Global Work Integrated Learning Project
Overview:
The Global Work Integrated Learning (GWIL) project is an innovative and ground breaking student experience. Students work together from different coutnries around the world using the latest communications technologies to work on real industry projects. Each GWIL project works directly with an industry partner to provide students with “real-world” experience working on business solutions, research, and recommendations for the industry partner.
The GWIL project is designed to give students a hands-on international business experience, emphasizing cross cultural sensitivity and awareness, project management, team management, and professional presentation skills. The project culminates with students traveling to the host country and institution in order to work in-person with their teammates for one week and deliver a presentation to the host client.
Currently the GWIL project includes collaboration between North Seattle College (NSC), the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in Australia, and Politeknik Port Dickson (PPD) and Politeknik Seberang Perai (PSP) in Malaysia.
Project Background:
Beginning in 2016, the North Seattle College and the IB BAS program entered into partnership with the with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in Australia, and Politeknik Port Dickson (PPD) and Politeknik Seberang Perai (PSP) in Malaysia, and started the Global Work Integrated Learning (GWIL) project. GWIL is a virtual project where students work in project groups with students from the other international institutions in order to create a business solution and give a final presentation to a client company. Each student work group contains students from all three participating host institutions. Students in the project work together and communicate via Google+ groups, Google Hangout, Zoom, Facebook, and email.
Each year, students work on projects in order to provide business solutions, research, and recommendations to industry clients. The host educational institution rotates every year (Seattle, Melbourne, and Kuala Lumpur) and the host institution is tasked with obtaining an industry client which provides a business case/research request, and works with students throughout the quarter.
The GWIL project is an integral part of the IB BAS program’s applied learning focus, granting students the ability to engage and communicate with students and businesses from multiple countries and cultures in an authentic international business environment.
Continuation of the GWIL project demonstrates NSC’s Core Theme of Excelling in Teaching and Learning through:
- applied learning and industry projects,
- engagement in global partnerships, and
- collaboration with diverse cultures, perspectives, and experiences.
What are the benefits for students?
Engaging with industry allows our students to gain real world experience whilst completing their studies. The students take the projects very seriously and put their best foot forward. They often generate new and innovative ideas that the client firms are able to put into practice in their business.
Importantly our students also gain key skills in working collaboratively on an international project. They learn effective international project management skills, and build their cross-cultural capabilities.
What are the benefits for industry clients?
Industry clients have a large group of enthusiastic students working on a project over a 10-12 week period. At the conclusion of the project clients will gain access to:
- A number of high quality reports examining an issue of interest to their business
- A plethora of new ideas that can only come from having new minds look at issues
- Access to the best and brightest students from the programs and the opportunity to see their work before potentially offering them an internship or placement
GWIL Projects Completed:
2016: North Seattle College (NSC) was the host institution. Projects included research around the Haikou Free Trade Zone in China, preparation of an international business plan for CUSH-EVO, a Seattle start-up company, and preparation of a strategy for Direct Fire Supplies (DFS), a fire safety equipment company in Australia, to import into the USA market. 15 RMIT students traveled to Seattle to collaborate with NSC students and present to the business clients.
2017: Politeknik Port Dickson (PPD) and Politeknik Seberang Perai (PSP) were the host institutions. PTK Logistics was the business client that provided several projects and topics regarding logistics, shipping, and transportation in Malaysia. In June 2017, 3 NSC students, and 10 RMIT students traveled to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to collaborate with their teammates and present their research and solutions to the CEO and management team at PTK Logistics.
2018: RMIT was the host institution. CEVA Logistics was the business client and requested that students provide research and a professional report regarding Australian Freight Forwarding companies, 3PL companies, and logistics industry trends in Australia. In September 2018, 3 NSC students and 15 students from Malaysia traveled to Melbourne Australia to collaborate with their teammates. CEVA Logistics hosted all of the students for a tour of their facility and the students presented their research and report to CEVA Logistics management team.
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Student Testimonials:
"Working with the students from RMIT gave us the opportunity for a hands-on real world scenario of working with an international team. We learned how to overcome challenges such as time zone differences and cultural differences to reach a common goal and successfully complete a project. This was a unique and rewarding experience." - Melissa Wagner, International Business Student Class of 2017
"One of the more challenging parts was how to manage the different groups and help everyone understand that this was an entrepreneurial project rather than an academic one. We had to think out-of-the-box and discover how to problem solve based on what the company wanted from us, rather than finding a ‘right’ answer for our instructors." - Justin Wade, International Business Student Class of 2017