Reframing Engagement in Work-Integrated Learning: Rethinking Partnership Through Indigenous Worldviews

Abstract

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is typically framed around structured experiences involving third-party engagement and student contributions to an external organization. Yet, as new models of WIL emerge — particularly those shaped by Indigenous knowledge systems — questions are being raised about how we define work, engagement, partnerships, and value within WIL frameworks. Land-based learning, in particular, challenges assumptions embedded in standard WIL frameworks, including the reliance on deliverables, skills acquisition, and productivity as proof of meaningful engagement with WIL partners.

Drawing on my experience administering Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada’s iHub funding program, in this viewpoint piece, I explore the intersection of land-based learning and WIL. This piece highlights how land-based learning experiences are often miscategorised as experiential learning rather than WIL due to colonial interpretations of what counts as work, who counts as a partner, and how student contributions and mutual benefit are defined and assessed.

Through reflection on national practice, ongoing discussions with WIL practitioners, and considerations raised by Indigenous-led and land-based partnerships, this article calls for a shift in how we define, assess, and value partnership, particularly in Indigenous contexts. Rather than focus solely on outputs or host organizations, land-based learning reframes engagement as a reciprocal, ethical, and culturally grounded relationship, often with the land itself as partner, not just site of learning. This piece argues that if WIL is to remain responsive, inclusive, and future-facing, its definitions and criteria must expand to recognise alternative models of work-integrated learning that prioritise stewardship, community protocols, and Indigenous-led approaches.