Work integrated learning for engineering qualifications: a spanner in the works?

Improving employability skills through non-placement work-integrated learning in chemical and food engineering: A case study

“…A further strength of the course is that it is designed as “non-placement WIL” ( Jackson, 2017 ); that is, it links students with industry projects but does not involve placement in the workplace. As a non-placement WIL course, the course is not impacted by the “imbalance in the supply and demand of placement WIL opportunities and issues with resourcing” ( Jackson, 2017, p. 835 ), nor by industry exploitation of students as a source of cheap labor ( Mutereko and Wedekind, 2016 ). The viability of non-placement WIL in the course is evident at the time of writing, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.…”

“…Project-based learning, in conjunction with industry partners, has many benefits over internships, which are the most utilized form of WIL in Colombia. The project-based model of non-placement WIL provides lecturers more control over the quality of student learning as compared to the highly variable experiences that students have though internships ( Mutereko and Wedekind, 2016 ). Additionally, insufficient placements for all is a problem with internships, as is inequality in placements due to factors of race and social status ( Mackaway et al, 2014 ; Tran and Soejatminah, 2017 ).…”

Workplace-based learning: An industry perspective

“…WIL provides an opportunity for valuable partnerships to be forged between institutions, industries and students (Martin and Hughes 2009). Furthermore, WIL is beneficial to both students and employers as highlighted in the literature (Blom 2014;Mutereko and Wedekind 2015). Results from a study by Blicblau, Nelson and Dini (2016) indicate that students who spent longer periods of time in industry obtained better practical skills and were adequately prepared for the working environment.…”

“…The placement opportunities for students are few in South Africa and students are unable to graduate in the absence of such placement. This in turn negatively affects the student throughput rate and consequently impacts on the government funding that higher education institutions receive (Mutereko and Wedekind 2015) The decisions taken by different departments at institutions had to fall within the prescripts of the HEQSF documents. The UoT referred to in this article, opted for the 360 credit diploma (that includes WPBL) in line with the tradition of offering theoretical and practical training.…”

Kontribusi Pelaksanaan Praktik Industri Terhadap Kesiapan Kerja Mahasiswa

“…Di sisi lain, dunia akademik cukup lamban beradaptasi dan kebanyakan hanya mengulas mata pelajaran dengan teoriteori lama (Kaushal, 2016). Khususnya bagi lulusan teknik yang rentan mengalami kesulitan dalam memenuhi ekspektasi industri karena tugas pekerjaan sebagai engineer akan terus berkembang dan berubah (Lakshminarayanan, et al, 2014) (Mutereko, 2015). Sementara itu, sejumlah ilmuan mendefinisikan kesiapan kerja sebagai kondisi di mana seorang lulusan siap secara fisik dan mental untuk secara aktif berkontribusi pada tujuan organisasi (Mason, 2009;Jollands, 2012).…”