{"id":2189,"date":"2021-03-18T12:08:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T12:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/?p=2189"},"modified":"2025-07-16T09:48:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T08:48:06","slug":"integrated-work-study-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/2021\/03\/18\/integrated-work-study-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"Integrated Work Study Programme"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 class=\"entry-content\"><strong style=\"color: #003f80;\">Dr Eugene Wong<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"entry-content\"><strong style=\"color: #003f80;\">Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"entry-content\"><strong style=\"color: #e96556;\">Newcastle University in Singapore<\/strong><\/h4>\n<hr \/>\n<p aria-level=\"1\"><b>What did you do?<\/b><\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">We work closely with the Singapore Institute of\u00a0Technology (SIT),\u00a0our partner university,\u00a0who deliver the\u00a0Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP). All students on our joint\u00a0degree programmes benefit from taking\u00a0part in this;\u00a0working\u00a0in\u00a0industry\u00a0as part of a paid placement\u00a0to deliver solutions to real industry problems.\u00a0IWSP is a\u00a0compulsory module and carries\u00a020\u00a0ECTS\u00a0credits\u00a0(40 credits)\u00a0so\u00a0is\u00a0a major component\u00a0of the degree programme.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p aria-level=\"1\"><b>Who is involved?<\/b><\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">NUIS Engineering Joint Degree students: Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical\u00a0and\u00a0Marine,\u00a0Offshore\u00a0and Naval\u00a0Architecture<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">Singapore Institute of Technology<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">Industry Partners<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">Eugene Wong and other NUIS colleagues<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p aria-level=\"1\"><b>How did you do it?<\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h5 aria-level=\"1\"><b>Finding the placement<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">SIT have a team of Career Coaches\u00a0who work with the\u00a0students\u00a0to improve\u00a0resume writing, communication\u00a0skills\u00a0and interview skills.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">An industry day\u00a0is then held where the industry partners attend\u00a0an exhibition. This year it was all virtual.\u00a0Students\u00a0share their resume with the companies they are\u00a0most\u00a0interested in\u00a0working with.\u00a0The company\u00a0then\u00a0selects which students they want to interview.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/files\/2021\/03\/SIT-Career-Nexus.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2193 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/files\/2021\/03\/SIT-Career-Nexus-1024x568.jpg\" alt=\"Career Nexus 2021 Enter a world of opportunities 25-28 January 2021 Singapore Institute of Technology\" width=\"640\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/files\/2021\/03\/SIT-Career-Nexus-1024x568.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/files\/2021\/03\/SIT-Career-Nexus-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/files\/2021\/03\/SIT-Career-Nexus-768x426.jpg 768w, https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/files\/2021\/03\/SIT-Career-Nexus.jpg 1276w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">If students aren\u2019t successful in the first\u00a0round\u00a0they go through to the second round.\u00a0There\u00a0can be some disappointment for students if they aren\u2019t successful straight\u00a0away\u00a0but all students will have a company\u00a0to\u00a0work with\u00a0for the IWSP module.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5 aria-level=\"1\"><b>Working with industry<\/b><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">Students on the joint degree programme work\u00a0in\u00a0industry for 26 weeks.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">All students\u00a0have an\u00a0academic supervisor\u00a0and\u00a0their industry supervisor.\u00a0They are given a real\u00a0industry\u00a0problem and\u00a0asked to\u00a0come up with a solution to this.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">Sometime in the middle of IWSP we will ask students\u00a0to submit a project proposal for their capstone module.\u00a0If the industry project is\u00a0suitable,\u00a0they can continue this for their capstone project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5 aria-level=\"1\"><b>\u00a0Project example\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n<blockquote>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">A\u00a0Mechanical Engineering student worked with industry as a mechanical engineering\u00a0intern\u00a0looking after integrity of fixed equipment\u00a0in an oil refinery. He\u00a0simplified\u00a0existing\u00a0workflow\u00a0processes\u00a0by automating\u00a0some of the calculations required using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in excel to\u00a0reduce calculation time and reduce potential human error. The industry partners really appreciated this as it was a real problem\u00a0and the solution worked for them.<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">\n<\/blockquote>\n<h5 aria-level=\"1\"><b>Assessment and Feedback<\/b><\/h5>\n<p>There are a variety of assessment and feedback methods adding to the strength of this module. These include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">Biweekly logs\u00a0where students\u00a0document what they are doing and\u00a0include\u00a0reflections\u00a0on\u00a0the experience.