Call for papers, Work-Integrated Learning in Higher Education: Internships, Apprenticeships, Practicums, and Experiential Pathways to Employability
Editors
Maureen Manning
Kelly McGee
This edited volume seeks contributions that advance theoretical, empirical, and practice-based understanding of WIL across higher education systems. The book will bring together international perspectives to address persistent gaps in the literature, including fragmented models, uneven access for equity groups, and emerging digital and post-pandemic WIL formats.
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) has emerged as one of the most consequential pedagogical innovations in contemporary higher education. Defined as an educational approach that integrates academic learning with authentic work experiences, WIL enables students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts, fostering employability, professional identity formation, and lifelong learning competencies (Ferns, Campbell, & Zegwaard, 2014; Jackson, 2016; Zegwaard et al., 2023).
Across global systems of higher education, internships, apprenticeships, practicums, cooperative education, service-learning, and project-based industry partnerships are increasingly positioned as central—not peripheral—components of degree programs. Governments, accrediting agencies, and employers now expect universities to produce “future-capable” graduates who possess not only disciplinary knowledge but also applied skills, professional judgment, and adaptability to dynamic labor markets (Australian Universities Accord, 2024; Jackson, 2017).
Despite the rapid expansion of WIL initiatives, the scholarly literature remains fragmented across disciplines, regions, and program types. While there are important guides and sector-specific studies, the field lacks a comprehensive, globally oriented edited volume that:
- Synthesizes conceptual foundations of WIL
- Compares internships, apprenticeships, practicums, and service-learning
- Examines equity, access, and inclusion in WIL participation
- Documents empirical impacts on employability and career outcomes
- Provides institutional case studies and policy frameworks
- Addresses digital, hybrid, and post-pandemic WIL models
Recent large-scale evidence (e.g., Jackson, 2025) demonstrates that WIL significantly enhances perceived employability, confidence, and labor-market outcomes, particularly for undergraduate students in Business and Management. However, participation remains uneven, especially among equity groups and postgraduate students, underscoring a critical need for scalable, flexible, and inclusive WIL models.
This edited volume addresses these gaps by offering a rigorous, multidisciplinary, and international treatment of WIL—situating internships, apprenticeships, practicums, and service-learning within a unified pedagogical and policy framework.
Aims and Objectives
- Provide a comprehensive scholarly synthesis of WIL theories, typologies, and pedagogical frameworks.
- Examine the design, assessment, and governance of internships, apprenticeships, practicums, and service-learning programs.
- Analyze the impact of WIL on student learning, employability, and graduate outcomes across disciplines and regions.
- Address equity, accessibility, and inclusion challenges in WIL participation.
- Present international case studies of innovative and scalable WIL models.
- Explore emerging trends in digital, hybrid, and transnational WIL.
- Offer practical recommendations for faculty, administrators, policymakers, and industry partners.
Scope and Thematic Focus
The volume will integrate scholarship and practice across the following thematic areas:
- Conceptual foundations of WIL
- Internships: design, supervision, assessment, and labor ethics
- Apprenticeships: vocational-academic integration and industry partnerships
- Practicums and professional placements in regulated fields
- Service-learning and community-engaged pedagogy
- Cooperative education and sandwich programs
- Equity, disability, and socioeconomic access to WIL
- International students and cross-border WIL models
- Digital, hybrid, and virtual WIL
- Employer engagement and partnership governance
- Quality assurance, evaluation, and benchmarking
- Policy frameworks and national strategies
- Future directions for WIL in the age of AI and automation
Target Audience
- Higher education scholars and researchers
- Faculty teaching experiential and professional programs
- Graduate students in education, business, and social sciences
- International education professionals
- Career services and experiential learning directors
- Policymakers and accreditation bodies
- Industry and community partners involved in WIL
Proposed Table of Contents
Part I: Core Modalities of WIL
Internships in Higher Education: Design, Ethics, and Outcomes
Apprenticeships and Vocational Pathways
Practicums and Professional Placements
Service-Learning and Community Engagement
Part II: Equity, Access, and Student Experience
Equity Groups and Barriers to WIL Participation
International Students and Transnational WIL
Disability, Accessibility, and Inclusive Design
Student Voice and Identity Development
Part III: Institutional and Industry Perspectives
Employer Engagement and Partnership Models
Quality Assurance and Program Evaluation
Digital and Hybrid WIL Models
Policy Frameworks and National Strategies
Part IV: Futures of Work-Integrated Learning
WIL in the Age of AI and Automation
Micro-credentials and Stackable WIL Pathways
Global South Perspectives on WIL
Reimagining WIL for Sustainable Futures
For questions, contact editors:
Maureen Manning, maureen@maureenmanning.com
Kelly McGee, kelly.mcgee@eusainternships.org
Send abstracts via email at joseph@theglobalnexuscollective.com
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