Transition: bridging the gap between study and work

This paper focuses on the transitional period between and overlapping university study and a graduate's entry into the professional workforce. Important distinctions in the way transition is conceptualised here and how it may be applied in other contexts or described in other sources include that it (a) is dynamic and variable, (b) encompasses university and workplace learning as well as any interval that may occur between them, (c) addresses specifically the learning tasks of transition in terms of the individual, and (d) presents opportunities for universities and employing organisations to work together to more directly influence learning during transition. The greatest departure in and contribution of this paper is the expanded role for universities in workplace learning, at least through the mechanism of transition. The paper provides guidance on establishing productive collaborations between university and organisation, with specifics on stakeholder roles and relationships and mechanisms to structure and support learning during transition. It contrasts academic with workplace learning, and presents a brief discussion of the implications of differences---or the gap between university study and workplace learning---with respect to the graduate / new recruit, the university, and the employing organisation. While these differences have been identified in the literature, little has been done to use the differences to develop robust transition programs and improve associated curricula. Finally, the paper concludes with a set of recommendations for transition program enhancement and directions for further research