Work based learning in Scottish Higher Education: policy and practice

Aims to identify the reasons for the development of work based learning (WBL) in Higher Education, its relationship to government policy, and its impact on and perception by university managers, lecturers and academic‐related staff. Discussion of government policy and the factors influencing WBL development in Higher Education (HE) is contextualised by a case study of Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU). In seeking to ascertain if governmental policy is reflected in policy and practice at GCU, strategic managers’ perceptions of the influences on them in developing WBL and the role of supra‐institutional agencies in supporting WBL development were identified. The quality of institutional and supra‐institutional support in this area of curriculum development, as perceived by academic staff, was also explored. The paper concludes that congruence between government policy impetus, supra‐agency approaches, HEI strategies and institutional practice is questionable, and that there is a need for further research into the relationships between these.