, work as engineers in teams on industry projects and are supported by engineering mentors throughout the program. In combination with this Swinburne from 2017, launched an Associate Degree of Applied Technologies which was developed and designed to implement a ‘Higher Apprenticeship Industry 4.0 alternate delivery pilot’ for the Federal Government. The course is offered to students and delivers the cutting-edge technical engineering and information technology skills, equipping students to work effectively in and around the digital revolution.
Swinburne Law students, can now choose to take part in a dual award program with Leo Cussen Centre for Law, which allows students to study their LLB at Swinburne, whilst also completing their Practical Legal Training (PLT) at Leo Cussen, thus providing graduating students with the two steps required prior to application to become a qualified Australian lawyer. In the traditional way, students would normally complete their LLB then have gone on to complete their PLT requiring further time duration before being able to join workforce, the new dual award removes this requirement.
Embedded into the business development stage for any new course or major is a designated ‘impact’ section within the Business Case which requests for detail on the employability outcomes for potential students. Once approved to proceed to accreditation stage, the ‘Course Purpose’ noted in the accredited course details must include references to potential career outcomes, this purpose is then translated to the corresponding course entry page on the university website accessible by potential and current students under ‘career opportunities’.
A recent change to Coursework Curriculum Design – Academic Policy effective 1 June 2018 states “all bachelor degree programs, must provide an opportunity for students to develop and improve their employability skills by including one or more employability/WIL experience coursesâ€. The implementation of the Coursework Curriculum Design - Academic Policy and Coursework Curriculum Design - Procedures will be phased in, with full compliance expected by Semester 1, 2021.
Professionally accredited programs have work integrated placements embedded as required by accrediting bodies.
Evidence:
1.5a Coursework Curriculum Design - Academic Policy and Procedures
The overall framework for WIL is set out in policy. See the Work Integrated Learning Policy which recognises that while much WIL will occur through placement in industry, professional or community organisations, valid WIL can also be provided through simulation, assessment and other learning activities. The policy sets out the principles that should inform WIL and the importance of partnerships with industry and professions. For placement activity, WIL agreements with providers and students set out respective obligations and place an emphasis on preparation for both students and work place providers, risk management and database management. See the Work Integrated Learning Procedure.
As part of risk management, the University has established policy and procedures to ensure that professional placement can be undertaken without risk to the health and safety of self or others. See the Safe to Practice Policy and Safe to Practice Procedure Recognising that much WIL and experiential learning may take place off campus through field activities and/or involve remote or isolated work the University has established minimum standards to ensure that any risks to health and safety are eliminated or minimised and that risk assessments are undertaken for such activities. The Project and Task Risk Management Procedure provides additional guidance to students and staff, as does the dedicated web-based resource on Field Activity and Work Integrated Learning, which includes information relating to RiskTeq (a management tool for staff, students and volunteers participating in field activities at the University). RiskTeq incorporates a risk assessment process, project approval and review as well as meeting record keeping requirements.
When considering the various components of employability, VU has prioritised the embedding of Work Integrated Learning, Career Development Learning and Entrepreneurship into curriculum across all HE courses. Whilst some academic colleges already have explicitly embedded policies and process relating to employability in curriculum. This is especially the case in courses requiring structured clinical placement such as Nursing & Paramedicine, Dermal Science, Education, Social Work Sport and Business.
VU’s Employability Strategy seeks to further encourage the embedding of employability principles at the degree/course levels through the implementation of College Employability Action Plans (CEAPs). CEAPs are a formal agreement by Colleges to undertake a range of curricular and co-curricular activities aimed at enhancing the employability of their students. See attachment for the College of Engineering & Science CEAP.
As part of VU’s Transformational Agenda, VU will continue reinventing tertiary education by extending the block mode of teaching across all undergraduate and postgraduate courses by 2020. This provides a unique opportunity for embedding employability skills, concepts and activities into academic units through this course redesign process.
