Using work-integrated learning to enhance career planning among business undergraduates

Abstract

Effective career planning among undergraduates is increasingly important amid competitive graduate labour markets and high levels of graduate underemployment. Students must be able to set clearly defined career objectives and be equipped to identify suitable development pathways to achieve their career goals. This study examined the impact of work-integrated learning on student career planning. It focused on the completion of an elective work placement by 102 business undergraduates in a Western Australian university. The study adopted a qualitative approach and used structured reflections to examine how the placement influenced students’ career objectives, developed their self-awareness in the context of career planning, and helped them identify personal development strategies to improve their employment prospects. Drawing on social cognitive career theory, the study advances our understanding of how work-integrated learning can shape undergraduate career objectives and improve currently weak levels of student engagement with career planning. Implications for future career counselling are discussed.

Keywords

Career planning work-integrated learning work placement student business

Introduction

Effective career planning involves setting clearly defined career objectives and strategies for achieving them (Gould, 1979). The modern worker must successfully interpret and navigate a myriad of evolving career opportunities, adapting and up-skilling themselves to the changing needs of industry (Lent, 2013). Despite career management provision evolving far beyond individual counselling and sometimes being embedded in undergraduate curriculum (Watts, 2006), students are often undecided about where they are heading and what avenue to pursue postgraduation (McKeown & Lindorff, 2011). Given highly competitive graduate labour markets (Graduate Careers Australia (GCA), 2016) and elevated levels of graduate underemployment and unemployment (Karmel & Carroll, 2016), it is increasingly important for students to be proactive and focused in their career planning (Segers & Inceoglu, 2012).

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is one platform that can give clarity to students on which career objective to pursue and how. It enables students to develop an understanding of effective professional practice through integrating their learning across practice and education settings (Billett, 2011). While grounded in the theory of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984), Billett asserts the two settings may produce different experiences and learning, which the student will come to associate and reconcile (or perhaps reject) through reflection and critical evaluation. This provides a rich, and superior, learning experience and affords deep insight into student’s intended profession and world of work. There has been some attention to the typology of WIL (see, for example Sattler, Wiggers, & Arnold, 2011) and acknowledgement that it can take many forms. These include ‘immersed’ models – such as internships, placements, and practicums – and others where individuals might not be physically based in the work setting for prolonged periods – such as industry-based projects and simulations.

WIL provides insight into the realities of a profession (Daniel, 2010) and affords students the opportunity to experiment with their professional identity (Trede, Macklin, & Bridges, 2012). It can influence career choice (see Anderson et al., 2012) and assists students with developing career self-management skills (see, for example Pegg, Waldock, Hendy-Isaac, & Lawton, 2012; Smith et al., 2009). The overarching aim of this study is to explore the influence of WIL on career planning, motivated by an apparent lack of research in this area and weak levels of student engagement with career planning processes (see McKeown & Lindorff, 2011; Pegg et al., 2012). Being a phenomenological study, it explores the experiences of students who participate in WIL and seeks to address the following research objectives: (i) to examine the influence of WIL on career objectives; (ii) to explore key factors which students learn about themselves, in the context of career planning, during their WIL experience; and (iii) to examine how WIL helps students identify and evaluate strategies for improving themselves and their employment prospects.

The study adopts a qualitative approach and uses the structured reflections of 102 business undergraduates undertaking WIL in a Western Australian university. The focus is on students gaining work experience through immersion in a professional setting relevant to their degree studies, termed a work placement. The study contributes to existing literature in two ways. First, it advances our understanding of the factors that underpin undergraduate career objectives and how WIL might influence these. Second, it draws on social cognitive career theory (SCCT) (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994); exploring how WIL can improve career planning among students. The paper is structured to review relevant literature, followed by an overview of methodology and presentation of results. Findings are discussed in respect to implications for stakeholders, before the concluding remarks.

Background

Career planning

Career planning involves setting goals, identifying strategies, and establishing an action plan, with associated timelines, required to successfully achieve the intended career objectives (Zikic & Klehe, 2006). It can be interpreted through the theoretical lens of the DOTS model of career development (Watts, 2006) which comprises the four elements of decision-making learning, opportunity awareness, transition learning, and self-awareness. In particular, career planning aligns with the dimension of decision-making learning. Setting career goals or objectives gives the individual direction and stability and is associated with higher levels of commitment, perseverance, and resilience to changing conditions (see Seibert, Kraimer, Holtom, & Pierotti, 2013). It can, however, be ‘a tricky proposition, especially in the context of an uncertain, changing, and sometimes unkind environment’ (Lent, 2013, p. 6). There has been an increasing shift towards intensive global competition and complex working structures (Yuhee & Takeuchi, 2016) and a rise in part-time, project-based, and contract-based working with increased job mobility and less organisational career development (see Lent, 2013). Lent argues workers are expected to adapt to the evolving needs of the organisation and role, requiring effective career planning to remain competitive.

