Contextualising Community-Engaged Work-Integrated Learning in Criminology and the Justice Sector: Comparative Insights from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2026vol17no2art2371

Abstract

As universities respond to global challenges through local partnerships, Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) has become a key strategy for preparing students for complex career landscapes. This comparative study examines community-engaged WIL in criminology and justice sector programmes within Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). Drawing on key policy frameworks from these three countries, we explore various contexts that shape WIL design, delivery, and sustainability. We begin with a policy landscape analysis of funding mechanisms and regulatory frameworks that enable or constrain WIL. Three case studies illustrate how programmes navigate these contexts: (1) an Australian example showcasing low-cost simulation models such as community surveys; (2) a Canadian case highlighting structured partnerships with criminal justice-related organisations; and (3) a case study from the UK examining WIL integration within policing apprenticeships. Our analysis highlights shared strategies including partnerships in community, common challenges such as risk management, partnership sustainability, and tensions between disciplinary fields. Findings offer a practical framework for implementing community-engaged WIL. We argue that innovation often emerges from the margins through creative pedagogy, cross-sector collaboration, and commitment to student and community voice, alongside policy recommendations to strengthen employability, identity development and sustainable community partnerships.

Author Biographies

  • Dr Laura Vidal, University of Wollongong

    Dr Laura Vidal is a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social Sciences, and Academic Program Director and Liverpool Lead for the Criminology program. Laura's research is multi-disciplinary and draws on her practice experience as a social worker. Laura's work is broadly concerned with the ways systems define and respond to harm, as compared with, the way individuals experience harm and navigate intervention and support. Her work to date has been focused on the contexts of human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices - particularly forced marriage.

    As one of Australia’s leading experts in understanding and responding to forced marriage, Laura undertook a prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship (2016) to develop innovative and best practice solutions to respond to this issue. This project lead to her PhD in Criminology (2023) focused on examining experiences of young women impacted by forced marriage in Australia, which was awarded a Vice-Chancellors Commendation and Faculty of Arts Prize for thesis excellence. This work is drawn on by government and civil society in ongoing law, policy and program responses to forced marriage in Australia, where Laura remains an active contributor to reform. 

    Laura comes to academia from a background as a social work practitioner where she spent over 10 years supporting and advocating for women, girls and families experiencing violence. Laura brings this experience to the way she engages in qualitative research: enabling her goal as a researcher to produce empirical evidence which can be readily translated into policy and programmatic outcomes. This experience is also bought into the way she engages in teaching and learning design and student outcomes – privileging lived experience and community perspectives. Laura has developed two subjects within the Bachelor of Criminology at UOW: International Crime and Justice and Victimology, both utilising theory and practice insights and partnerships with community.

    Laura maintains membership of the Australian Association of Social Work; and is a member of the Australia New Zealand Society of Criminology. She holds a PhD in Criminology (Monash University), Masters in Human Rights Law and Policy (UNSW) and a Bachelor of Social Work (Hons. 1) (UNSW).

  • Abigail Salter, The Open University

    Lecturer, Department for Policing, The Open University. As well as a Practice Tutor, Abigail serves as a Lecturer in the Department for Policing. With a solid background in Policing where she served as a Detective Sergeant, Abigail’s research interests focus on work-based learning and the learning processes of police officers.

    Currently, she is pursuing a Doctorate of Education and has recently presented work at the 2024 International Society of Teaching and Learning conference held in Indiana, USA. Abigail enjoys teaching at the OU and particularly loves witnessing students’ growth, knowing she’s contributing to their personal and professional development.

  • Danette Nearing-Guibord, Carelton University

    Danette Nearing-Guibord has been the field placement coordinator for Criminology since 2007. She is a graduate of the Criminology program at Carleton and it was through her field placement that she started her career working with youth at risk. With over 25 years of experience working in the criminal justice system in positions with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Youth Probation, and Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, Danette has developed a wide network of connections within the Ottawa community. This has assisted in continuing to build a top-quality field placement program that has enabled students to successfully start their careers in the criminal justice field.

  • Dr Cameron T Langfield, University of Wollongong

    Dr Cameron Langfield is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Wollongong, where he contributes to teaching, research, and governance in the School of Social Sciences. His teaching and research interests lie at the intersections of quantitative criminology, youth justice, and developmental and life-course criminology. He recently completed his PhD in Criminology, which examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth offending patterns in New South Wales. His research provides critical insights into how public health emergencies reshape youth behaviour, policing practices, and justice system responses.

  • Dr Sarah Bloomfield, The Open University

    Dr Sarah Bloomfield is a Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Learning and the Director of Undergraduate Apprenticeship Qualifications in the Open University Business School. Sarah was awarded an ESRC-funded PhD and MRes from the University of Bath, where she remains a Visiting Research Fellow. She also holds BA & MEng degrees from the University of Cambridge, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and serves as an external examiner at both Bath Spa University and the University of Hertfordshire.

     

  • Dr Natalia Hanley, La Trobe University

    Dr Natalia Hanley is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean Learning and Teaching in the La Trobe Law School. Her research examines the experiences and impacts of imprisonment on individuals and families, service support for survivors of domestic and family violence, and wildlife crime. She is a qualitative researcher who works collaboratively with community and government organisations to promote social justice outcomes through policy and practice. 

  • Jason L Payne, Griffith University

    Jason is Director of the Griffith Criminology Institute. His research focuses on drugs and crime, youth crime, harm reduction and criminal justice program evaluation. Jason is a mixed-method researcher with particular expertise in the quantitative measurement of recidivism and other criminal justice evaluation methodologies. Of particular relevance to the current project, Jason has played a project-lead role in a number of research and evaluation activities. These include the evaluation of the North Queensland Drug Court, the outcomes evaluation of the first 100 graduates of the South-East Queensland Drug Court, the Commonwealth-funded evaluation of the National Police Drug Diversion Initiative, and the Evaluation of Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs funded under the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework.

  • Professor Michelle J Eady, University of Wollongong

    Michelle J. Eady is a Fulbright Scholar and Professor in the School of Education at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Her work is grounded in a commitment to strengthening teaching and learning through collaboration, community engagement, and evidence informed practice. A Fellow of HERDSA and ISSOTL, and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, Michelle also served as President of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). She holds a national teaching citation recognising her contributions to high quality teacher preparation. Michelle’s research spans the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Indigenous Studies, and contemporary issues in education. 

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Published

2026-09-23

How to Cite

Vidal, L., Salter, A., Nearing-Guibord, D., Langfield, C., Bloomfield, S., Hanley, N., Payne, J., & Eady, M. (2026). Contextualising Community-Engaged Work-Integrated Learning in Criminology and the Justice Sector: Comparative Insights from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 17(2), 43-63. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2026vol17no2art2371