Posted on 21 May 2026
EventsAmro Gamal, Academic Staff Member in Learning Delivery at Open Polytechnic, presented at the World Association for Co-operative and Work-Integrated Education (WACE) 6th International Research Symposium on Work‑Integrated Learning recently, held in conjunction with the Work-Integrated Learning New Zealand (WILNZ) Annual Conference at Auckland University of Technology.
His presentation, Beyond Good Intentions: Early Insights into Strengths and Blind Spots in New Zealand Employability Initiatives, explored selected Aotearoa New Zealand examples of employability and work-integrated learning practice.
He also highlighted strengths in curriculum-embedded employability, practice-based learning, culturally responsive support, and partner-linked innovation.
Amro says he made valuable connections with international researchers and is now collaborating on a project examining leading Work-Integrated Learning frameworks and their relevance to employability practice, with a particular focus on the New Zealand polytechnic context.
The project also considers the barriers that can prevent these ideas from being fully applied in practice, and the consequences this may have for ākonga (learners) and graduates, institutions, and workforce partners.