The call for career planning is amplified by the shift to the boundaryless career (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996) where individuals are no longer focused on the ‘organisational’ career but now seek opportunities across different organisations. The modern career is increasingly characterised by multiple job changes, horizontal career movement, and global mobility (Foundation for Young Australians (FYA, 2015), requiring fine-tuned skills in career self-management and a clear idea of long-term aspirations and how they will be achieved (Coetzee & Beukes, 2010). Further, many of the roles with which our curricula align could radically change in the coming years due to automation (FYA, 2015) and students must stay abreast of shifts and trends in the labour market. Students also need to consider how they can differentiate themselves from the growing pool of recruits to enhance their chances of graduate-level employment. To source suitable opportunities and access the hidden job market, they need a personal brand and must be networked and connected (Bridgstock, 2016). Never before has career planning been so important to our students.

Role of WIL

WIL integrates academic learning and real-world experience and capitalises on self-reflection and industry feedback (Smith, 2012). There has been significant attention to the benefits of WIL, suggesting it enhances student self-confidence (Lowden, Hall, Elliott, & Lewin, 2011), improves their non-technical skills (Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA), 2013), and provides them with a unique insight into the conduct and behaviour associated with a particular profession (Woodley & Beattie, 2011). WIL offers professional development for the host organisation’s staff through their mentoring of participating students (AWPA, 2013) and allows industry to direct student learning and identify talent prior to graduation (Wilson, 2012). It presents a collaborative opportunity for students, educators, and industry to develop graduate work readiness, for which they are all responsible (Jackson, 2016).

In this study, SCCT’s basic interest and choice model of career counselling (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 2000) is drawn upon to interpret how WIL can enhance career planning. SCCT asserts that choice of career is influenced by an individual’s beliefs of whether they are capable of succeeding in a particular career (self-efficacy), their expectations of the outcomes they can achieve (outcome expectations), and personal goals. Objective and perceived environmental variables will influence career development, such as personal characteristics, labour market conditions, and recruitment bias. Lent (2013) argues there are six obstacles that might prevent the development or implementation of a suitable career plan. These are a lack of identifiable career interest, perceived or actual skill limitations, problematic career outcome expectations, difficulty in framing career goals, environmental barriers, and lack of environmental support. The model is aligned to developing life preparedness, which ‘can lead to the use of proactive strategies to manage barriers, build supports, and otherwise advocate for one’s own career-life future’ (Lent, 2013, p. 7). Lent argues that career counselling should focus on identifying barriers to achieving goals and developing strategies to manage them, and fostering agency and resilience among students.

It would make sense that WIL generates career interest among participating students and allows them to evaluate their commitment to a particular career. There is evidence that WIL assists students in establishing career objectives through observing and experimenting with different roles in their intended field. Previous studies (see Chen & Shen, 2012; Daniel, 2010; Hughes, Mylonas, & Benckendorff, 2013) have also noted the role of WIL in clarifying career goals and making students aware of the capabilities required for their intended career. Usher (2012) found WIL helped students to better understand pathways leading to their career objective through immersion in the professional community of practice (Zegwaard & Coll, 2011), including career discussions with seasoned professionals and workplace colleagues. Indeed, McIlveen et al. (2011) found that all four DOTS model dimensions were featured in the WIL programmes delivered by careers provision 36 Australian universities, although decision-making learning was least apparent. There appears, however, to be relatively little discussion of how WIL might help students recognise barriers to their aspirations and identify support systems for achieving career plans.

Method

Participants

One hundred and two students completing a work placement, an elective component of their business undergraduate degree programme in a Western Australian university, participated in the study. All were in the latter stages of their degree and had successfully applied to participate in the placement programme. The programme attracts academic credit and combines 100–150 hours of relevant work experience with on-campus sessions and assessments, including reflective activities and an e-portfolio. Students were assigned to placements based on their course major and/or chosen area of interest with only a small proportion sourcing their own placement opportunity. Participant characteristics are summarised in Table 1. Approximately 70% of the sample were female, the majority were aged between 20 and 24 years and most completed their placement in the private sector. Participants were studying and working in a range of different disciplines within the field of business.

Table 1.

Summary of participant characteristics (N = 102).

