WELCOME

Welcome to the sixth edition of the WACE Newsletter. This newsletter is aimed at helping you stay connected to Co-operative & Work Integrated Education (CWIE) developments across the globe. WACE is the only international professional organization dedicated to developing, expanding, branding and advocating for cooperative & work-integrated education programs within industry and educational institutions.

WACE is very pleased to welcome many new universities to the WACE Community as well as long standing members who have recently renewed their membership. In this newsletter, we profile one of them, German-Jordanian (GJU) University, the first university in Jordan to offer cooperative study to their students. A reminder that WACE membership for this year is now available. Membership will enable institutions to take full advantage of WACE events and programmes, have a say in WACE’s future directions as well as obtain significant discounts for students to participate in the Global Challenge.

The WACE Global Challenge #1, which involved 98 students from 13 institutions with students located in 17 countries, has now finished with great outcomes. Expressions of interest for the next two Global Challenges #2 November 2021 and #3 January 2022 are currently open. Information sessions were held on the 6/7th September. Contact Judie Kay via email if you need more information.

Planning is well underway for next year’s WACE International Research Symposium in Japan at Kanazawa Institute of Technology August 31 – Sept 2^nd 2022. This conference will be a hybrid event with both face to face and virtual components WACE is also seeking expressions of interest for hosting events in 2023 and 2024.

In more WACE news, in addition to WACE undergoing significant management changes over the past few years, we are also embarking on a refreshed governance structure. As the association is now based in Canada, we were required to develop by laws in accordance with Canadian laws for non profit organizations. This has resulted in a name for the association being registered as the Global Association for Co-operative and Work Integrated Education. However, we will continue to operate under the well known moniker of WACE. Additionally, we plan our first annual general meeting, election of directors to the governing Executive Council and appointment of members to the newly established Global Advisory Council. Please stay tuned for information on submitting nominations to these new bodies.

In this newsletter we also share news on upcoming professional development opportunities and announce a new Certificate for the Global WIL program recognised by WACE . There is also news from WACE network of partners, new WIL industry resources, and information about new WIL publications.

We welcome your feedback and any updates you would like to include in future editions of the newsletter and hope everyone is staying safe in these challenging times. Many thanks to all those who have contributed to this newsletter, and to Dr Kylie Twyford for her ongoing support of the newsletter.

Judie Kay, Norah McRae, Nancy Johnston, and Jim Stellar
WACE Secretariat

WACE NEWS

GLOBAL CHALLENGE UPDATE

In the WACE Global Challenge student multi-disciplinary, multinational teams undertake online projects with real clients over 4 weeks to help business, government and community organisations. These projects help to identify practical ‘Shared Value’ initiatives to create social, environmental & economic value linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Over 140 students from 17 institutions and 21 countries have now participated in the WACE the Global Challenge programme with great outcomes. In addition to the great diversity of students there is a broad range of companies from not for profits to large multinational companies from a broad range of countries
Students feedback for the most recent Global Challenge #1 included

90 % students improved their employability skills
69 % increased their social and professional networks
84 % students were successful at developing their chosen Global Skill

Register your institution to ensure participation in the upcoming Global Challenge programmes.

Global Challenge #2 November 2021:

Programme dates: 15th November – 8th December 2021
Expressions of interest by Institutions by 22 September

Global Challenge # 3 January 2022:

Programme dates: 31st January – Wednesday 23rd February 2022
Expressions of interest by Institutions by 30th November

Please note, WACE members receive a significantly discounted fee per student.

Global Challenge

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WACE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2022

The next WACE International Research Symposium will be held in Kanazawa Japan hosted by Kanazawa Institute of Technology from August 31st – September 2^nd, 2022.

The call to abstracts will open in November. Start to develop your proposal that relates to the conference theme “New industry – University collaboration initiatives to realise a sustainable society _ contributions and expectations of co-operative & work integrated education to the Un Sustainable Development goals”. The conference will involve both face to face and virtual components.

More information about the submission and review process will be available shortly.

Interested in Hosting an upcoming WACE event?
WACE is seeking expressions of interest to host two upcoming major WACE events

2023 WACE World Conference
2024 International Research Symposium

If you are interested in hosting one of these events, please contact WACE and include a short statement outlining:

reasons for hosting the event
alignment with WACE and its mission
benefits of your submission
a brief rational for location
suggested dates

For queries or to submit a short expression of interest by 2nd October 2021 contact Judie Kay programspartnershipsvc@waceinc.org

NEW GLOBAL WIL PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

WACE and the Global WIL team are pleased to announce a collaboration to provide a certificate, recognised by the World WIL Association (WACE), called the Global WIL Program. Participants who have successfully completed five Global WIL modules and a capstone module will be awarded the certificate. The capstone module will be available in 2022 and involve the development of an action plan drawing on learnings from all of the modules and a reflection on participants’ WIL practice from readings. During the capstone participants will become part of a global network and be mentored by senior WIL practitioners. More information to come later in the year

Last chance to register for 2021

Expressions of interest are now open for the final modules for 2021. These modules provide WIL practitioners with the opportunity to undertake professional development online with colleagues from across the globe and will run from Oct – Dec 2021:

Student Engagement (new module)
Industry and Community engagement for Work integrated learning

The modules were developed and are presented by representatives of four national associations, including Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN), Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL formerly CAFCE), New Zealand Association of Cooperative Education (NZACE), The Vilar Network (Sweden), and have been running for 4 years with participants over eight countries from across the globe. To find out more click here.

