Measuring work integrated learning: the development of the meta-competency test

The practice of work-integrated learning (WIL) is rightly viewed as being important in the development of career ready students with identifiable graduate capabilities. Important also is its role in achieving the high level goals pertaining to positive social equity and economic outcomes through the development of lifelong learning outcomes. The value of WIL programs in these terms, however, remain difficult to quantify due to two major factors. The first factor is the difficulty associated with defining WIL and in identifying its learning value and form. The literature and practice highlights this as it accepts WIL as an ideal type; this has created difficulties for universities to quality assure and develop professional learning programs. The second factor, is the difficulty measuring the contribution of WIL to graduate capabilities. In response, this paper proposes the development not of a definition of WIL but rather of a meta-competency test for WIL