		Semester 1		Semester 2		Total
Characteristic	Subgroup	N	Valid %	N	Valid %	N	Valid %
Age	Less than 20 years	1	2	9	17.3	10	9.8
	20–24 years	33	66	27	51.9	60	58.8
	25–29 years	9	18	9	17.3	18	17.6
	30 years and over	7	14	7	13.5	14	13.7
Gender	Male	11	22	19	36.5	30	29.4
Gender	Female	39	78	33	63.5	72	70.6
Specialisation	Human Resources Management	8	16	7	13.5	15	14.7
	Finance/Accounting	14	28	14	26.9	28	27.5
	Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising	5	10	14	26.9	19	18.6
	Tourism, Hospitality, Recreation and Events	15	30	9	17.3	24	23.5
	Management and other	8	16	8	15.4	16	15.6
Sector of host organisation	Public sector	8	16	7	13.5	15	14.7
	Private sector	35	70	36	69.2	71	69.6
	Not for profit	7	14	9	17.3	16	15.7
Residency status	Domestic	38	76	45	86.5	83	81.3
Residency status	International	12	24	7	13.5	19	18.7

Procedures

Students participating in the work placement programme were required to write a structured, assessed reflection in the final weeks of their placement. All 111 students enrolled in the programme were invited by email to share their reflection for research purposes, of which 102 agreed. Data were collected during May 2016 (first semester, N = 50) and then October 2016 (second semester, N = 52).

Measures

Phenomenology intends to capture the experiences of individuals and their interpretation of them (Taylor, 1993) and is suited to examining the experiences of those in professional practice (Adams, Daly, Mann, & Dall’Alba, 2011). Structured reflections were used to investigate students’ career objectives and plans, as well as how their WIL experience influenced these. Reflection is integral to WIL, and reflective writing forms a core element of the business undergraduate programme; thus, students are well versed in this when entering the placement programme. First, students were asked to reflect on, in 800 words, what is their career objective and how, if at all, this changed since during their work placement. Second, they were asked to outline the three main things they have learned about themselves, within the context of their intended career. Finally, they were asked to define five action points for improving themselves and their chances of securing a graduate-level job, and to explain how these placement highlighted these and how they plan to address them in the next 12 months.

Analysis

The 102 reflections were thematically analysed to enhance our understanding of the influence of WIL, more specifically the work placements, on career planning. Using the basic principles of qualitative research (see, for example Mishler, 1990), the first semester’s reflections (N = 50) were reviewed and individual responses were assigned to various themes using an inductive coding approach. A detailed coding scheme was developed and the resulting framework of themes included an explanation of each. This framework was used to analyse the second semester reflections (N = 52) using deductive coding processes. While the thematic analysis for the second semester sample was not confined to the original themes, there was little difference in the data with only one new theme added and no original ones revised. This methodology of combined inductive and deductive analysis can produce clear and rigorous results (Fereday & Muir-Cochrane, 2008).

To enhance rigour, the analysis of the first semester’s reflections was repeated by an independent research assistant trained in qualitative research methods. Individual responses were revisited for the few areas of difference until consensus was reached. The analysis of the second sample of reflections was repeated by a different research assistant, also trained in qualitative research methods and familiarised with the developed framework of themes. Again, data were re-examined for the very few areas of difference until consensus was reached. Trustworthiness was enhanced (see Merriam, 1995) through analysing data over two different time periods, conducting multiple analyses and keeping an audit trail, which detailed decisions made and issues encountered during the analysis.

Results

Themes identified in the analysis are summarised in Table 2 for each of the following subsections: choice of personal career objective, how self-awareness in the career planning context was developed during WIL, and action points for personal improvement.

Table 2.

Summary of themes.

Area of exploration	Themes
Choice of career objective	Personal gratification
	Opportunity for promotion
	Collaborative working
	Promotes well-being
	Scope for professional development
	Organisation type and size
	Experience for self-employment
	Utilises personal strengths
Enhanced self-awareness, in relation to career planning, during WIL	Emphasised commitment and suitability to intended career
	Better understanding of required non-technical capabilities
	Better able to benchmark capabilities and identify areas for improvement
	Enhanced self-confidence in pursuing career
Action points for personal development	Become more self-confident
	Improve non-technical and discipline-related capabilities
	Become more proactive
	Gain more practical experience
	Improve ability to self-manage career
	Achieve better work–life balance
	Undertake more professional development, including further study

WIL: work-integrated learning.

Career objective

Identified themes were interpreted in the context of literature relevant to WIL and career management. First, in relation to personal career objectives, there were a number of underlying themes in student responses. Approximately one-quarter of students chose their career based on personal gratification and were drawn towards doing something they had a passion for and where they felt they could make a difference. Gaining intrinsic satisfaction through mentoring others and striving for sustainability featured strongly in this theme. This aligns with Allan, Owens, and Duffy’s (2016) findings of the importance of seeking meaningful work and the value undergraduates place on this as part of their career counselling. It also supports evidence of millennials’ motivation to pursue a career which offers satisfaction gained from altruistic behaviour and contributing to societal good (Deloitte, 2016).

