WACE Roundtable discussion feedback – Sessions 1-10 below

1. Employability

2. Life Skills

3. Workforce Development

4. Application of Academic Learning

5. Research

6. Innovation

7. Work-readiness

8. Community Development

9. Partnerships

10. Curriculum Development

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1. Employability

WACE Co-Facilitator: Paul ForestellSASCE: Co- Facilitator: Cassie KrugerScribe: Dorinda Borg (DUT) (dorindab@dut.ac.za)

1. SA- FET ‘slightly lower level’ as large population don’t have SC and movement to increase level.

2. TUT- write a policy to make students more employable including soft skills and are very small staff.

3. What is different between E and work readinessE – graduate recruitment, appropriate employment staying relevant.- Is it the institutions responsibility to instil or is WIL about providing challenges to

become proactive and reactive?- Traditional education pathway of the past versus Different pathways that the young

have today. It should be 100% embedded. Complete more than one career.- Put out in work space and then bring them back as students again and not young

professionals. Should be seen as young employee not mimicking WR- individualized characteristics to make a student to be employed. (Getting ready for work)- What are the employer’s needs?- Who are responsible for the problem of unemployment – the universities?- Many US universities that offer students work place opportunity are becoming more

popular due to the high fees of university education so by having WIL students are forwarded the opportunity to acquire work readiness skills while gaining employment.

- Link between industry and curriculum- Advisory/Liaison boards that UoTs in SA provide industry feedback to DUT and UJ to

remain relevant but the house also cautioned not to have academics and employers only deciding on the future of students and therefore NB that students do WIL to be part of that developmental learning process.

- Caution – that industry always only wants top students and it is difficult to place the bottom few.

- Students battle to make knowledge transferable- Industry rep- stated that academia does not keep the knowledge up to date and

relevant.- The generation Y – the job is my life is not the same as generation X (baby boom). The

world is different and students can research the info quickly and academia out dated.- E.g.: Social responsibility – care for the world needs to be included as previously not in

the curriculum.- The consumer attitude has changed. (previously students appreciated working hard)

More recently the academy moved to attitude of expectation with no idea of preparedness.

- Is there a problem because lectures do not go out into the work place so industries are developing their own schools/universities?

- If Employability ranking introduced to improve employability caution- but what criteria will be used and who decides on it?

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- Employability addressed from top ministry then down- Reciprocity and legal strategies have to be considered but in Australia have found

industry did not want the top students as they went into research but rather students that they can develop. Diploma of professional practice/ soft skills.(General Education)

- NB-Academics should have to include industry experience.- Universities need to include employers into the selection process thereby allowing wider

scope for placement.- FET lecturers need to be developed further including WIL. - Student’s attitude- in work places; social factors (dump one company for other options

that pays better). Feedback – to dependent, don’t have the confidence, the school system level is lowering and they battle. They don’t want to work hard and value what they have achieved.

- Universities need to include in their curriculum strategies to assist students to develop the attributes that industry suggests are missing.

- Quality and teaching and learning strategy should be able to address the soft skills by these being embedded in assessment practices.

- It is a good idea if SETAs could be allowed to partner with industry to get an idea of what their needs are and funding not driven purely by numbers.

- Recommendation to have parents/families getting involved in students’ academic and work preparedness particularly at school level so it becomes normal practice.

2. Life Skills

WACE Co-Facilitator: Kylie Twyford (Project Officer WIL University of Newcastle in Australia)SASCE Co-Facilitator: Joe Samuels (CEO: SAQA)Scribe: Annie Moletsane (Director: Work Integrated Learning (VUT)15 people attended including the facilitator and the scribe

Sharing Information:The Co-facilitator thanked the DUT students for attending the workshop. The Co-facilitator briefly explained the definition of life skills. She said it is the cognitive personal skills and interpersonal skills. International students tend to miss the life skills such as time management says industry. VUT said that they have a challenge of communication skills, most of the students are from rural areas and it becomes a challenge to them when speaking in English. Another comment was that we need to teach our students soft skills and critical skills. Students who are staying far from Urban areas do not understand English and those who are from far Africa. The institution brought the basic EDL to help such students. Report writing skill is a new challenge. We build labs for students to help them develop their measurements skills. In connection with the dress code, young people seeking work integrated learning or employment do not realize that they have to dress properly. Japan has a whistle day. Whistle day is when industry recruits students. Students will then buy the same suits for the recruitment day. The induction includes OHS (Safety Code), dress code, life skills so that students should know the difference between what is appropriate.

