SASUF Sustainability Forum 2024

PhD programmes previously focused primarily on developing researchers and preparing PhD graduates for academia. Today, approximately half of PhDs do not end up in academia. PhD programmes are critiqued for not delivering PhDs with the necessary employability skills for the modern workplace (O'Connor et al., 2023).

To address the critique, higher education has collaborated more closely with different stakeholders to get a better understanding of the needs of these stakeholders. This collaboration focused on relevance and creating value that could benefit various stakeholders. Despite the efforts, PhD programmes still struggle to deliver PhDs that are prepared for the workplace (Valencia-Forrester, 2019).

Work-integrated learning (WIL) can provide PhD students with a more realistic perspective of what is expected in the workplace through an intentional educational approach that uses relevant and authentic work-based experience where theory is integrated with practice-related tasks as part of the curriculum(Bernhard and Olsson, 2023, O'Connor et al., 2023).

WIL can potentially address the relevance of transferable skills during the PhD. What could still be problematic is that even with the introduction of WIL, a one-size-fits-all approach is adopted. By introducing career crafting, the emphasis is to provide more agency to the student to identify the skills they need actively and custom-make the PhD journey through WIL. This signals a movement from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more individualised approach to better equip each graduate.

WIL has been implemented in undergraduate qualifications, but very little research is available on WIL in PhD education. University West has extensive experience in WIL, while the University of the Free State is just embarking on this journey. The collaboration can enhance both universities' understanding of WIL in PhD programmes and provide a new perspective in thinking about WIL.

The workshop serves as an opportunity to better understand how the workshop organisers' initial ideas could be enhanced and developed further to inform their collaboration in WIL in PhD education from the perspectives of the Swedish and the South African context.

The purpose of this workshop can be helpful for two audiences:
For educators/programme developers: The workshop can provide inspiration on how to incorporate WIL and career crafting to provide a more individualised approach to employability.
For students: The information covered in the workshops can inform students on what they need to focus on during their PhD journey to provide them with the necessary skills for their career paths.

References:
Bernard, I. & Olsson, A. K. 2023. One foot in academia and one in work-life – the case of Swedish industrial PhD students. Journal of Workplace Learning, 35, 506-523.
O'Connor, M. D., Denejkina, A. & Arvanitakis, J. 2023. Preparing doctoral candidates for employment: Delivering research and employability skills training in the PhD via work-integrated learning, IJWIL, 24(1), 19-42. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 24, 19-42.
Valencia-Forrester, F. (2019). Internships and the PhD: Is This the Future Direction of Work-Integrated Learning in Australia? International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 20(4), 389-400.

The workshop is designed as an interactive and collaborative learning activity. PhD students and academics are welcome to attend.

The workshop will be divided into two parts:
An overview of the concepts and what we know (informed by literature)
Brief overview of the changing PhD landscape
Brief overview of WIL and the application of WIL in PhD programmes
Exploring career crafting
Integrating these principles within WIL in PhD programmes

Interactive discussions based on how a more individualised learning experience can be created through the integration of WIL and career crafting concepts

Presenters at the workshop will be
Anna-Karin Olsson (University West, Sweden),
Kristina Areskoug Josefsson (University West, Sweden),
Liezel Massyn (University of the Free State, South Africa)

Keywords: Work-integrated learning, PhD programmes, protean career, career crafting