The Skills Framework for the Information Age as a Means for Investigating Work-Integrated Learning

This paper reports on a pilot study using the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) as a means for examining interns’ roles in the workplace, the skills they utilise or lack, and their levels of preparedness and capability. Data was collected and analysed in two ways. Firstly, interns responded to a survey questionnaire where their experiences were classified using SFIA. Secondly, interns’ journals and reports which contain reflective content were analysed to delve more deeply into aspects of work-integrated learning (WIL) identified from the survey. The findings suggest that interns are generally placed in areas suited to their university experience; nevertheless, there are gaps between what the interns learn at university and what they require in industry. This study makes contributions to literature and in proposing a method for investigating the alignment between the academic preparation of interns and the expectations of technology intensive organisations.