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">A poster\u00a0presentation\u00a0which\u00a0takes place in the middle of IWSP.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">Right at the end,\u00a0students deliver\u00a0a presentation to showcase what they have learnt and what they have accomplished.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">We also gather feedback\u00a0from industry supervisors. Students really appreciate comments from both the industry and academic\u00a0supervisors.\u00a0Often\u00a0feedback from the industry supervisor will help the student see how they can be more adaptable when working\u00a0in industry. It\u2019s very different to the classroom and can help them see how to communicate\u00a0more effectively with\u00a0their peers.<\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\">Some\u00a0really valuable\u00a0feedback\u00a0from\u00a0supervisors\u00a0is\u00a0\u2018don\u2019t be afraid to ask\u2019. Sometimes in the classroom students can be quite quiet but they\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0afford to be quiet in industry because if they don\u2019t\u00a0know what to\u00a0do\u00a0they can\u2019t accomplish the task.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p aria-level=\"1\"><b>Does it work?<\/b><\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">The IWSP provides valuable\u00a0work experience\u00a0for students and\u00a0an excellent\u00a0opportunity to develop a range of employability skills.<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">Reflective logs show that students are gaining a lot from this experience.\u00a0I\u2019ve also\u00a0observed improvements\u00a0in attitudes of students and an increased\u00a0understanding of rules and regulations\u00a0following the IWSP.<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">Another positive outcome is that\u00a0a\u00a0lot of students\u00a0go\u00a0back to\u00a0work\u00a0for the\u00a0IWSP\u00a0companies. It\u2019s a really good way for the companies to\u00a0get\u00a0a feel\u00a0for whether\u00a0this student is a good fit for the company\u00a0and for students to see if this is an\u00a0area\u00a0they want to work in.<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">A recent learning and teaching review commended the\u00a0integrated work study programme as an example of how academic practice and industrial engagement can combine to enhance the student learning outcomes.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Student Voice<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8216;The biggest challenge I overcame was my fear of asking questions. At first, I was reserved &amp; this led to many unanswered questions in my mind. I could not understand my supervisor &amp; colleagues, additionally, I had no courage to voice my confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Soon, I realized the importance of asking questions.<\/p>\n<p>This has made my internship experience more fulfilling, moreover, developing myself as a proficient engineer.&#8217;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mechanical Engineering Student<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 aria-level=\"1\"><strong><span class=\"TextRun SCXW113369969 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW113369969 BCX0\">Interested in finding\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW113369969 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart SCXW113369969 BCX0\">out more<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW113369969 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p aria-level=\"1\">Find out more about the Integrated Work Study Programme on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.singaporetech.edu.sg\/applied-learning\/integrated-work-study-programme\">Singapore Institute of Technology website.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>Graduate Framework<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>This approach develops the following skills and attributes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Creative Innovative and Enterprising<\/li>\n<li>Confident<\/li>\n<li>Reflective and self-aware<\/li>\n<li>Future-focussed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Colleagues can find out more about the Graduate Framework on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/newcastle.sharepoint.com\/hub\/cs\/Pages\/Graduate-Framework.aspx\">University\u00a0intranet.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students taking part in the Integrated Work Study Programme have the unique opportunity to deliver effective solutions to real industry problems. This case study is an example of how academic practice and industrial engagement can combine to enhance the student learning outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3007,"featured_media":2215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,280,350,273],"tags":[607,595,614],"class_list":["post-2189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-assessment-and-feedback","category-newcastle-university-in-singapore","category-sage","tag-creative-thinking","tag-fit-for-the-future","tag-future-focused"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3007"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2189"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3984,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189\/revisions\/3984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}