Institution:
Macquarie University
Key Contact:
Dr Jennifer Ruskin
Innovative WIL: Co-creating and embedding a WIL simulation to develop employability
2024 ACEN Case Study Finalist
To prepare students for their careers and increase equitable access to high value, workplace-based WIL, we purposefully embedded a WIL simulation in a second-year undergraduate unit at Macquarie Business school. MQBS2010 Enhancing Employability Skills is core for both the Bachelor of Business and the Bachelor of Commerce. Addressing feedback from course review panels and industry partners, the WIL simulation is co-created with industry and students to provide real world experiences for all students in a very large and diverse cohort. The 3-week WIL simulation is based on a real challenge from the NDIS Commission. Students practice defining a challenge, developing potential solutions and pitching a proposed solution. Each week, alumni from industry come to the lecture to share experiences relevant to the week’s topic. In workshops, students work in their WIL simulation teams on tasks ‘assigned by their supervisor’. Before the simulation, students engage in career development learning to develop a job application portfolio, practice skills and identify gaps. After the simulation, they translate their learning into a teaching resource and refined job (or internship) application materials.