Providing skills and expertise applicable to the workplace has always been a central component of universities' provision. However, repeated government initiatives to involve employers more actively in the skills system over the past 60 years have shown few lasting successes. In this paper, Professor David Phoenix reflects on past initiatives and…

Purpose: Accessing higher education (HE) in the UK has been a primary pathway for school and college leavers for the past two decades. The present study, through a case study approach, aims to explore graduates' evaluations of the usefulness of university education by examining their evaluations of skill development, employability-focused learning…

This study examines the critical role of quality standards in improving work-integrated learning (WIL) outcomes in Africa. As higher education institutions increasingly adopt WIL to enhance graduate employability, inconsistencies in quality assurance frameworks and limited industry collaboration hinder their effectiveness. Using a systematic…

While work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities provide valuable real-world experience, the growing demand for career-ready graduates necessitates alternative and scalable WIL experiences to accommodate large student cohorts. This article describes and evaluates the Scaffolded WIL and Industry Engagement Model (SWIM), a WIL approach that…