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The article identifies and examines key elements of a work-based learning framework to consider their use as part of the higher education response to the apprenticeship agenda for the public sector in England.

This article draws upon work-based learning academic literature and the authors 28 years’ experience of the development and implementation of work-based learning at higher education level in the UK and internationally.

The article suggests that while the experience of work-based learning at higher education level appears to offer many ready-made tools and approaches for the development and delivery of higher and degree apprenticeships, these should not be adopted uncritically and in some cases may require significant repurposing.

This article is intended to inform practitioners developing degree apprenticeships. Given the degree apprenticeship is still at a relatively early stage in its implementation, this has limited the extent to which it has been possible to review entire degree implementation to the point of participant graduation.

The article draws upon real-life implementation of innovative curriculum design and is of direct practical relevance to the design and operation of work-based learning for degree apprenticeships.

Degree apprenticeships have the potential to increase productivity and enhance social mobility. Effective design and implementation of degree apprenticeships in the public sector has the potential to make a significant impact on the quality of public services.

The article provides an informed and sustained examination of how degree apprenticeships, especially those designed for public sector employees, might build upon previous higher education experience in work-based learning.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of work-based research projects at postgraduate level. The focus of this paper is to measure the impact of masters- and doctoral-level work-based projects which was the specific contribution of one group of researchers to the Nixon et al.’s (2008) study.

This paper is based on data generated as part of a wider study that examines the impact of work-based learning projects across undergraduate through to doctoral level from the perspective of employers and from the employees perspective. The research study is based on a sample of alumni who had graduated from work-based masters and professional doctorate programmes and their corresponding employers in a UK higher education institution.

At masters and doctorate level the work-based project can often make an impact on the work context and also have a developmental effect on the employee who becomes a practitioner-researcher to undertake the project.

This paper finds that work-based projects are often an investment that companies make that have the propensity to yield tangible business success as well as providing an incentive for key staff to remain in the company and achieve university recognition.

To explore the conceptualisation and operationalisation of authentic assessment in work-based learning and research.

The relationship between authentic assessment and work-based learning and research is examined using a postgraduate degree program at a regional university in Australia as a case example to identify unique pedagogical features of work-based learning as they are linked to assessment.

A dynamic is created between formative and summative authentic assessment practices and the cross-current nature of learning in work and research, leading to a range of lifelong learning outcomes. A framework for such a dynamic is presented.

The pedagogy informing work-based learning emphasises developing higher-order thinking through reflective practice, developing competencies and capabilities associated with professional practice and developing academic writing and research skills to enhance professional identity at the postgraduate level for mid- to senior-career professionals. However, the relationship of authentic assessment to work-based learning and research has not been explicated in the literature and its application in post-COVID work environments has yet to be fully examined.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value and learning potential of work‐based projects to both worker‐researchers and their organisations.

Within the School of Health, Community and Education Studies at Northumbria University, work‐based learning (WBL) programmes are becoming increasingly important as a vehicle to enable individuals to gain academic credit and qualifications through developing their personal and professional repertoire of skills and knowledge, and also as a mechanism to improve organisational practice/change. To this end the School has used work‐based projects (WBPs) to work innovatively in partnership with employers. Three short case studies are used to explore how WBPs have been used effectively to meet the particular needs of both the workplace and the learner and to discuss the challenges that these initiatives pose in higher education (HE).

The paper finds that a number of identified issues currently challenging the authors' approaches to WBL have a wider resonance across the WBL community: issues concerning individuals undertaking work‐based‐learning who are unfamiliar with academic learning and how they can be supported to use the skills of enquiry as a tool to implement change in practice; the complexities of using WBL approaches within multi‐ professional groups at differing stages in the continuum from novice to expert and who present individual diverse entry behaviour and learning needs; and the challenges facing the WBL academic working, to recognise and assess the diverse learning acquired throughout the WBL journey so that it can be formally recognised within an HE setting.

The interrelation between action learning, action research and WBPs is introduced and discussed and the impact of the WBL process on the learner, the HE academic and the organisation scrutinised.

The purpose of this paper is to examine work-based learning (WBL) pedagogy within higher education (HE) related to the use of the “field of study” concept.

This paper reviews WBL literature to discuss the original context of the concept and relates this to current pedagogic approaches through qualitative interviews and written explanations.

WBL pedagogy continues to use the concepts from field of study WBL but the study also indicates that academic practitioners are developing pedagogy to meet the needs of current workplace and educational policy.

This paper is limited in its scope due to the small number of respondents but there are potential implications about emerging directions for this pedagogic range.

The paper argues that field of study WBL is still relevant to existing practice but further engagement and research surrounding WBL pedagogy is needed to examine this range of HE.

The added value is the evidence of evolving WBL pedagogy that can inform issues of flexibility within HE provision.

The purpose of this paper is to show how transdisciplinarity is woven into the key curriculum components of individually negotiated work-based learning (WBL) programmes and to focus upon the performative value of knowledge in the work context.

This paper draws upon WBL academic literature and the authors 22 years operational experience of WBL.

The paper suggests that while university-level WBL can enhance the performance of organizations and individuals it is also inherently challenging and challenged by the hegemony of subject disciplines and disciplinary-based university structures. WBL is concerned with knowledge which is often unsystematic, socially constructed and is action focused in order to achieve outcomes of significance to work. This contests the supremacy of the role of the university in curriculum design, delivery and validation of knowledge and means that work-based knowledge is often seen as transdisciplinary rather than conforming to traditional subject disciplines (Boud and Solomon, 2001).

Central to the distinctive nature of university WBL programmes is the role of the external organization as a partner with the university and the individual learner in the planning of learning activities which are intended to have significance for the workplace. For individual knowledge to become organizational knowledge, and thus fully contribute to the intellectual capital of the organization, it must be shared and accepted by others. It follows that a key concern for organizations must be the facilitation of the recognition of knowledge and this goes beyond using a transdisciplinary lens when guiding and assessing the work of individual higher education students.

