Towards a context-engaged approach to work-based learning

Providers of tertiary education are involved in the ‘employer engagement’ agenda in many different ways and with a range of expectations from the learner, the employer and the education provider. The education sector has been criticised for its lack of understanding of employers’ needs and for not providing employable graduates or an education experience that meets the requirements of the 21st century marketplace. In order to meet the market need it is essential to first identify that need and a methodology for its fulfilment. This discussion paper explains the work being undertaken to develop a model to ensure that a work-based learning (WBL) curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the context for which it has been developed. This model identifies factors in both the external environment as well as the internal environment that can inform the WBL curriculum and build on previous work by Garnett (2007) and Stewart (1997). The paper explains the development of the model and its application within the context of the University of Wolverhampton, a post-1992 university in the UK Midlands.

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