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Another important factor is that the theory is being different to the current practice which means that lecturers need more life skills. It is always advisable to link industry with theory. Students should come to class to participate and must work together as teams to learn from each other. Institutions should keep on learning from Industry and also keep up with what is happening in industry. An example that was given was with regards to Hospitality students; they are taught to do three beds at the Universities meanwhile in industry they are expected to do fifteen beds. This makes it difficult for them to cope.

It is important for the Universities to have advisory committees or boards to include industry partners to advice or have influence on the curriculum. It was realized that advisory boards are not effective at many Universities. Therefore, no advice about different skills students should have before they start WIL.The organizational culture is important and they are a lot of unwritten rules that are not even taught in class. South Africa has two types of Universities; those who issue diplomas and those who issue degrees. Professors are unwilling to do their work and can’t function without their communities. The involvement of communities is very important in our education system. Universities are working in silos and students are learning in silos therefore systems are not talking to each other. This should be rectified. Experience from one of the merge university such as MMU is that WIL students are employable than those that WIL is not a compulsory component (degrees). It is a win win situation with employer and institution. Employers prefers students with work place experience that those who have only theory. WIL programmes are very important and the suggestion was that all disciplines should include WIL as a compulsory component.

Life skills should be integrated in the beginning not at the end of the theory. Co-op means not only students must go for work integrated learning; it also means that academics must also go for industry training and research. We have to think of the context of South Africa and we must have balance of vocational and occupational education.

3. Workforce Development

WACE CO-FACILITATOR – WENDY BOWLES (WB) ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / SUB-DEAN WORKPLACE LEARNING- CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIASASCE CO-FACILITATOR – ADMIRAL KUBU (AK) SA NAVY

Welcome and introductions of facilitators and groupWB We have great diversity in this group, which will lead to engaging conversation. Our

purpose is to look at issues around Workforce Development that either WACE can review, or that are points of interest.What are the key things that stand out with regard to WIL ito Workforce Development?

Group response

It is difficult to separate WIL and development. In the context of SA, this needs to be taken seriously. I think industrial sabbaticals for all academics should to take place, to link theory to industry. This paid sabbatical leave would be to get in touch with the workplace. This will allow WIL to be successful.

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WB So it should be WIL for academics and students?Yes

WB Is it important for WIL to take place?Group response

From an employer perspective and an SA perspective, we have big and small businesses. This morning there was an emphasis on collaboration. Big and small businesses are very different. The question is how do we develop them? In a small business, it would be hard to release a person from industry. This results in conflict around the sabbatical topic – who does the job in the absence of the person, as there is a cost involved. Development of the Workforce needs to have benefit to 3 parties:

- Employee- Employer- Government

It is conflicting, but necessary. The question is how to get buy in to this. Employers need to buy in and work together and not compete.

AK How much time is spent on training?Group response

Workforce development forms part of lifelong learning. All stakeholders need to buy in. The employer must want the employee to grow. Obviously, profit needs to be made, therefore there needs to be a framework to support the process. It also means that people will not all go out at the same time. There needs to be a balance between productivity and training. It must add value. It is important to create a pool at to not lose out.

WB We have 2 models of WIL:

- Worker employed and studies – WIL can take place in the workplace to develop an existing workforce. The employer pays for the development and studies, and the return is the value that person brings back into the workplace

- Students not been paid

What happens in SA?Group response

This happens in SA, but in a framework. RPL has a place to support development and also often via block release learning. To reinforce development, there needs to be strong assessment processes in place.

WB So there are 2 streams – University via degrees or qualification, and then in business, with projects to return value to the organisation

Group response

It is also about strategic relations ito collaboration

AK Time spent is crucialWB In our under graduate programmes, 25% of the time is on WILGroup response

We also need to see the issue of WIL iro full qualifications. WIL allows a step into the workplace to develop either on the job or formally via qualification.In the context of SA, we have skills shortages. Often learning is not linked and often not portable. In the workplace, we do have some providers that are accredited. How do universities provide courses with transfer of learning?

