About

Work-integrated learning (WIL) integrates theory with authentic, meaningful work practice. It partners with industry or community, and is embedded within the curriculum. WIL is related to a student's study, career development, and citizenship.

The five categories of Work-integrated learning

Types of Work-integrated learning including: 1 Placements, 2 Projects, 3 Fieldwork, 4 Virtual, 5 Other. Described below

1. Placements

  • Internships: Provides discipline-specific, supervised, paid or unpaid work experience for academic credit. Internships can take place during or after academic coursework, with varying durations.
  • Service Learning: Community Service Learning combines purposeful community service, classroom teaching, and reflective analysis to enhance learning and empower local communities. In action, students collaborate with community organisations, applying their academic expertise to address community-identified issues.
  • Mandatory professional practicum/Clinical placement: Entails professional practice under the supervision of an experienced registered or licensed professional (e.g. preceptor) in any discipline requiring practice-based work experience.

2. Projects

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.

3. Fieldwork

Fieldwork: Provides students with immersive, part-time, or short-term practical experience closely aligned with their field of study.

4. Simulation/virtual

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.

5. Other

Entrepreneurship: Enables students to utilise resources, mentorship, space, and potential funding for involvement in the initial phases of launching new businesses or progressing external concepts that tackle 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.

  1. Offering students a valuable and constructive learning experience seamlessly integrated into their course of study.
  2. Identifying fresh research prospects that connect academic knowledge with practical applications.
  3. Cultivating mutually advantageous connections and partnerships with various public, private, and non-for-profit organisations.
  4. Collaborating with host organisations to ensure that your commercial or industry-related teaching remains current.
  5. Utilising connections to engage employers in course validation panels, guest lectures, or seminar participation to develop subject areas.
  6. Crafting and tailoring innovative and highly relevant WIL opportunities in collaboration with past employers of WIL students.

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.

  • Access to a dedicated resource to tackle projects and tasks, enhancing your business’s capacity.
  • The introduction of enthusiastic, innovative talent with fresh perspectives who are well-versed in your field and its unique requirements.
  • Strengthen ties with higher education institutions, influencing teaching practices and methodologies.
  • The potential for establishing a recruitment channel or a talent pool for future opportunities.
  • Contribution to shaping the future workforce.
  • Staff development opportunities arise from mentoring students.
  • The chance to engage with the community and the #1 University for graduate employment.

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.

How you can partner with us

The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) is the national professional association for work-integrated learning (WIL) and collaborative education.

ACEN creates impact through:

  • facilitating valuable networking, professional learning and scholarship
  • promoting quality and inclusive WIL for all
  • advocating for collaboration and partnership with educators, community, industry, and government
  • ACEN aspires to influence how WIL is valued and enacted in Australia strategically.

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.

Read more about ACEN and our professional associations

First Nations WIL

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. Together, we will strive to bring this purpose to life through our everyday actions and work. Furthermore, we endeavour to bring this purpose to 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.

Virtual WIL providers

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:

Gradability

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:

  • developing non-technical professional skills that are generic and transferable
  • creating broader and deeper linkages with industry
  • promoting higher earning potential and employment rates
  • developing a professional identity
  • preparing for transition into the workforce – particularly critical in the context of future of work challenges
  • enabling application of theory into practice environments
  • providing students with a greater understanding of career option.

Practera

Practera support educators to embed and scale authentic experiential and project learning, enhancing:

  • student recruitment, experience and employability outcomes
  • equity of access
  • industry engagement
  • global mobility
  • funding and new revenue
  • data gathering and risk management.

Virtual Internships

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:

  • guaranteed placements
  • increased enrolments
  • enhanced employability outcomes.