WIL in Universities Final Report

The WIL in Universities Final Report was the result of an audit of ways in which universities provide work integrated learning (WIL) opportunities to ensure that graduates are career-ready.

Some figures from the survey:

• In 2017, 451,263 students had a WIL experience. This equates to one in three university students enrolled in Australia in 2017. Of the total number of students who undertook a WIL experience in 2017, 104,140 had more than one WIL experience during the year. This made a total of 555,403 WIL activities in 2017.
• The most common type of WIL in universities was a placement, accounting for 43 per cent of the total WIL activity in 2017. This can be partially explained by placements that are integrated into specific degree programs because they are mandatory for registration in professions such as teaching, medicine and nursing.
• Although a work placement is the most common type of WIL activity, universities are moving beyond this historical approach to WIL to offer opportunities such as projects, simulations and fieldwork amounting to 11.2 per cent of the total WIL activities undertaken by university students in 2017.
• Despite the assumption that participation in WIL is restricted to undergraduate students, students from across all levels of learning at university were actively engaged in WIL activities.
• The diversity in types of WIL activity reflects the considerable range of relationships between universities and employers. Institutions are partnering with organisations – both domestically and internationally – in a multitude of ways to ensure that the WIL experiences offered to students are dynamic, meaningful and opportune.

The full report can be accessed online.