Implementing a postgraduate software engineering education programme through Work Based Learning

The Dearing Report Higher Education and the Learning Society from 1997 was explicit in encouraging higher education institutions to expand and extend Work Based Learning (WBL) programmes into their curriculum. This paper outlines an innovative response to this recommendation, which focuses directly on the needs of new graduates and companies. It outlines the adaptation of a highly innovative course, the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Industrial Practice, which recognises the achievements of high calibre graduates in the workplace and provides a structure within which such graduates can develop personally and professionally. The historical context of the course and its position within the curriculum are discussed. Issues concerning ongoing quality control and course enhancement are considered and the quantitative and qualitative benefits of such programmes are reviewed. The paper concludes with recommendations concerning the extension of WBL programmes to other specialist areas and emphasises their multidimensional strengths. The paper also identifies the mutual benefits of WBL partnerships and their support of regional and national agendas.