Work-integrated learning, also known as WIL, combines theoretical knowledge with authentic and meaningful work practice. It involves partnerships with community or industry and is embedded within the curriculum. WIL supports students' academic studies, employability skills, and contributions to society as active citizens.
Community and industry projects: Students are actively involved in research predominately conducted in professional settings, encompassing consulting projects, design initiatives, and community-based research endeavours.
Fieldwork: Provides students with immersive, part-time, or short-term practical experience closely aligned with their field of study.
Simulation: Students work activities are directly contributed by an industry partner.
Virtual: Students engage in authentic work practice with an industry partner online or virtually (i.e. Telehealth) with real clients or industry input.
Entrepreneurship: Provides students with access to resources, mentorship, workspace, and potential funding to develop new business ventures or external projects addressing real-world challenges, all while earning academic credit.
The following sections have been designed to offer information and resources that support our university staff and industry partners in delivering WIL.
Work-integrated learning is a strategic educational priority for Charles Sturt University, providing a distinctive chance for all involved parties to form a collaborative bridge between theory and practice. It constitutes a fundamental component of the learning journey, acknowledged for its substantial role in aiding graduates’ transition into the professional world. For university staff members, WIL offers the following prospects.
WIL support activities are seamlessly integrated into learning and teaching services, with operational support closely aligned with the specific college-level teaching programs they serve. Our overarching objective is to deliver purposeful, well-structured, supervised, and assessed WIL opportunities at Charles Sturt, thus optimising the potential benefits for all stakeholders.
Charles Sturt University is dedicated to nurturing creative and enterprising graduates ready for lifelong contributions to society. Our Work-integrated learning opportunities are vital in enhancing our students’ employability and equipping them for the evolving workforce demands.
By hosting our students, engaging in workplace projects, or collaborating on on-campus industry projects with us, you actively cultivate graduates with the skills essential for success in the knowledge-based economy. Partnering with our students and Charles Sturt offers you significant advantages.
Charles Sturt University is committed to supporting students throughout their WIL experiences, including monitoring their work and accessing progress in line with quality assurance standards. Our participation in the National Strategy on Work-integrated Learning in University Education underscores our dedication to enhancing education quality, innovation, and workforce readiness. We actively collaborate with external bodies to prepare our students for professional practice.
The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) is the national professional association for work-integrated learning (WIL) and collaborative education.
ACEN creates impact through:
If you are a Charles Sturt University staff member, you can join ACEN for free.
As an ACEN member, you will have access to the national leading network for WIL. This extends your opportunities to access ongoing development and research in WIL. ACEN also partners with the World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE) and has an agreed arrangement where ACEN members are automatically provided a WACE membership.
We are privileged to have as our purpose the Wiradjuri phrase Yindyamarra Winhanganha.
This phrase means the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in. We will strive to bring this purpose to life through our everyday actions and work. Furthermore, we endeavour to achieve this purpose through work-integrated learning (WIL) and improve WIL opportunities for First Nations peoples. In particular, we are focusing on increasing pathways for First Nations peoples into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related fields.
If you are interested in partnering with us, we would greatly appreciate your participation in our First Nations Cultural Awareness Journey (FNCAJ) training, as we have many First Nations students at Charles Sturt.
Enrol in FNCAJ training (external)
Students can now complete their WIL requirements virtually. This can be an exciting opportunity for students, especially in rural areas.
We have three main virtual WIL providers at Charles Sturt:
The benefits that can flow from embedding WIL into course structures for students (and, by extension, employers and universities) have, among other things, been identified as:
Practera support educators to embed and scale authentic experiential and project learning, enhancing:
Charles Sturt University and Virtual Internships both seek to empower students to succeed in a digital and globalised world. A strategic partnership with Virtual Internships will result in: