Work-based learning. a new imperative: developing reflective practice in professional life

This article sets out the experience of an innovative Work-Based Learning programme based in a university context. The scheme itself is designed to enable different levels of flexible participation through the engagement of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and large organizations in the design and delivery of several types of provision. The university provides the input of a full-time academic, with one-to-one support in the university and on site, leading to accredited awards at BA (Hons) Certificate, Diploma and Masters level. To date the scheme has been in operation for five years and has been evaluated by the authors as part of an internal review. The main sources of evidence in the review have been the students and the employers and this paper focuses on their perceptions of its advantages and disadvantages in relation to Work-Based Learning professional development. The article concludes with an outline of the next stage of the evaluation which is designed to focus on assessment techniques for onsite evaluation of the technical and higher level skills which the programme aims to develop.