Redefining Student Success: Measuring the Impact of Work Integrated Learning and Graduate Employability Initiatives at Edith Cowan University

Increasingly, universities are expected to prepare students to transition into the workforce with generic graduate capabilities. These include being able to recognise and mitigate potential risks, solve problems effectively, and manage diversity and ambiguity. If universities can provide that value of learning for students, then student retention rates will naturally follow.  

Another important role of universities is to provide opportunities for students to share and review their workplace experiences so they can transform their learning experiences into practice knowledge. This latter role often fails to gain the curriculum space and the attention it deserves.

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) refers to university initiatives such as internships, clinical and fieldwork. Work integrated learning isn’t new to university education, but is on the rise as universities adopt strategic targets for student workplace participation as an element of their studies.

Ahead of the Graduate Employability Summit 2019 we chat with Associate Professor Denise Jackson, Director, Work-Integrated Learning at ECU School of Business and Law. In this article Denise explores the unique challenges facing ECU’s student cohort and delves into how the University is working to drive graduate outcomes through a redefinition of success and a focus on WIL strategies.