AK We are moving into a space of credit bearing and non-credit bearing qualifications. There is a shift into evidence and RPL ito experience. The QCTO is also a new kid on the block. QCTO is pushing away from all courses having a credit value. A large amount of their work is looking credit bearing courses, as a lot of employers do not believe this is the way to go. Workplace development is not only about credits. It is all round training and skills

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Group response

A project in universities could look at the temporary release of an employee to develop academically and replace them with a temporary employee for the period. This helps replace the employee to allow another to gain experience and possible future employment. This creates an opportunity for both – one for WIL and one for development. Would be great if government would support such initiatives

WB In this example, what kind of work are we replacing?Group response

Academics and researchers. This could still be done in all areas and link up with training and credit vs. non-credit bearing learning – the employee often goes through volumes of learning, but ends up with nil qualification at the end.NQF levels are aligned to qualifications, however, UNISA may not recognise for further qualifications.Higher learning blocks this is learning is not done via an academic process. They need to see the workplace as a learning place that can assess and reward learning with qualification.Different institutions use the same process and should not be blocked due to lack of articulation. Partnerships need to exist between employer, employer and institutes of higher education. One qualification framework is essential.

WB Short course can build towards qualificationAK When in the workplace, one must remember that practical learning needs to be recorded

in a POE. If the POE is not in place, there can be no RPL. The POE needs to fit with RPL and higher education.

Group response

In some businesses, technology moves fast. Short qualifications are in place and need to form the building blocks towards larger qualifications. This leads to portable workplace learning and that is where the value sits.

WB I would like to get feedback from our Thai colleagues into the discussion. How do you resolve the issue?

Group response

Work integrated education needs to be part of a curriculum. This is part of pre-service education. Limited to that concept is that each institution produces graduates to a level of a national standard. This is the minimum standard. Some professions also require licensing and practical exposure prior to entering the workplace e.g.: Medical.Licensing is essential as are areas of WIL. They have to gain work experience prior to employment.We did an employer survey and looked at the kind of graduates ito characteristics:

- There was a mismatch between theory and practice. They have to spend time on the traditional training, but also can develop WIL along with majors. They learn the kind of competencies, culture and human relations required to fill the gap when entering the workplace.

After the introduction of co-op education programmes to under graduates, with collaboration, we found graduates could get the job, even if they needed to be alone in a job. Workplace access builds marketability. That’s why in Thailand, co-op education is so successful. It has led to huge growth and confirms the belief when producing graduates. The market must be the main driving force with academics.Co-op education is one measure of success. The market wants a qualified graduate, so do co-op education. Those graduates with co-op experience gain the job faster. They also process in the market a lot faster and advance easier, as a result of work experience. Co-op does not only give the transcript for work readiness, but saves time and money for employers’.

WB Is there a similar experience in SA?Group In SA, we have some companies that import skills from other countries e.g.: welders from

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response Thailand. What is Thailand doing to make us take their skills?Group response

In Thai universities, the WIL is done under the supervision of an experienced welder and a university professor. Both evaluate performance for 4 months. The student selects the company and the company selects students. The university matches the person to the company.

AK I believe all interventions are in place via learnerships and other initiatives, but this still leads to 30% performance

Group response

To sum up:

1. Know themselves – shows self awareness of the learner2. Change peers – when they move to the workplace, they work with different

workers and have different relationships – this builds human relations3. Enrolment in university and not knowing what career to follow. The workplace

allows the individual to trial the career.Group response

What is the rate of unemployment in Thailand?

Group response

Depends on areas – the humanities are higher. If there is an area of tough competition, those with co-op get the job faster.

Group response

An observation from Telkom – we have bursaries and internships – there is preference to the internship individual over the bursary one, due to work exposure.

WB It is often about the relationships built via work exposureGroup response

In a Japanese context, when the economy was growing, companies wanted new graduates. There was severe competition. As the economy matured, and growth slowed down, new graduates needed to fight to get the job. We are taking around 600 000 per year. Science and engineering students are sought after (100%). Other students need to do something to be selected. Companies told the universities to not do anything special, as they will train the graduates when they join the market. They wanted raw students. That was in the past, now they say – we don’t have time to train, we need work ready students. Students lacking self awareness and experience will often quit in the first 3 years of employment. Government and business get together around co-op education to resolve issues.

