Enabling Employability Through International Mobility

Authors

Abstract

To ensure our graduates are globally enabled, international experiences in different cultural contexts are essential. Such experiences enhance soft skills such as resilience, teamwork and communication that support students to build diverse professional networks and increase employment opportunities. Through a capstone work integrated learning (WIL) subject in occupational therapy, international placements were created from 2016 with two partner organisations in India and Vietnam. Each year students complete a 10-week international placement in India or Vietnam working with local project supervisors. Participating in this program assisted student employability, with the majority of students reporting that their WIL experience helped them secure a job within the first few weeks after completion of their occupational therapy degree. This chapter presents student experiences in the Global South and demonstrates how WIL helped develop students’ global citizenship and enhanced their employability.

Author Biographies

  • Anoo Bhopti, La Trobe University

    Dr Anoo Bhopti is a Lecturer and Researcher at Latrobe University, Melbourne, and works as an occupational therapy clinician in paediatrics. Anoo coordinates and teaches a capstone subject, Macro strategies for professional practice, that is based in fieldwork focussing on project management. This subject emphasises in developing core skills including global citizenship, leadership, project management and encourages students to think of macro level outcomes related to human rights. Anoo is the international student advisor for the school of allied health and collaborates international projects for research and encourages student mobility in countries like India and Vietnam.

  • CaraJane Millar, University of Canberra

    Ms. CaraJane Millar BHScSP, MHA, GdCert.Coach, is currently the professional practice convenor for speech pathology at the University of Canberra.   CaraJane’s early career experiences working in a rural and semi-remote health service forced her to think differently about best practice allied health care, to critically analyse a situation and determine the most appropriate course of action given limited resources, access and time.  CaraJane has worked in academia, hospitals, community health, philanthropy, social justice, CALD and refugee health, state government and not for profit.  CaraJane has spoken nationally and internationally and is currently involved in a study regarding Global Citizenship and the effect of social entrepreneurship upon undergraduate Allied Health graduates. CaraJane’s Master in Health Management changed her thinking in project planning and design, plus her post graduate training in coaching has cemented her intrinsic value in working with people to see the best in them come out. 

Published

2022-08-27

Issue

2023: International Student Employability: Narratives of Strengths, Challenges, and Strategies from Global South Students

Section

International Student Employability (published)

How to Cite

Enabling Employability Through International Mobility. (2022). Comparative & International Education Series. https://ojed.org/cies/article/view/4052