Responsive and rigorous approval of work-based learning: adjusting regulations and codes of practice

To satisfy future workplace skills requirements, universities are being urged to expand work-based learning provision and encourage employers to fund students. In order to respond to and maintain public confidence, universities must design and implement tailored courses quickly and rigorously. While some universities are experienced and quality-assure their work-based learning courses effectively, developments are patchy. Response to a recent survey highlights two issues: firstly, the difficulty universities have making contact and building relationships with employers, and secondly, the perceived bureaucracy and complexity of validation processes. In delivering work-based learning courses universities must assure the standards of student achievement and maintain the quality of the student experience. This assurance begins with the design and approval of a course. The research presented here is part of a larger research project sponsored by the Association for Business Schools that traces quality assurance through the entire life cycle of curriculum development and delivery. This paper focuses specifically on the design and approval stages and makes recommendations for the modification of university regulations and processes. A university growing its work-based learning provision should review its curriculum framework, consider fast-track validations and the use of standing panels and phased approvals.