Abstract
In New Zealand there is extensive and increasing use of various forms of work-based learning. The focus of the chapter is on work-integrated learning to read work-integrated learning in formal academic programs, as part of a broader state-backed strategy to improve employability among graduates. Alongside developments in practice there is also a considerable and growing body of accompanying research, much of it disseminated through The International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning (IJWIL) and other forums. These forums mean that dissemination of, and debate about, good practice regularly occur in the New Zealand environment. Collectively all these practices ensure that workplace learning and work-integrated learning in New Zealand maintain profile in policy, pedagogy, and programs. To date practice is principally aimed at younger people rather than older adults, resulting in, for example, limited use of recognition of prior learning (RPL).
TopNew Zealand Tertiary Education Context
Tertiary education in New Zealand “encompasses all post-school learning. It includes higher education, applied and vocational education, and training in foundation skills where these have not been obtained during schooling. It includes structured learning in a range of settings, including workplaces, universities and polytechnics” (Ministry of Education, 2014, p.3). It is interesting to note that workplaces are specifically mentioned in this definition, signifying the importance of workplace and work-integrated learning.
The four sectors that comprise the tertiary education system are: vocational education, higher education, foundation education and community education. Research can occur within both the vocational and higher education sectors, with the former focusing on applied research and the latter linking research to teaching. Foundation education aims to ensure that a learner with gaps in numeracy and literacy can obtain these skills. However, these skills are taught in the context for which they are needed, for example numeracy and literacy needed for a specific vocation. In addition, informal community education is encompassed in the tertiary education system. These sectors are described as a system, with sectors inter-connected and interacting with each. However, the actual delivery of each component of the system is not as neat and tidy as Figure 1 suggests. No type of institution has a monopoly on any aspect of the system.
Figure 1. New Zealand tertiary education system. Adapted from Ministry of Education (2014).