Carrick funded study to benefit USQ

Students at the University of Southern Queensland's (USQ) Springfield Campus will benefit from a Carrick funded study into Work Integrated Learning (WIL) that is set to increase graduate employability skills.

Career learning consultant at USQ Guy Williams worked with Carol Joy-Patrick (Griffith), Catherine Pocknee (Swinburne) and Dr. Deborah Peach (QUT) to secure the Carrick Competitive Grant for the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN).

The study, Work Integrated Learning: A national framework for initiatives to support best practice, received $294,570 from the Carrick Institute, which fund projects that demonstrate innovation in learning and teaching

'I am the communications manager for the ACEN, which only formed recently and we were discussing ways in which we could get this project off the ground, so we applied for a Carrick Grant,' Mr Williams said.

'The grant will enable ACEN to produce a scoping study to facilitate the development of models of best practice for the implementation of WIL programs in Australia.'

As USQ is a partner institution Mr Williams said that through the involvement in the project there would be many benefits for the University.

'USQ is a partner institution on the project and as a result will have the opportunity to work on the first large scale scoping study for WIL in this country.

'Springfield was originally set up to offer WIL to all students across all programs. The research will directly impact on the way WIL is integrated.

'There has been an awareness in the tertiary education sector that while most graduates have a good knowledge of their discipline many lack the employability skills necessary for success in the workforce.'

Mr Williams said that the most effective way to develop these employability skills is through practical experiences, including work placements, industry visits, mentoring and guest lectures.

'To get that practical experience they need the opportunity. This research is about providing that opportunity.

'Staff at USQ will also have access to leading examples of WIL programs in Australia which when implemented will provide our students with the opportunity to develop the employability skills necessary to be successful in the world of work.'

The Carrick funded project is the first that Mr Williams has been a part of and said that with support from the prestigious institute he was hopeful of achieving some positive results.

'This is the first time that I have been involved in a project that has been funded by the Carrick Institute,' he said.

'The initial scoping study will identify key stakeholders and give them a voice so the key challenges and issues that face the sector at the current time can be identified and prioritised.'

Media Contact:  Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 1628