Fifteen per cent of students stated opportunity for promotion was pivotal and underpinned their career objective, cognisant with other studies exploring career aspirations and desired progression among the younger generations (Deloitte, 2016). Being able to work in a team environment was important to six students when deciding their career objective. This is positive, despite the small proportion, as collaborative mindset and desire for ongoing learning are both important for operating successfully in the new economy (FYA, 2015). Approximately 20% of students were very broad in their consideration of career objective and specified only the field – such as Marketing – they wished to enter. Given students were placed in a placement opportunity aligned with their study major/field, it is perhaps surprising they did not further refine their objective post-placement. On balance, developing a broad skill set which can be transported across different working contexts is considered critical to surviving the future demise of certain occupations (FYA, 2016) and could prove a useful strategy for employment.

It was evident that some students focused more on where they wished to work when considering their career objective. Around 10% specified high profile, larger organisations as their ideal destination, perceiving them as more dynamic and offering better opportunities for working overseas and/or interstate. This preference for larger organisations among new graduates is well documented (Deloitte, 2015) and their global outlook is applauded given the need for international mobility (FYA, 2015). Two students stated their career objective was to work for an organisation which offered a healthy environment, work–life balance, and promoted well-being, documented as important among millennial workers (Deloitte, 2016).

Seven students wished to gain sufficient experience to achieve their ultimate goal of running their own business, important given entrepreneurship enables future graduates to create their own work. For 15% of the students, their career objective was defined by a strong desire to utilise their personal strengths and undertake work which they excelled in, drawing on skills and knowledge acquired during their degree programme. Interestingly, only two students explicitly stated pursuit of a financially rewarding career as their underlying objective. A global survey of millennials revealed that pay and financial benefits are the key driver in career decisions (Deloitte, 2016) and Eagen et al. (2014) found financial reward was far more important to commencing college students than developing a meaningful ‘philosophy of life’.

Influence of WIL on career objectives

Just over 40% of the students had a long-established career objective, perhaps through current and prior work experience, which was not changed by their work placement. The remaining 59% believed WIL influenced their objective although this was in a variety of ways. Just under one-half of the sample found the work placement strengthened and clarified their career objective. The experience affirmed their intended pathway through exposure to the various work environments in which their profession operates; experiencing different aspects of their intended profession through their undertaking of projects and tasks; and raising awareness of the skills, knowledge requirements, and expectations of their intended profession. One student simply felt ‘my placement has made me feel more comfortable about the job field I am about to enter into’.

Nine students declared their placement made them realise they no longer wished to pursue their original career objective. These students found the experience either highlighted elements of their intended role which they did not enjoy or find rewarding, such as working in an office or completing tasks that did not appeal to them, or required capabilities which they did not possess or felt would be difficult for them to master. One student, for example, stated

Now at the end of my internship, I feel like I must go a completely different way in terms of a career, as a career in business does not seem to excite me and make me feel like I am making a difference.

Three students found the placement created uncertainty about where they were heading, which they had not experienced previously, due to realising the range of options available within their field. An equal number found the work placement emphasised that their capabilities exceeded their expectations and, as a result, upgraded their career objective to a higher status role.

There was an overwhelming sense among students who believed that WIL somehow influenced their career objective that the experience took them one step closer to making the right career decision. One student commented, for example, ‘the more experience I got, the closer I had got to determining which area is suitable for my future job. This created changes in my awareness of planning activities and led me to set out better objectives’. This applied to even those where the work placement created uncertainty about their original career objective as the experience had highlighted varying options and the need for more careful consideration on which pathway to pursue. This finding aligns with Drysdale, Frost, and McBeath’s (2015, p. 150) assertion that WIL can ‘broaden their knowledge about the careers available in their field of study, allowing them to become more cognisant of many possible occupations and less certain about one specific career path’. Again, this is not a bad thing given the need for new graduates to be flexible and open to working in different roles and contexts.

Self-awareness in relation to career planning

In regards to what the students learned about themselves during their work placement in the context of career planning, four themes emerged (see Table 2). First, just over one-quarter of the students found the placement emphasised their level of commitment and suitability to their intended career pathway. One observed, ‘my placement has taught me that I am more interested, passionate and committed than I initially thought and has allowed me to confirm the career direction I wish to take’. As noted previously, the placement strengthened the desire for most students to achieve employment in their intended area while, for others, it highlighted they might be better suited to a different type of role. This involved assessing their suitability to the expectations and characteristics of the working environment associated with their career objective, including sector, organisation size, working hours, and the ability to work from home.