WB Do you have a national approach in Japan?Group response

Yes, but not as advanced as Thailand

WB In summary, Co-op and WIL are the same and it is all about pre-service under graduate preparation. The ability for the employer, university and government to collaborate is key

Group response

In SA, we still have a problem in business. The regime of new ministers with different demands and attitudes. We are in business for profit and companies can train their own people. We have the same ruling party, but changing regimes – if we had one regime, we would have continuity

Group response

In an engineering context, it is hard to put into action with FET students, as it is expensive. Is HRD through co-op education embraced by government? We need to commit from a strategic and political level. We are still lacking this. We are constrained by policy. Unemployment is higher due to insufficient WIL. RPL is also not accessible. We need a holistic picture that encapsulates formal and informal approaches.

Group response

The context is important. In the Thai and Japanese stories, all elements are in place. Labour markets do differ. Our issue is a social demand for full employment. How do we use WIL to address this? We need to put pressure on employers and government. Currently select universities are pulled from.

Group Crisis does not match needs either. In construction, we need houses for people, but

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response construction graduates cannot get employment. Or they cannot complete their degree, as they cannot get WIL. Firstly, government needs to intervene. I cannot believe we import people we already have.

Group response

There is big business in government. Over the World Cup period, we had a stadium 500m away from a University and only 2 students were used. Government doesn’t support WIL. Companies get tenders from government.

WB Here is a space for collective ideas. Collective feedback can be directed appropriately to make change. A cohesive approach needs to be adopted

AK Lets chat about incentives and targets set – do they impact on WIL – how do we link the issues?

WB In Australia, we see how it impacts - companies have education of workforces integrated into business KPI’s

Group response

How can WIL be used to accommodate unemployment in SA?

Group response

Tenders are issued by government - often have no students participating in them. They would rather go for a cheaper labour market. We need to have guidelines built into tenders as it is often a challenge to get placements.

Group response

Problem of tenders is non-compliance. Policy and procedure is not enforced to get impact and outcomes.

Group response

We need to come up with workable mechanisms to ensure compliance. We need to package a system to appeal to business.

WB To summarise the session:

3 stories have been shared – Thailand, Japan and SAThere is a broader context around big picture thinking and co-op approaches and that WIL is part of Workforce Development. WIL drives a 3 legged approach involving collaboration of employer, employee and government – Workforce Development brings it all together.

WIL needs to be part of balanced scorecards in terms of:

- Output- Deliverables- Measurement

4. Application of Academic Learning

Facilitators: Kristina Johansson, PhD University West (Sweden), John Pampallis DHET, Scribe: Esau Motaung: Tshwane University of Technology

Participants: Ndzwana Makaula: Eastern Cape Planning Commission, Bob Tladi: Motheo FET College ( Bloemfontein), Kgomotso Mtshatsheni: Vaal University of Technology, NIna Drotskie: Cape Penensula University of Technology, Dudu Sokhela: Durban University of Technology, Henie Veldsman: Tshwane University of Technology, Anne Sones: Victoria University (Australia), Greg Bass

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Durban University of Technology, Roger Francis University of Toronto USA, Adam Usher: Victoria University, Khathutshelo Shavhani: Vaal University of Technology

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is seen as one way of applying academic learning, as the student transfer the academic knowledge into work place. However the question was what is application of academic learning without referring to WIL? How do we apply it in soft Sciences programs? The suggestion was that the curriculum should allow progression in the students' work competent. At third year level time management, self management observing industrial rules, etc must part of them.

Who sets the agenda of WIL Industry or Educational Institutions? The Institutions of Higher learning cannot give up their responsibilities to industry they must own the agenda. It is important for workplace to keep Educational Institutions informed about new developments that require new approaches. The Universities and colleges should be responsive economic demands of the country and therefore curricula be informed by it.

One other question which the Universities still have to fully answer is, to what extend has the experiences that the students gained in industry being integrated into the curriculum?

There is a general observation that the students who have been in WIL program find job faster, has better self management skills, get better salary etc than those who were not in the program. The group was challenged to do research on this topic.

