Enhancing professional competencies through work-integrated learning: Principles, practice, pedagogies, and partnerships

Abstract

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is an experiential learning approach that merges theoretical academic knowledge with meaningful reflective workplace experiences. WIL is more than just work experience, it enhances graduate competencies and attributes and provides a point of difference that sport management employers’ value. This chapter focuses on WIL in New Zealand and the pedagogies used to enable sport students to develop their preparedness for employment in a supported environment. The reflective WIL process aims to enhance aspects of students’ personal growth and professional development. WIL involves focusing on developing aspects of students’ self, and also enhances their boundary spanning competencies (soft skills) and a depth of discipline understanding (hard skills). It is recommended that WIL is part of the whole course of study, involving partner organisations rather than as a stand-alone component, thus embedding workplace and WIL opportunities within purpose-designed curricula and co-curricular activities. The WIL experience can also provide graduates’ life-long learning as potential ‘super-mentors’ of future WIL students.