The paper has practical implications for the design and facilitation of WBL programmes at higher education level.

Provides an informed and sustained examination of the concept of WBL and knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent economic boom in Tennessee and the role of work-based learning WBL opportunities in contributing to this growth. The paper will analyze data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide an overview of the changes in the labor force and employment in the state over the past ten years. Additionally, the paper will delve into the various WBL programs offered in Tennessee, such as K-12 Career and Technical Education (CTE), Tennessee Chamber Work-based Learning, and more, that are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce. The paper will also discuss how the growth in WBL opportunities has led to an increasing need for new hires and how it could lead to the development of new industry in Tennessee. The paper aims to provide a detailed examination of the economic boom in Tennessee, and the impact of WBL opportunities on the development of local workforce and industry.

The design of this paper is to analyze the recent economic boom in Tennessee and the role of work-based learning WBL opportunities in contributing to this growth. The methodology used in this paper is primarily a review of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide an overview of the changes in the labor force and employment in the state over the past ten years. Additionally, the paper will review the various WBL programs offered in Tennessee and their standards, to understand how they are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce. The approach taken in this paper is an analytical one, where the data is analyzed to understand the trends and patterns in the labor market and the impact of WBL opportunities on the workforce. The paper also includes insights from relevant research studies and experts in the field to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject.

The findings of this paper indicate that there has been a significant economic boom in Tennessee over the past decade, as evidenced by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data shows a consistent increase in the labor force and employment in the state, with a corresponding decrease in the unemployment rate. The paper also found that the growth in work-based learning WBL opportunities in Tennessee has played a significant role in contributing to this economic boom. The paper reviewed various WBL programs offered in Tennessee and found that they are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce.

This paper brings an original perspective on the recent economic boom in Tennessee and the role of work-based learning WBL opportunities in contributing to this growth. By analyzing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the paper provides an overview of the changes in the labor force and employment in the state over the past ten years, which has not been thoroughly examined in previous studies. Additionally, the paper delves into the various WBL programs offered in Tennessee, and how they are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce, which is an original aspect of this paper. The paper also presents the original finding that the growth in WBL opportunities has led to an increasing need for new hires and could lead to the development of new industry in Tennessee. This paper provides an original and comprehensive examination of the economic boom in Tennessee and the impact of WBL opportunities on the development of local workforce and industry.

Work-based learning (WBL) has long been recognized and lauded for its transformative capabilities, enriching the knowledge and organizational and cultural impact of its learners. Students deepen understanding of their sector as well as professional interdisciplinarity on work-based academic programs, and in focusing on real-world scenarios in a scholarly way, open up opportunities for improvement and change. However, one of the key challenges in sustaining or continually improving provision for work-based learners in this context is in evidencing impact of enhancement-based, in-program learning and teaching activities. This chapter will examine some of the ways in which WBL values influence academic support delivery at one United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education Institution (HEI) and present examples of the operationalization of some WBL-driving principles in practice. In so doing, this chapter aims to share some of the tenets underpinning WBL practices in the UK in exploring its potential role and contribution as a socially responsible endeavor.

The purpose of this paper is to explore efforts to bridge conceptualisation and practice in work‐based learning by reflecting on the legacy and sustainability of the Centre for Excellence in Work‐based Learning for Education Professionals at the Institute of Education, University of London. The Centre was part of the national CETL (Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) initiative (2005‐2010) and focussed on exploring ways of transforming current models of work‐based learning (WBL) in a bid to respond to the diversity of professional learning needs within education and beyond.

The paper presents three case studies which are representative of the Centre's approach to drive theoretical development in WBL.

The three projects featured contributed to the development of WBL through synergetic cross fertilisation while operating independently from each other. Also, they are characterised by sustainability beyond the end of the CETL initiative. The Putting Knowledge to Work project developed and operationalised the concept of recontextualisation for WBL in successfully moving knowledge from disciplines and workplaces into a curriculum; and from a curriculum into successful pedagogic strategies and learner engagement in educational institutions and workplaces. The London Mobile Learning Group developed a research dynamic around theory and practice of learning with mobile media which contributed to the development of new approaches in (work‐based) learning. The Researching Medical Learning and Practice Network created a community of practice bringing together educational researchers with medical education practitioners and researchers resulting in a greater understanding of how professional attitudes and practices develop in both undergraduate and postgraduate contexts.

The experience of the WLE offers an example of innovative ways to continue to develop our understanding of work‐based learning and inform practice. The impact of the WLE activities on theory, policy and practice is evident in the creation of national and international platforms strengthening existing institutional links.

Introduction: Work-based learning (WBL) bridges the gap between academic theory and exposure to real-life situations where students’ knowledge is filtered and applied to relevant workplace environments.

Purpose: This study aims to examine students’ and employers’ voices on their perspectives of WBL. It focuses on students reading for an undergraduate degree in Bachelor’s in Commerce in two majors, with a specialisation in Public Policy at the University of Malta.

Methodology: Questionnaires were sent to students to obtain their views on the experience and benefits of WBL. This was followed by structured interviews conducted with employers and undergraduate students to provide an overview of their respective work-based experiences. WBL providers were asked to draw up reports on the students’ performance. The feedback which emerged from the structured interviews on the nature of these experiences was analysed. These tools helped to calibrate and refine the nature of these practices.

Findings: The study’s findings show that WBL experiences help students increase technical knowledge, improve their soft skills, and learn new tools, sought after by employers. Feedback emanating from employers’ perspectives serves to temper the University course curriculum to ensure that it is relevant to the requirements of modern-day society.