When it comes to management and application of WIL by Institutions examples of German system was cited by some group members and suggestion was that benchmarking was for SA institutions.

5. Research (Academic and Workplace)

The commission split into four sub-commissions, each with a facilitator:

1. A group of people who are interested in, or who have embarked on a PhD in relation to WIL and related fields;

2. A group interested in the policy and practice implications of WIL;

3. A group interested in publishing their research;

4. A group interested in the emerging research agenda in relation to WIL and related fields.

1. PhD Research

2. Research on Policy & PracticeWhat is the major concern? What is the intention of the policy? What is happening in practice, any

disjuncture, is there a vacuum? Alignment with all other legislations

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1. What should the policy address- is it WIL or COOPERATIVE EDUCATION?Which one should be an Umbrella Term/Concept which will encompass all?Recommendation: WACE to assist members on Concept clarifications and what is the greatest

concern that must be addressed by the policy for practiceEmphasis is about student placements in the work place- other aspects like:- work based learning, workplace learning- experiential learning- learnerships, internships, apprenticeships- community service- cooperative learningIt is understood that Cooperative Education is about partnerships. A need for appropriate Regulatory

frameworks, SLAs- Employers, Institutions of Learning, Learners/Beneficiaries and Industry captains

2. Policy makers need to know: How employers can influence curriculum development for WIL. - whose interests are served?

3. Do we refer to WIL as a qualification, what is the duration, what about accreditation4. Pedagogical Issues to be addressed- focus is on what is taught instead of how to learn. 5. Addressing: Knowledge, Practice and Work experience, all 3 components to be addressed6. Learning outcomes need to be addressed by Institutions, Employers, Students/Beneficiaries and

Professional Bodies7.Integration % weighting between Theory and Practice, any balance of the two?8. Policy to look at Industry Incentives for absorption and skills be demand led- tax rebates?9. Policy to address Workmanship Compensation , Security issues and Insurances during workplace

learning/ experiential learning - while students do practical work - Students to be regarded as temporary appointees eve if not paid . Stipends be nationally agreed if so, by whom?

Current Practices:University of Johannesburg:HRM degree- last 6 months as experiential learning United Kingdom:Flexible - students and institutions make own choicesThree - year degree - 2 years at university and1 year in the workplace is optional10. Lack of policy makes it easy for Institutions or Industries do as they please without addressing

the national imperatives- Autonomy11. The following to be looked at: Job shadowing, learning contracts, Reflective practice, Simulations,

Portfolio of Evidence as one form of assessment. Workplace policies and procedures. Referral to the training of Nurses and Doctors - how integration balanced between theory and practice.

OBSERVATION - Lack of Framework to guide policy and practice Terms interpreted differentlyNo international guidelinesRecommendation: WACE to support countries to address the policy vacuum and countries will then

contextualize 12. The following are issues to be included in the policy framework:- Terminology- Legislative frameworks pertaining to WIL- Qualification and Curriculum- Quality Issues and Accreditation-% weighting between theory and practice including Pedagogical issuesCommission expressed urgency on the matter

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3. Publishing research4. The emerging research agendaThe facilitators discussed the research themes and questions already identified by the WACE International Research Group. The delegates suggested several more themes that may be included, namely:

a. Student support - from staff other than academic staff/faculty, i.e. administrators and other non-academic staff, especially in a decentralized model of delivery such as open and distance learning settings.

b. Successful WIL – what are the pre-requisites in the institution-work-community environment that will enhance the success of WIL?

c. Workplace supervisors – what training do supervisors need? What do we assume they will know and do?

d. Workplaces – why do workplaces limit the amount and substance of experience students are exposed to? Are students challenged enough? Are students allowed to take risks? Are students allowed to stretch their boundaries? Are students allowed/encouraged to work at their own pace? How will these factors enhance learning? How will employers benefit from broadening the learning experience?

e. Productivity – how does WIL contribute to productivity and global effectiveness/competitiveness? How do these factors benefit the company/the institutions?

f. Faculty/academic staff – what will encourage faculty/academic staff to engage with/be involved with WIL? What reward systems/incentives are available to encourage staff?

g. Educational practice – how do we get beyond the procedural nature of WIL and convince people of the educational value of WIL? What language are we as WIL practitioners using that may relegate WIL to procedure and process in stead of educational practice?