Supporting documents: CEAP 2018 - College of Engineering & Science
Employability is only embedded at degree level within graduate attributes. However, it is not explicitly embedded in policies and processes. Employability is embedded at course level within the WIL units which are a compulsory part of the institutions degree programs. The Industry Engagement discipline is responsible for the development and delivery of these units across all degree courses and has developed a WIL Framework which embeds the learning of employability into these academic units. This is achieved by the inclusion of a Career Development Framework and a Professional Capability Framework, with Learning Outcomes connected to employability. The institution has a WIL policy and associated processes for these units of study. By including employability more explicitly within the institution strategic plan, it can become more embedded in policies and processes at the degree level, with more explicit inclusion of employability in other units of study.
Yes, with regard to Industry Training Placements, but not necessarily broader employability activities that present across the whole course. The Industry Training Program is a nine month, full-time placement 'block' that UG students undertake in the middle of their program before returning to campus to complete their program. PG students undertake a 6 month placement in their final semester. The Placements represent compulsory subjects in all UG and PG courses. Otherwise, on-going industry speakers, industry site visits and industry inspired lecturers also present across all course levels.
Employability is not explicitly embedded into broader policies and processes at present. Plans to define 'Employability' in the ICMS context will assist this process, as will the development of an associated 'Employability' Policy to embody the ICMS approaches and activities that integrate theory with work practice.
Also, the upcoming ICMS course accreditation and re-accreditation process with TEQSA is allowing an employability focus to embed across the learning outcomes of the entire course.
In the universities Coursework Regulation released in 2018 a new course component in undergraduate degrees was introduced. The ‘Murdoch Spine’ consists of up to 9 credit points, unless an exemption is granted, and is in a ‘domain’ recommended to Academic Council by the University Executive. The current ‘domain’ for the Murdoch Spine is focused on career learning and real world learning. Employability is not explicitly listed in the Coursework Regulations (copied below), but it is made apparent outside of policies that the current domain has an employability focus. The Murdoch Spine course component is being embedded through a staged rollout as courses undergo review, and is not currently embedded in all courses at the University. Employability is not embedded in policies or processes affecting postgraduate offerings.
“The new The Murdoch Spine: 16.1. Is in a domain recommended to Academic Council by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Education in collaboration with the University Executive and the broader academic community; 16.2. Consists of a set of units and/or learning experiences with assigned credit point values that complement or augment disciplinary learning by developing competency in that domain; and 16.3. Is offered as a student-nominated choice between non-disciplinary experiences and discipline nominated alternatives (where available), except where it has been approved to be wholly or partially embedded within the required Components of a Course that is fully prescribed and accredited for practicing/professional registration.”
Degrees that require professional accreditation have policies and procedures ensuring WIL components. Eg. UNSW Engineering Undergraduate and Postgraduate degrees require students to undertake 60 days of Industrial training as part of their program of study and to qualify for accreditation from Engineers Australia.
Yes, but policies and processes concerning professional practicums are explicitly available only for the Health and Medical Sciences (HMS) Faculty. These processes and policies are at the course/faculty level, and do not apply to the entire University.
The other facilities; Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (EMS), Science and ABLE (Arts, Business, Law and Education), have a mixture of professional practicums, elective WIL placements and other WIL activities. While these courses do not have a specific policy at the course/faculty level they are governed by the University policy on Experiential Learning, which includes WIL. The purpose of the University’s Experiential Learning policy is to: - facilitate a coordinated approach to experiential learning with a view to it becoming an integral part of the University’s courses - provide explicit standards for experiential learning - provide procedures to ensure risks are identified and managed - ensure that experiential learning meets its objectives
Each faculty currently runs a different operational process to place students in industry placements, however an external consultant has been contracted to assist in streamlining the processes into a scalable, University-wide approach.
Employability is not embedded explicitly in policies and processes at degree or course level. Employability learning content exists at varying levels across courses but is predominately featured at Capstone unit level within a degree and/or in PACE units at 300 level in a Course.
