Engaging employers in Work Integrated Learning: Current State and Future Priorities

A research project exploring employer views on Work Integrated Learning (WIL), specifically, concerning the barriers limiting participation in WIL and the enablers that assist organisations to engage university students 

The findings of our research included:

• Employers typically first participated in WIL after being approached by a university or student. Only 30 organisations took the initiative in approaching a university.
• A clear majority (88 per cent) of organisations participating in WIL plan to continue engaging university students over the next two years.
• Just one in five organisations not participating in WIL have thought about or attempted to engage a student.
• While the umbrella term ‘Work Integrated Learning’ is established among key stakeholders, almost half of the organisations surveyed are not familiar with term.
• Organisations most likely to be active in providing students with WIL experiences are those that have been in operation around 20 years and/or have more than 15 employees.
• For smaller organisations, ensuring the quality of the WIL experience is particularly challenging given their limited resources.
• The two main barriers for organisations currently providing WIL opportunities are lack of resources and time for supervision of the university student.
• The strongest factors encouraging ongoing employer engagement in WIL are support from universities, good personal links with universities, and effective university coordination of students.

Read the full report here.