The perceptual value of industry placement: an exploratory study in Australia

In the context of vocational education, the emphasis is for students to learn practices that mimic industrial processes. To achieve this end, teachers themselves must possess these skills and be up-to-date with current industry practices. One way to ensure that teachers have these skills may be to embed teachers within a host industry firm for a period of time, so they can witness and practice first-hand the type of industrial processes they will teach students later. The industry placement is also likely to lead to the development of new networks and communities of practice between teachers and the host industry, and these communities have the ability to provide powerful resources for future teaching and learning. Although the notion of industry placements is not new, this paper reports on the findings of an exploratory study that seeks to obtain perceptions on the value of industry placements from business studies teachers. The findings are subsequently considered within the framework and within the context of the development of communities of practice. The paper concludes that the majority of teachers have positive perceptions about industry placements, and that the model may prove useful in explaining the industry placement community of practice