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Responsive by Design: Southern Cross University's Approach to Employment-Based Work Integrated Learning in Psychology (Practice Report)
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Responsive by Design: Southern Cross University's Approach to Employment-Based Work Integrated Learning in Psychology (Practice Report)

Carrie Thomson-Casey, Belinda Barton, Jacqui Yoxall, Jon Mond and Megan Landers
SSRN, Vol.Series Paper No. 55
Southern Cross University Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Research Paper Series, Elsevier
03/06/2026
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Abstract

work integrated learning provisional registration psychology training placement policy professional identity formation
Work integrated learning (WIL) is a cornerstone of professional psychology training in Australia. However limited placement sites and Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) approved supervisors constrain student numbers. These pressures are likely to intensify if proposed reforms to the higher degree pathway are implemented. Employment-based WIL (EBWIL) offers a potential solution for both workforce development and regional access. Yet longstanding informal convention originating under Australian Psychological Society (APS) voluntary self-regulation have confined WIL to settings excluding the student's employer. This convention does not reflect the current regulatory status of students in APAC accredited Level 3 programs who are provisionally registered. This practice report describes the development of an employment-based work integrated learning (EBWIL) framework and application process for the Master of Professional Psychology (MPP) program at Southern Cross University (SCU). Drawing on contemporary WIL scholarship, health professions education literature, and the updated regulatory architecture of the PsyBA (2025), the initiative identifies risk factors and structural safeguards for EBWIL, and operationalises these through a purpose-built application and approval process. Implications for workforce equity, regional access, and the evolving governance of psychology training in Australia are discussed.

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