Second, almost all of the students felt the work placement helped develop mastery in at least one non-technical capability considered important for graduate employment. Working effectively as part of a team within a business environment featured in the comments of 17% of the sample. Approximately 10% spoke of their increased ability to adapt to and work effectively in a culturally diverse environment and 15% of levels of professionalism in relation to dressing appropriately, conducting themselves appropriately, being respectful, and managing confidentiality. This connection with their professional self was expressed by one student,

I found that I naturally developed a professional persona when creating connections with other members in the group, instead of shying away as I do more usually, I began to break away from my shell and adapt to meet the needs around me.

Self-management – spanning multitasking, time management, and working autonomously – was mentioned by just under one-fifth of the sample. Approximately 30% commented on their greater willingness to try new things, be adaptable, and embrace change. Development in these areas might enhance career progression as flexibility, global outlook, confidence, curiosity, and having a collaborative mindset are inherent to succeeding in today’s economy (Chartered Accountants, 2016). Also positive was around one-quarter noting the work placement had aided their understanding of the importance of and their ability to communicate effectively. One stated, ‘after 100 hours of internship I started to realise that building rapport and consistent communication are effective approaches to creating a functional team’. Other areas were an improved ability to adhere to expected ethical practice (6%), being accountable (7%), giving and receiving feedback (16%), conducting research (10%), managing stress (4%), and following instructions (5%).

Third, approximately one-half found the placement improved their understanding of personal skill deficiencies and areas requiring development to attain graduate employment. Despite their workplace learning, some felt they needed to improve in aspects of technical expertise and/or non-technical skill and admitted they had overestimated their capabilities prior to placement, a tendency common among students due to ‘not knowing what they don’t know’ (Smith, Ferns, & Russell, 2014). One student admitted, ‘It is hard to admit that improvements need to be made, but in reflection, the improvements are always beneficial and provide interesting challenges’. Approximately 10% of all students felt they lacked the confidence and self-trust to apply their disciplinary skills and identified this as an area for development. One realised, ‘if I do not push myself to be more confident, appear more confident or proactive, it will affect my performance’. Two believed they did not have a sufficiently diverse mix of skills to be competitive in the labour market, while four others commented on their lack of industry knowledge and poor understanding of the external environment relevant to their profession.

Fourth, and contrary to the third theme, around one-third believed they had underestimated their ability to function effectively in the workplace and found they already possessed the required capabilities for their intended career. One student commented, ‘I was not mindful of the importance of study until I got to work placement. Even though the study from university mostly is conveyed based on theory, it is useful in processing tasks in the real workplace’. As these students reflected on an emerging sense of their own capabilities, some reported enhanced confidence arising from the placement. They commented on how their degree had given them a solid base of knowledge for their chosen career and how they were confident in their ability to perform to the standards expected by industry. As one eloquently stated, ‘I am as smart as I want to be, I just have to find a particular point within the work that I enjoy or can do well’.

Students seemed to understand how resilient they actually were with one stating, ‘I am emotionally stronger than I thought – discipline is a hard thing to learn but I believe through my work experience I have learned to overcome and go beyond my conventional self-doubts’. Student exposure to contemporary working practices appears, therefore, to not only have provided valuable insight of what is required of them postgraduation but also gave them confidence in meeting the demands and challenges of the new world of work.

Action points for personal improvement

Students identified a number of action points, summarised in Table 2, for improving themselves and their chances of graduate-level employment. They cited several aspects of their WIL experience as useful in defining these action points. First, observing and interacting with seasoned professionals in an authentic setting gave them insight into expected standards against which they could benchmark their own capabilities. The usefulness of career counselling in the workplace was noted by students, in addition to informal and formal feedback from workplace mentors, supervisor(s), and peers, which helped them to gauge their performance, strengths, areas for improvement, and developmental pathways. Reflective assessments and activities during on-campus sessions were deemed to encourage students to consider their preferences and future career direction. Professional networking opportunities with internal and external stakeholders were considered vital in providing the ‘bigger picture’ and how their profession relates to the external environment.

Self-confidence

Approximately one-third stated they needed to become more self-confident with one commenting, ‘over the course of the next year I will focus on having a “can do” attitude with a willingness to learn above and beyond what is required of me’. Students cited several ways of achieving this, including trying not to overthink things; watching inspirational videos and reading strategies on developing confidence; attending more networking events and interacting more with clients; being more focused on the positives; aligning body language and signals with high levels of confidence; undertaking additional work placements; seeking feedback from peers and colleagues; deliberately placing oneself in unfamiliar situations; and practicing calming techniques in circumstances which placed them outside of their comfort zone.