Registrations close: September 18

WHAT ARE YOUR WIL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS?

::: SURVEY CLOSING SOON :::

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS IN THE WIL COMMUNITY SURVEY

The Global WIL team invites you to take part in a 15 minute online survey on professional development needs within work-integrated learning (WIL; cooperative education, work placements, internships, work-related projects, industry-based projects, etc). The data will update the findings from the first survey in 2017 with current data guiding professional development broadly across the sector.

The Global WIL Team is a group of WIL practitioners from New Zealand, Sweden, Canada and Australia, all members of their National WIL associations who have been developing and presenting online WIL professional development modules since 2015 to WIL practitioners globally.

The results of this survey will inform the development of new professional development opportunities in WIL and also map changes in professional development needs due to COVID-19. The outcomes will be shared with the participating national associations and presented at the WACE International Research Symposium.

Your participation is completely anonymous, we will not be able to identify you. You are also free to withdraw at any point during the survey. This survey has ethical approval from the University of Waikato, NZ, #FSEN-20-17-8.

Please click on the following link by 31st July 2021 to complete the survey.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Karsten Zegwaard.

We greatly value hearing your views and appreciate your time.Thank you in advance.

Yours sincerely
Global WIL Team
Karsten Zegwaard and Katharine Hoskyn members of WILNZ, New Zealand
Kristina Johansson member of VILAR, Sweden
Judie Kay and Sonia Ferns, members of ACEN, Australia
Norah McRae member of CEWIL, Canada

WACE MEMBER PROFILE

WACE WELCOMES GERMAN-JORDANIAN UNIVERSITY, AMMAN, JORDAN

The German-Jordanian University (GJU) is a public Jordanian university located in Amman. It was founded in 2005 by a Royal Decree, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding reached between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The University was modelled on the German applied-sciences model, characterized by their focus on putting knowledge into practice and on promoting knowledge transfer. We aim to play a significant role in promoting links between Jordan and Europe, particularly Germany. By taking advantage of the best educational practices in both Jordan and Germany, the University has positioned itself as a leader in its field.

The University’s focus is on providing undergraduate and graduate programs of the highest quality. We offer 17 undergraduate and 12 graduate programs, with a student body of around 4,250, drawn predominantly from Jordan, but also including international students.

Currently Dual Studies are offered in the majors of Logistics Science, International Accounting, and Industrial Engineering.

The University is intended to serve as a unique university of applied training, experiential learning, and professional excellence, oriented towards market and industry needs. It is thereby expected to have a remarkable impact on Jordan and the region as a whole.

In 2018, with the support of the German Development Cooperation GIZ, GJU started offering cooperative study programs to its students. GJU was the first University in Jordan doing this.

With its dual studies programs, GJU aims not only to meet the needs of the labor market for graduates who have been trained more appropriately for the requirements in companies but also to guarantee a fundamentally better interlinking between research and teaching on the one hand and the development of the private sector on the other.

WIL AROUND THE WORLD

NEWS FROM WACE’S NETWORK OF PARTNERS

WACE is a network of networks and we were pleased to share news from national associations and strategic partners linked to WACE, and provide updates on developments and achievements in WIL from around the world.

AUSTRALIAN COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION NETWORK (ACEN)

ACEN Conference Beyond 2022: Creating the Future with WIL
The ACEN 2022 Conference Committee together with the ACEN Board are pleased to open the call for abstracts and registration for the ACEN 2022 Conference 24th – 25th October in Melbourne.

2021 Research Grants
The ACEN Board are pleased to announce the following 2021 Research Grants:
Emergent/Early Career Researcher Grants $5,000
Project Title: The Impact of Structured Interprofessional Education (IPE) Clinical Placements on Student Interprofessional Collaborative Behaviour
Lead: Sonya Mattiazzi, University of Queensland
Project Title: Experience of Students with disabilities engaging in WIL placements
Lead: Timothy Boye, University of Technology Sydney

Full Research Grants $10,000
Project Title: Equitable WIL: Building host organisation capacity to ensure safe and inclusive WIL programs for students with a disability
Lead: Tanya Lawlis, University of Canberra
Project Title: Avoiding Transactional Placements: Tips, training, and guidance from the lived experience of Indigenous organisations and community groups
Lead: Wayne Read, Deakin University

VILAR & ASET

At the WACE Virtual conference earlier this year ‘Regional Spotlights’ were held which highlighted activities and plans for associations in various regions of the world. One Regional Spotlight presentation from Great Britain and Sweden is available below by Dr Kristina Johansson, University West, Sweden, and Francesca Walker-Martin, ASET Chair, Reader in Work Based Learning.VILAR and ASET joint presentation at the WACE Virtual Conference 2021.