6. Innovation

WACE CO-FACILITOR: Ditmar Hilpert (Chairperson of Strategic Management, Reutlingam University-ESB Business School Germany)Scribe: Dr Mandusha Maharaj (Durban University of Technology)

Facilitator welcomed participants and presented a brief career profile. The following key themes of innovation from a WIL perspective emerged:

GermanyHistorically, universities and industry players operated independently. Thereafter, the universities recruited personnel from industry. In the 1960s the Poli Techs were established requiring an internship of 20 weeks. The apprenticeship model was followed.The Berufsakademie focuses on a scheme of recruiting pupils from high schools. Students spend two years in the home university and two years abroad. Internship is 20 weeks. The Academy has a Partnership with 50 universities

University of Johannesburg in South AfricaQualification in Entrepreneurship is a 3 year program. Year 1 and 2 focuses on theory. Half a semester in the second year is a community engagement program. Third year is an experiential learning program assessed as a project. It involves students launching a business without money.

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Students are required to create a business idea in a technical field using the theory of entrepreneurial skills. The idea is created and the concept is sold. The measuring tool is the consumers’ acceptance of the product. One of the goals of the project is Self-Employment.

Tshwane University of Technology in South AfricaQualification in ICT. Students spend last six months in a simulated business environment. Students are trained to write mobile applications which are approved by three companies (Microsoft). The company grants awards to the best application.

University of South Africa: Public Relations studentsStudents approach non-profit organisations for public relations activities on a project basis.

FET colleges in SA: Train the Trainer to develop creative ideas to retrain the learners. JapanCo-op/WIL at each level of the qualification. Students spend a week or two in business sector. Focus should be on the process rather than results. Innovation should be perceived as a mechanism to share ideas. Strategies are great, but opportunities must be transformed into TACTICS.

7. Work-readiness

Thank you for the opportunity to share some of our discussions! The discussions were facilitated by Lisa Ward, supported by Jacquie Bhana, with Susanne Taylor as scribe.

Some of the main questions that were posed and responded to are as follow:

1. What are the skills required by students as they enter the workplace? Self-discipline Time management Grooming The ability to work well with others across age, culture, experience and seniority Coping with diversity Adaptability to an unfamiliar environment Critical thinking Problem solving The right attitude.

2. What does industry/the employer expect from students? To be pro-active (but to check before going ahead with new ideas) To show passion and interest To learn quickly, to adapt and to take responsibility for given tasks A willingness and readiness to learn To bring new ideas/innovations into the workplace Soft skills – and the basic technical skills in the discipline.

In exchange, industry will mentor and support and afford students the opportunity to learn from mistakes they may make.

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3. Whose responsibility is it to make students work ready/to offer work-readiness programmes?

Higher education/education institutions should accept that this responsibility begins with them

Programmes such as Job Search Skills, CV writing (with cover letter), Interview Skills, Email and Telephone Etiquette and Skills, Presentation and Communication Skills and Work Ethics are key components of such initial programmes

Mention was made of ‘Life Etiquette’ that was not necessarily pat of every student’s upbringing

On-going training (possibly via online courses) should be on-going during the WIL period: students should add to and hone their growing employability skills during their WIL period. These programmes to include Time Management, Teamwork, Conflict Management, Assertiveness Skills, Negotiation Skills.

It was acknowledged that different contexts require different skills and mentalities, but that certain of the skills are basic and essential: some skills are necessary to get on into the job; others to allow you to retain the job.

Pitfalls to be pointed out: e.g. social media profiles can be detrimental The right attitude was a key aspect of success!

Company visits to allow students to view a variety of prospective workplaces were also deemed very valuable.

Suggestion 1:WACE (and other National Associations) to consider making self-training resources available via the website on these important topics. Education Institutions to direct their students to these valuable resources.

It was acknowledged that there were costs involved in this process and that to be most effective this should be scheduled formally into the academic programme.

Discussion around this issue relevant specifically to South Africa spoke to the high unemployment rate, indeed, the high unemployability rate of graduates. Some of the latter was attributed to the lack of preparation of students for the world of work. Without this essential training, students may unwittingly spoil the opportunities presented to them.