Skill development

The majority of students noted the need for up-skilling in at least one skill area, and there were many instances where students acknowledged the benefits of reflecting on their capabilities. One, for example, stated ‘the placement highlighted to me that it is okay to have weaknesses and that working on my strengths is important to improve myself’. Approximately one-half commented on the need to improve their communication skills, aligning with effective communication being one of the most highly demanded skills among graduate employers (GCA, 2016) and critical for success in the new economy (FYA, 2016). Strategies for improvement included reading more books, articles, and newspapers; making eye contact when conversing with others; practising ‘small talk’ and how to make conversation; attending workshops and seminars; proactively engaging in discussions and debates; practicing writing professional emails and public speaking; and enrolling in classes dedicated to business English.

Thirty per cent commented on needing to improve their discipline-related skills, achieved by obtaining more industry-related qualifications; asking more questions relevant to given tasks; reading literature relating to their intended profession; undertaking professional development; and researching skills relevant for their profession. Almost one-half of the sample acknowledged they needed to improve their information technology skills with deficiencies predominantly noted in software specific to their profession, design, social media, and Google analytics. The dominating approach to up-skilling was researching the most utilised software and then undertaking formalised training – online or otherwise – to attain proficiency. This finding is interesting, given digital literacy is considered pivotal for future ways of working (FYA, 2016).

Further developing time management and organisation skills were noted by approximately one-third of the sample and strategies for improvement included breaking down tasks, setting goals and milestones, having regular progress reviews, establishing a routine, prioritising tasks, delegating tasks as needed, reducing procrastination, keeping a diary, taking more precise notes, avoiding unnecessary distractions, and managing sleep patterns. Two other key areas were team working and generating new ideas. The 10% of students commenting on the former did not align with the overwhelming priority employers associate with this skill (GCA, 2016), or perhaps students felt their collaborative working skills were sufficiently developed. Strategies for improvement included practising listening skills, gaining more work experience, and attending relevant workshops. Generating new ideas was noted by almost one-fifth of the sample, aligning with the expectation that entering graduates are able to contribute in the workplace and become tomorrow’s leaders (Trede et al., 2012). Students proffered a number of strategies for up-skilling, including learning to communicate new ideas effectively, engaging in continuous learning and development, reflective journaling, attending workshops, gaining additional experience, staying current with best practice, and thinking outside the box.

There were several areas for improvement noted only by a handful of students. Eight felt they needed to become more self-aware, which could be achieved through self-assessments, possibly in combination with peer and 360 degree reviews, striving for excellence and constantly searching for ways to better oneself, focusing on one’s strengths, and developing ways to uncover weaknesses. The same number noted the need to become more professional in terms of presentation and attitude, attained through observing and ‘copying’ seasoned professionals. Five felt they should improve on their critical evaluation skills through completing ‘brain games’, mathematical puzzles, and reading more books, while two wanted to develop their project management skills through relevant training. Emotional intelligence was acknowledged as an area for improvement by five students, achieved by attending training on better recognising and managing emotions, and volunteering in diverse organisations. Finally, only five students commented on developing their leadership and management skills, perhaps highlighting a disconnection with the importance assigned by industry as 14% of Australian graduate employers identify leadership skills as their most important selection criteria (GCA, 2016).

Being proactive

Approximately one-third of students felt they needed to be more proactive and learn to show more initiative to improve their career prospects. This included taking responsibility for their actions, requesting feedback, and exhibiting self-motivation. New graduates are often accused of being spoon-fed and one student’s comment emphasises this, ‘I am going to stop asking questions about a problem until I am a hundred per cent certain that I cannot do it’. Demonstrating initiative is highly regarded by industry (Lowden et al., 2011) and, anecdotally, a key characteristic sought in WIL students. Strategies identified to achieve enhanced initiative were fairly broad and included updating industry knowledge so one felt better equipped to take the lead in certain situations; sourcing academic and professional mentors; working on finding solutions to problems without assistance; giving more attention to detail in future work; and requesting feedback more regularly to improve skills and capabilities in the long term, thus being able to work more autonomously in the future.

Practical experience

Students noted the importance of gaining more practical experience through employment, volunteering, and additional internships. Although only 30% stated this as a key strategy, undertaking relevant work experience featured in other themes such as increasing self-awareness and improving one’s skills. The importance of relevant work experience to enhancing graduate employment prospects is well documented (see, for example Department of Employment, 2016). Fifth, 28% of students realised the importance of developing industry knowledge through volunteering work, using library and internet resources to research industry practices, attending relevant events and workshops, subscribing to industry news, enrolling in a mentor programme, and undertaking training to that particular industry.

