Towards work-integrated learning for social justice: findings from participatory action research on placement poverty

Students undertaking compulsory work-integrated learning placements as part of their degrees often experience significant financial stress, commonly known as placement poverty. Together with students and educators with lived expertise of placements we co-developed solutions to address placement poverty. The project team of an educator and four students co-facilitated a series of four online workshops involving a total of 74 participants. Together we identified 20 solutions organised into six categories: (1) Financial support; (2) Alternative degree models; (3) Alternative placement models; (4) Reduced or subsidised living costs; (5) Reduced costs of higher education; and (6) Clear communication. Using a work-integrated learning for social justice lens, we show how these solutions illuminate systemic barriers to inclusive work-integrated learning and highlight students’ experiences of work-integrated learning as labour rather than only learning.