Suggestion 2:SA’s Higher Education and Training Ministry to be lobbied to ensure that work-readiness programmes become a formal part of every qualification – whether a WIL component is present or not.

4. What do companies do to support students to adapt to the workplace?This varies from company to company and differs according to the perceived student needs: a ‘one-size-fits-all’ scenario does not always work.

Orientation/induction programmes Assigning industry mentors Providing additional training and coping skills to deal with the ‘culture shock’ of

being in the unfamiliar environment.Valuable input received was that companies should be encouraged to make their expectations of the student clear at the outset, providing clear goals for the students to aim at. Company videos/clips? Company visits and presentations?

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Suggestion 3:WACE and its member organisations and Higher Education to make concerted efforts to bring industry partners to Co-op and WIL-related conferences/workshops: industry participation is key to the success of WIL.

5. When should work-readiness programmes be presented? Students should ideally be made aware of industry requirements early in their

academic careers to prepare themselves for part-time work experience during their studies as well. E.g. acquire some sort of work experience, gather the necessary skills such as computer literacy, leaderships skills, prepare a portfolio of evidence of achievements, gain volunteer and community experience

Programmes should be built on during the study period – thus on-going awareness of the importance of this aspect.

Students to be able to articulate what they have learnt in their academic programmes, to be able to discuss their skills and to thus ‘sell’ themselves to an employer.

Concluding remarks

Work-readiness happens through WIL. Students need to be prepared for the workplace so that they do not unwittingly disadvantage themselves by making avoidable mistakes. Education institutions have the initial responsibility, one they share with the student and the industry to enable entrants to transition into the world of work.

Thank you!

8. Community Development

Discussion centered around the roles of organizations in terms of community development and issues universities are facing.

Challenges

Decision making - lacks skills for efficient community developmentLeads to lack of sustainabilityLack of ability to empower communities:- budget- skills- implementation- training- people who have of what community development is.

Universities should adopt district municipalities in order to streamline their. Community development projects

Proper consultation is required for universities and communities to work together.

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Evidence that there is no consultation of stakeholders

No needs analysis conducted.

Big companies don't utilize skills of people from communities.

There is a need for communication with the community first.No evidence based approaches to find out what the needs are. Therefore there is a need for needs analysis. And there has to be community participation.Must empower communitiesSource community representatives to champion efforts

Skills must be developed in communities to benefit local people in such projects

Different parameters that matter:- size- urban areas- what does institutions leave behind in a community. The feeling was that this was a one sided exchange. Universities get benefit in training students only, but do not leave anything concrete for communities to follow up on!

Lack of civic structuresNo co-ordinated structureNo buy in from government structures

Universities must define what community development is! There is a need for more collaboration from universities. Institutions need to differentiate between local economic development and community development.How is community development integrated into curriculum?Community engagement is not defined.There appears to be a gap in the higher education system.

University/ Academic response

There is incorporation of service learning within WIL.There is a move towards having service learning as a credit bearing moduleMonitoring and assessment - non existent.

There must be a huge mindset change for this issue!

From an international perspective, there is a push for credits to be allocated for service learning.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVEAustralia - PACE exercise - participation in community engagement across university. Support for students who train away from area university is situated in. - reflection is a requirementProgramme is credit bearingResearch is done on community needs200 hours of community work

Q. How long did transition take for university to buy into this programme?

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A. The process took 4 years.

ConclusionThere was an apparent difference of opinion from participants from the private/public sector and academics, as to what community development means in the different contexts.

Suggestions: Public and Private sector should share ideas/research, needs with universities. They should develop partnerships wit h universities. There is a need for efficient mentors to shadow projects.