Career self-management

Almost all of the students believed enhanced career self-management skills would improve their job prospects, aligning with their asserted connection with graduate employability (Bridgstock, 2009) and employment outcomes (Pegg et al., 2012). There were a number of sub-themes and associated strategies within career management. Building professional networks and developing networking skills were noted by almost one-half of the sample as key to improving employment prospects, cognisant with literature acknowledging their importance for graduate success and navigating the new work order (Bridgstock, 2016). A broad range of strategies were noted, which included developing or improving one’s personal brand; being more proactive in social media (such as LinkedIn); allocating more time and effort to connecting with other professionals through industry events, career fairs, volunteering work, and professional association membership; participating in an industry mentoring programme; creating a blog; and nurturing existing professional contacts. One student confidently stated,

creating an authentic personal brand can help me to attract new opportunities and gain recognition in my future career. The best way to start with is by making a self-assessment of values and skills and to define how I want to be perceived by people.

Just under 10% of students felt they needed to become more career focused by setting goals and actively pursuing strategies to achieve them. Approximately 20% felt it is important to seek guidance from career counsellors through attending seminars and/or individual sessions to improve their interview skills, resume, and cover letter writing techniques. While most commented on seeking support from university career services, some realised the value of advice from experienced professionals. Eight noted the benefit of strong job search skills and their desire to develop different techniques, in particular using online platforms. Finally, five noted the importance of developing resilience by ‘staying focused on wanting a graduate job and gravitating towards positivity and success … (retaining a) “don’t let one failed attempt get you down” mentality’.

Work–life balance and professional development

Around 18% of students believed achieving a better work–life balance to be a valuable action point for professional success. This could be attained by making time for family and friends, and undertaking physical activities before or after work. There was acknowledgement of the different demands on their time with one student stating, ‘I have realized that I’m in the developing stage in balancing my personal life, work and studies; where being on-call for my casual jobs has greatly impacted on my time management’. Finally, an equal portion of students stated their career prospects would improve by continuing their studies with a focus on both professional qualifications and broader postgraduate tertiary qualifications.

Implications

WIL appears to be helpful in addressing four of SCCT’s six inhibitors to career planning: lack of identifiable interest, skill limitations, problematic outcome expectations, and difficulty in framing career goals. WIL’s exposure to professional ideology enables students to explore their career interests in the context of more informed outcome expectations. Findings suggest WIL largely generated student interest in their career with most having some notion, albeit broad, of their career objective. Grounded in experiential learning theory, quality WIL incorporates activities where students gain feedback and reflect on their skill capabilities and limitations (Smith, 2012). Academic mentors and host organisations helped students to identify skill gaps and pathways to improve to expected levels for graduate employment. Through direct exposure to the professional environment, WIL students developed a more detailed understanding of what their intended career involves and framed their goals and objectives accordingly. Underpinned by a pedagogy of reflection, WIL augmented self-awareness and encouraged students to evaluate their commitment to their intended career. This, in combination with enhanced disciplinary expertise and non-technical capabilities, means students who complete WIL often experience greater self-confidence in pursuing their career objective.

Career development learning, certainly in the WIL space, could be extended to focus on the remaining two inhibitors to effective career planning: environmental barriers and lack of environmental support. Findings indicate a vast array of strategies for personal development emerged during the students’ WIL experiences. Reflective processes and observing and interacting with established professionals, among other things, enabled students to identify useful action points to aid their employment prospects and resilience in highly competitive graduate labour markets. Their consideration of action points prompted students to reflect on both areas for improvement and inhibitors to graduate-level employment in their desired field.

Career planning should not be imparted to WIL students as an isolated event but something that is fluid and requiring ongoing consideration and adaption in line with environmental factors and personal preference (Smith et al., 2009). Identifying action points to achieve career plans could become integral to WIL assessment and reflective activities, emphasising the need to regularly review and revisit formed plans. Contingency planning might help students learn to understand that career planning is confounded by the reality of resource limitations and environmental factors (Lent, 2013) and can be affected by unplanned events (Seibert et al., 2013). A graduate suffering financial hardship, for example, might simply need to take any job – or might be diverted to an alternative pathway – rather than pursue the career they would most like to enter. As suggested by Lent, students could undertake a form of contingency planning where they identify support mechanisms and coping strategies – drawing on both newly formed and established networks – for managing the unexpected.

Rather than encouraging WIL students, and others, to focus narrow-mindedly on one particular career, encouraging them to be adaptable, resilient, and alert to opportunities, which might assist in reaching their career goals, as well as factors which might cause a change in direction, could be particularly useful (Lent, 2013). In line with this, many of the development strategies identified by WIL students were broad and not specific to their career intentions. The value of, for example, enhancing their self-confidence and improving their non-technical skills can be transferred across different work contexts and are worthy action plans for most entry-level positions. Encouraging students to develop a career action plan that encompasses broad objectives and can therefore be responsive to changing economic conditions and any resource limitations could prove highly beneficial (see FYA, 2016).

