Careers, career development and creative arts students: an investigation of the impact of theory on practice

This project reflects an ongoing research project in the area of WIL for creative arts students. In 2009, the first formal trial of a structured program of integrating WIL experiences occurred, with the results yielding a range of insights and positive outcomes for students involved, such as direct experience of industry practices and new knowledge about the skills required beyond University. The key findings from this research (Daniel 2010) formed the starting point for this next phase of research and investigation. The key goals here were to a) follow up with the graduates from the initial trial, b) explore the perceptions of former graduates regarding WIL and other industry issues, c) explore the views of industry representatives regarding internships in particular, and d) gain an additional set of data from the 2010 cohort of students. The findings are considerable and provide a range of insights into how the implementation of integrated WIL activities leads to better career preparation for creative arts students, with those having completed industry research and work experience reporting very positive views on these two strategies. In addition to the views of current students and graduates, the findings include the insights of industry professionals towards both internships and the work-ready skills they seek when considering new graduates as employees, with industry professionals identifying the key positives and challenges associated with hosting creative arts students. The research has also enabled an analysis of the alignment between the views of former students, current students and industry professionals. For example, all stakeholder groups argue that in addition to having content knowledge and skills, it is critical that a creative artist has a network of contacts, keen industry insights and key personal attributes such as passion, determination and resilience in order that they might establish a meaningful and viable career