PACE became a compulsory requirement of all Macquarie Bachelor degrees from 2016 and as a result, is embedded across all Faculties and undergraduate courses, and integrated into all academic disciplines. This is facilitated by PACE’s distributed organisational structure which was purposefully designed to maximise Faculty engagement, foster cross-institutional collaboration and innovation, and ensure effective, efficient and coordinated program delivery. To those ends, a hub and spoke structure was adopted with teams of dedicated PACE staff embedded in each of the University’s five Faculties, all supported by a Central Hub.
Each Faculty-based PACE team is led by an Academic Director of PACE and a Faculty PACE Manager and comprises several Faculty PACE Officers. These teams work collaboratively with industry partners, students and Faculty-based [Careers staff] and unit convenors to develop and deliver PACE activities (Clark, 2017).
The policy framework for PACE is encapsulated in the Academic Senate’s “Criteria for PACE units and activities”. Its operational implementation is supported by a suite of procedures which are currently being rationalized into an overarching PACE activity procedure which is en route to being considered by Academic Senate later this year.
Currently, students are exposed to key employability messaging in many courses and degree programs across UQ. Many of our degree programs have well embedded employability components which align with the UQ Employability Framework, and have employability development as a clearly articulated learning outcomes.
For example: COMU3801: Communications Internship - Learning Objectives: 1. Synthesize your experience of industry practices, including ethics and relevant codes of conduct through oral, written and other relevant media. 2. Understand and effectively perform various assigned professional communication activities, including research, writing, coordinating; reflect on the application of theory to practice. 3. Analyse and critically reflect on how your knowledge of communications relates to the professional context of the workplace and then communicate these to a professional standard through oral, written, and other media. 4. Compile the written and digital tools necessary to gain employment
Students in early years are exposed to the concepts of employability and have the chance to learn and explore career options, they have an opportunity to engage in work integrated learning in the later years of the degree, and also learn how to effectively articulate their employability in recruitment situations. Examples of this scaffolded approach can be found in: Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Bachelor of Journalism Bachelor of Communications Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery
There are many additional instances of individual courses in many degree programs explicitly embedding elements of employability learning.
A Program Architecture review is currently underway at UQ which will make recommendations to modify current program structures to allow for increased and equitable student access to work integrated learning opportunities, and further enable the embedding of entrepreneurship, global mobility, career development learning and employability messaging within degree programs.
In late 2018 UQ commenced a review of its placement policy to clarify and update the existing document and to simplify and clearly communicate processes and expectations in this space.
However, there are some program areas doing this very well. This is predominantly professional practice programs, such as Nursing and Education, and this is generally focused on placements and professional accreditation. However, this is not an institution wide practice. Placements through professional practice programs are strictly in accordance with policies and procedures regarding professional practice, for example:
https://www.usq.edu.au/current-students/academic/education-placements
https://www.usq.edu.au/current-students/academic/hes-placements/resources-and-forms
The Employability Strategy is informed by the Graduate Capital model and this will give focus to policies and processes at the course and degree level in future. The university has recently added a number of graduate attributes which reflect those habits of mind, attitudes and skills necessary to thrive in a disrupted future of work. These have in turn been reflected in the university's strategic plan Securing Success 2018 – 2020 which informs the development of curriculum policies and procedures at all levels of the institution. However, within individual schools a number of different processes and policies have been used to address employability at a course or degree level.
The University’s Employability Strategy and Student Placement Policy, guided by the principles of the Graduate Capital model, inform the principles and procedures for the approval and management of student placements undertaken as a requirement of a unit or program of study. Employability is fostered in the professional degrees through accreditation requirements such as placement or internship programs embedded in their course structures, for example the compulsory fieldwork placements for all students in the social work program, or the clinical practice program in the school of podiatry and the professional experience placements in the school of education. WIL is detailed in the University’s course and unit development documentation for the consideration and approval of key committees at all levels through the academic governance process. A number of schools have initiated specific employability oriented collaborations with external partners particularly to reimagine WIL as something other than placements alone. Others have capstone or foundations units focused on employability such as the professional core units in the Bachelor of Business.