NEW CENTRE GATHERS CURRENT RESEARCH IN ACTIVITY THEORY

University West’s newly opened Centre for Activity Theory is a platform for researchers, students and teachers who want to stay up to date in the research model of activity theory.

“There is great interest in activity theory internationally. The model is closely linked to Work Integrated Learning, so the center can help make the university’s work visible in that field,” says Kristina Johansson, associate professor of pedagogy with a focus on Work Integrated Learning at University West.

The Centre for Activity Theory is a virtual platform where current research, projects and news about activity theory are collected. University West published the new website on Friday when the centre was inaugurated with speeches by several prominent researchers in the field.

More information is available here.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION

IFC and WACE have formed a strategic partnership with the goal of developing employability capacity in higher education institutions around the world. The collaboration centers on strengthening work-integrated learning and career programming. More information can be found by visiting Vitae.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC) has participated in the 360° Assessment by IFC’s Vitae to strengthen the employability of their public technical universities across the nation. Their belief that every educational foundation should be grounded in employability leads their students to have greater confidence when answering the question, “What’s next after graduation?”

A new video (Vitae in Ghana: Reawakening the Tertiary Enterprise) highlights how areas of focus for the Kumasi Technical University, who were one of the participants in the assessment process, resulted in decisions to create a career services center and alumni office, program advisory committees, a strategic partnership with industry, and a center of excellence for their lecturers. Ghana’s technical universities are aiming to ensure their students are better able to keep up with changing market demand, serving as an example of what other ministries could achieve in the future.

SCHOLARSHIP OF WIL

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WIL

In mid-September IJWIL will be publishing a Special Issue on the Canadian Practice of WIL.

To receive notification of this Special Issue, and other IJWIL publications, please go to the IJWIL website (www.ijwil.org), click on ‘notifications’ at the top right, and enter your details.

RESOURCES

WIL RESOURCES

New resources for Industry and Community WIL partners from two national associations in the WACE network:

New work-integrated learning resources help employers and community partners better navigate working with students CEWIL (Canada)
Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada, have released new resources so employers and community partners can better understand the ways they can engage the talents and work with university and college students.

The resources, which include a series of brief videos and easy-to-read write-ups, explain nine forms of work-integrated learning opportunities recognized by CEWIL, including co-op terms, internships, apprenticeships, and service learning. They have been written for the industry to clarify expectations, articulate deliverables, frame the timelines for each opportunity, and provide examples and best practices

The free resources are available on CEWIL Canada’s website and Youtube channel.

Guides for Online WIL Placements and Projects ACEN (Australia)

Guides for industry and community partners, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) practitioners and Students are now available on the ACEN Website.

WIL PUBLICATIONS

Virtual Issue to celebrate 10 years of Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning (HESBL)

This special, virtual issue celebrates a decade of innovations, evaluations, and research that have made HESWBL the journal it is today; a journal dedicated to transforming the lives of organisations and individuals through experiential, collaborative forms of education and learning. Similarly, it celebrates the outstanding people that have contributed to the work of HESWBL over the last decade, including the authors and reviewers who make HESWBL possible.

One of the most significant people in HESWBL’s first 10 years was Professor Ruth Helyer, who sadly passed away in 2019. Ruth’s dedication and hard work enabled HESWBL to become recognised in various journal ranking systems, move to 5 issues per year, and increase our citation record.

Mandy Crawford-Lee and Professor Tony Wall

NEW PUBLICATION

Advances in Research, Theory and Practice in Work-Integrated Learning

Prepublication orders are open for this exciting new publication.

This timely publication critically reflects on existing scholarship and practice in WIL, discusses contemporary insights, provides a synopsis of resonating themes, and recommends areas for future research and practice. The book aims to position WIL as a strategic imperative for enabling a sustainable workforce through strengthening graduate capacity both in Australia and globally.

The collection of edited scholarly chapters was compiled by 59 researchers, practitioners, and experts in WIL, and supported by the peak national professional body for WIL in Australia, the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN). This book actively contributes to contemporary discussion that will appeal to a diverse audience. Chapters cover a range of pertinent topics such as teaching and learning, stakeholder engagement, maximizing learning outcomes, diverse forms of WIL practice, support and infrastructure, and future directions. Specific areas of interest include governance and leadership, student equity and wellbeing, quality and evaluation and interdisciplinary WIL.

This book is essential reading for researchers, practitioners, workplace and community partners, university leaders, and policy makers, who will benefit from insights in the publication, especially as the practice of WIL continues to expand in the higher education sector.

Pre-orders for the book are available at: Advances in Research, Theory and Practice in Work-Integrated Learning: (routledge.com)

Sonia Ferns, Curtin University, Australia
Anna Rowe, University of New South Wales, Australia
Karsten Zegwaard, University of Waikato, New Zealand

SHARE YOUR NEWS

Do you have something you would like to share? A resource, some news, an award or achievement? Would you like to sponsor a WACE event? If so, please contact the Judie Kay, Vice Chair WACE Partnerships and Programs via: programspartnershipsvc@waceinc.org

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