Date: 16 November 2021
Time: 10:00am – 11:30am ACDT
Around the world work experience is being embraced as a strategy to facilitate student transition to employment. A new Report has been published, which presents findings from research funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Grant–funded project, examining the regulatory challenges faced by Australian universities in responding to this development. You can access the Report here. We are also pleased to announce a that a webinar “launch” of the Report will be held on 16 November 2021 hosted by the University of Adelaide and ACEN.
In the webinar participants will learn about the outcomes of the research project. We will:
- outline some important policy concerns about the use and value of work experience,
- introduce laws regulating work experience in Australia, including a consideration of the extent to which participants are recognised and protected under both labour and other workplace laws, as well as regulation to ensure educational quality,
- explain key findings from our research, including how much knowledge of relevant regulation there appeared to be in the institutions we studied,
- discuss the extent of compliance with what we have termed educational regulation, and some of the challenges in providing sufficient resources for the organisation and management of work experience programs, and
- present a series of policy recommendations about how work experience could be better regulated in Australia.
The webinar will be of interest to anyone involved in the HE sector, especially those involved in work experience and work integrated learning programs.
Presenters:
Anne Hewitt
Anne Hewitt is an Associate Professor of Law at The University of Adelaide. Focusing on the intersections of law and education, her publications cover topics such as legal education pedagogy, the teaching and assessment of legal skills, the regulation of education, and the rights of students undertaking unpaid work in their formal education. Her research has been funded by various grants, including from the Office for Learning and Teaching, the Australian Research Council, and the Australian Collaborative Education Network. She is also passionate about curriculum design and teaching and has won numerous local and national teaching awards. This ARC-funded project has brought together Anne’s research interests in skills development in tertiary education (particularly work-integrated learning pedagogy), the regulation of higher education, the rights of unpaid workers, and equity and equality.
Andrew Stewart
Andrew Stewart is the John Bray Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide and a consultant with the law firm Piper Alderman. His books include Stewart’s Guide to Employment Law, Creighton & Stewart’s Labour Law and Cooperation at Work: How Tribunals Can Help Transform Workplaces. His current research includes examining the regulation of unpaid work experience, the organisation of work through digital platforms, and the impact of COVID-19 on labour regulation.
Rosemary Owens, AO
Rosemary Owens, AO is a Professor Emerita at the University of Adelaide. Her research focuses on workplace law, especially its impacts on marginalised groups. She is a member of several editorial boards, including the Australian Journal of Labour Law and Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale. In 2010 she was appointed to the International Labour Organization’s Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations.
Joanna Howe
Joanna Howe is an Associate Professor of Law at The University of Adelaide and a consultant with Harmers Workplace Lawyers. She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Her research focuses on the regulation of temporary labour migration. Her publications include Temporary Labour Migration in the Global Era, co-edited with Rosemary Owens, and Rethinking Job Security, which provides a three-country study of unfair dismissal law. She has also led significant research projects for the Fair Work Ombudsman, Horticulture Innovation Australia and the Government of South Korea.