Importantly, the highlighted benefits for future career planning can only be harnessed for a broad spectrum of students with increased employer engagement in WIL. Industry is often reluctant to participate in work placements due to concerns with mentoring and supervisory capacity and insufficient resourcing, resulting in an imbalance in the supply and demand of work placements (Department of Industry, 2014). While educators must articulate the importance of effective career planning to students, providing access to authentic WIL opportunities to help develop career planning skills – and general work readiness – is the responsibility of all stakeholders. As outlined in Australia’s National Strategy for WIL (Universities Australia et al., 2015), educators, industry, and the government must work together to upscale WIL and harness the benefits for more students.

Finally, findings highlight the importance of innovative forms of WIL – such as incubator centres to foster start-ups among students (see Universities Australia, 2016) – in developing entrepreneurial capabilities among students. While it is true that entrepreneurs tend to be older (Ardagna & Lusardi, 2010), the expressed desire among some students to gain experience necessary to start their own business highlights the need for greater emphasis on self-employment during undergraduate education, particularly given the cohort is business students. Although innovative, WIL is attracting increasing attention, more understanding is needed of its influence on professional networking and career self-management in comparison with more immersed models.

Concluding remarks

Findings affirm that WIL, the intersection of academic and workplace learning, can play a valuable role in engaging students with meaningful career planning processes. It can assist with clarifying career objectives, enhancing self-awareness in the context of career planning, and can help students identify development pathways to improve graduate employment prospects. It is important to note this particular WIL programme is reasonably resourced and regularly evaluated to ensure adherence to quality principles in WIL design and delivery, such as those outlined by Smith (2012). This helps to avoid common issues such as inadequate workplace supervision and poor student preparation prior to placement, which might mediate the positive influence of WIL on career planning. In alignment, there are some caveats to the largely positive results of the study. First, students in this study were assigned to placement opportunities that aligned with their study major and which were rigorously vetted to ensure they offered meaningful and relevant work experience. Sourcing meaningful work as part of their career counselling is important to students (Allan et al., 2016) and they should undertake placements which align with their career intentions. Without this, the positive results of this study might not be replicated.

Second, students had elected to participate in WIL and had undergone a fairly rigorous selection process to gain entry onto the programme. This may have meant a more career-motivated sample who were committed to exploring their career aspirations and/or who had already defined the career objectives they wished to experiment with. Third, it is important to acknowledge there are often barriers to certain student groups undertaking WIL which may mediate its positive influence on career planning. In addition to international and mature students, these include those of lower socio-economic status, who have mental illness or a disability, and who are single parents (see Peach et al., 2016). While demonstration of sound work ethic is the determining factor of entry onto this particular WIL programme, it is possible that these marginalised groups opted not to apply due to inhibiting factors such as the cost of clothing, travel, and childcare (Brough, Correa-Velez, Crane, Johnstone, & Marston, 2014).

Fourth, students in this study completed a minimum of 100 hours in the workplace and were nearing the completion of their degree programme. The latter might mean they were more inclined to be actively considering their career and exploring the impact of WIL on career planning in earlier stages of study might be useful. As WIL is often undertaken in the later stages of the degree, it should be complemented with other initiatives – such as individual career counselling and/or embedded career development learning – as career planning should start early (Bridgstock, 2009).

Limitations of the study are that, first, data were collected only from one university using one single method (online survey), although at two separate time points, which might raise concerns with common method variance (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003). The generalisation of results might be limited as the sample comprised only business students and there might be variations in career decision-making by discipline (Daniels, Stewart, Stupnisky, Perry, & LoVerso, 2011). Finally, it was not possible to capture data on socio-economic status for this particular cohort, and therefore any mediating influence on the relationship between career planning and WIL could not be assessed.

Nevertheless, the study provides a useful insight into how the work placement can influence a student’s career planning through the theoretical lens of SCCT. It explores the link between career development learning and WIL which, despite their corresponding importance for graduate employability, remains a research area in relatively infancy. It provides a foundation for future studies exploring the influence of other forms of WIL and variations across different disciplines. Examination of earlier stages of study and different length WIL programmes will be useful in assessing the transferability of findings, as would be comparing the clarity of career objectives and the level and quality of action planning between students completing WIL and those who are not. Investigating the mediating influence of contextual variables – such as those identified in SCCT (Lent et al., 2000) – on career planning in the WIL context would be useful. Finally, replicating the study in a core WIL programme would further enrich our understanding of the role of WIL and future career counselling interventions.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The author received a strategic research grant from the School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, to support the research.

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