Lead Department
Cross-departmental
Coordinated by
Trevor Hogan (Trevor.Hogan@mtu.ie)
Purpose
The University Wide Learning Community focuses on university-wide work placement initiatives, aiming to enhance the structure, accessibility, and impact of work-based learning opportunities across multiple disciplines. As work placement is an essential aspect of higher education, this Learning Community seeks to standardise best practices, foster collaboration across departments, and ensure alignment with industry needs.
By bringing together staff, industry partners, and support services, the Learning Community is dedicated to improving work placement coordination, employer engagement, and student preparedness. The initiative aims to streamline work placement processes across faculties, ensuring that students receive high-quality, relevant, and structured work experiences that align with their academic and professional development goals.
Additionally, the Learning Community will work towards integrating placement opportunities more effectively within curricula by sharing successful models, developing new frameworks, and addressing key challenges such as equity of access, student support, and assessment of work-based learning.
Summary
- The Learning Community has continued its work to enhance work placement opportunities by engaging with academic staff, employers, and university support services. Over the past academic year, efforts have been focused on reviewing existing placement structures and identifying areas for improvement across different programmes. Discussions have taken place around work placement assessment, employer feedback mechanisms, and support structures for students on placement.
- While the Learning Community has not implemented major new initiatives in the past year, it has remained active in maintaining and refining placement coordination. There is now a strong focus on expanding membership and developing a more structured approach to placement integration across disciplines. The next phase will involve strengthening cross-departmental collaboration and exploring opportunities for enhanced employer partnerships and student support mechanisms.
- The Learning Community remains committed to improving university-wide work placement frameworks by creating more structured placement opportunities, refining best practices, and enhancing industry engagement. Future efforts will focus on formalising best practice guidelines, piloting new initiatives, and further developing strategic employer partnerships to benefit students across all disciplines.