Community projects- Integrated approach- Projects set up in response to community needs

Public relations at DUT- 2nd years- Work with NGOs- Students as part of a project team

Issues:- Sustainability of projects- Need for infrastructure and ongoing skills development- Impact of projects - Projects being abandoned after students are no longer there- Breaking cycles of of dependence- Skills shortages - impact upon sustainability of projects- Community empowerment- Roles for municipalities/councils- Implementation problems- Political barriers- Retention of skills in community- Structural problems- Bureaucratic barriers- Procurement- Power imbalances

Considerations- Size of community- Respect for local knowledge - Pathways into further education for members of the community - provision of entry-level qualifications- RPL- Alternative entry pathways- Definition of community- Integration into broader economic development strategy

Possible solutions:- Streamlining- Proper consultation- Involving communities in projects from the outset- Provision of what the community wants in terms of infrastructure, rather than imposition of what

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those in power believe the community wants- Need to do research on what communities need and want- Training of community members whilst they are actively involved in the delivery of a project- Evidence-based approaches- Needs analysis- Community empowerment - Greater cooperation between institutions- Institutionalisation

9. Partnerships

The discussions were conducted in a manner that captured how partnerships can be initiated, managed and maintained.

The following points emerged with respect to initiating a partnership:

1. A strong Alumni involvement : Alumni often influence their employers to take on students from their Alma Mata.

2. Identify someone within an organization that can influence the decision to participate in the program (Change Agent).

3. Engagement with business leaders : Universities to invite business leaders to campus and engage them

4. Universities to have a strong value proposition 5. Employers to find ways to strike a balance between the training and maintaining

productivity. This will happen if there a proper structure6. Mentorship is critical7. ROI : Where government has funded the training, there needs to be return on investment

Government role:

1. To create an enabling environment, eg. Labour relation issues and other related legislation2. To have a strong Monitoring and Evaluation component3. Institutions and employers do not have to rely on govt but need to work on the partnerships

themselves

The following points emerged with respect to managing and sustaining Co-op partnerships:

1. Partnerships evolve over a period of time and when employers see the value, they begin to extend their involvement

2. The reciprocity in the Co-op partnership is critical : The university needs to identify ways in which employers can benefit from them. For an example: Take on projects from the companies and have students work on this for solutions that will benefit the company.

3. Involvement of the university leadership : University leadership to promote this at every level of engagement

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4. Universities need to hire academics who have both academic credentials as well as industry experience

5. Universities can make engagement a key performance for academics. In this way, everything they do is centered on engagement, be it research, lectures, etc.

6. Academics need to be passionate about Co-op7. A strong monitoring of the placement8. Institutions to understand the skills needs by employers

10. Curriculum DevelopmentScribe: Renitha Rampersad [renithar@dut.ac.za]

Discussion centred on the roles of organizations in terms of community development and issues universities are facing.

ChallengesDecision making - lacks skills for efficient community developmentLeads to lack of sustainabilityLack of ability to empower communities:- budget- skills- implementation- training- people who have of what community development is.

Universities should adopt district municipalities in order to streamline their. Community development projects

Proper consultation is required for universities and communities to work together.

Evidence that there is no consultation of stakeholders

No needs analysis conducted.

Big companies don't utilize skills of people from communities.

There is a need for communication with the community first.

No evidence based approaches to find out what the needs are. Therefore there is a need for needs analysis. And there has to be community participation.Must empower communitiesSource community representatives to champion effortsSkills must be developed in communities to benefit local people in such projects

Different parameters that matter:- size- urban areas

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- what do institutions leave behind in a community. The feeling was that this was a one sided exchange. Universities get benefit in training students only, but do not leave anything concrete for communities to follow up on!

Lack of civic structuresNo coordinated structureNo buy in from government structures

Universities must define what community development is! There is a need for more collaboration from universities. Institutions need to differentiate between local economic development and community development.How is community development integrated into curriculum?Community engagement is not defined.There appears to be a gap in the higher education system.

University/ Academic response

There is incorporation of service learning within WIL.There is a move towards having service learning as a credit bearing moduleMonitoring and assessment - non-existent.

There must be a huge mind-set change for this issue!

From an international perspective, there is a push for credits to be allocated for service learning.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVEAustralia - PACE exercise - participation in community engagement across university. Support for students who train away from area university is situated in.- reflection is a requirementProgramme is credit bearingResearch is done on community needs200 hours of community work

Q. How long did transition take for university to buy into this programme?A. The process took 4 years.

ConclusionThere was an apparent difference of opinion from participants from the private/public sector and academics, as to what community development means in the different contexts.

Suggestions: Public and Private sector should share ideas/research, needs with universities. They should develop partnerships with universities. There is a need for efficient mentors to shadow projects.

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