'Global Work Ready': Enhancing employability through resourced international internships

Australian academics in communication fields such as journalism and professional communication have needed little encouragement to develop international experiences for their students. New funding opportunities for undergraduate students through the Australian Government's New Colombo Plan (NCP) have enabled universities to make student mobility a priority, encouraging more academics to broaden student experiences in global, not just domestic, workplaces. To meet this objective, universities are increasingly adopting initiatives grouped under Work Integrated Learning (WIL), where academic learning is embedded in projects and placements with appropriate industries internationally. This paper outlines why one Australian university, whose communication students generally have an opportunity to participate in an international internship of three to six weeks, is creating 'Global Work Ready' resources. The Global Work Ready project is focussed on creating resources to enable a greater pool of students to be prepared for communication industry internships in Asia. Designed to improve preparation and outcomes for students, the learning resources will be created for students before, during and after an international communication internship. We argue that these resources are required so students can: be taught how to selfassess if they are global-work-ready; utilise culture-specific resources to prepare them for international internships, particularly in Asia; and improve knowledge transfer between interns of the past, present and future to enhance their employability.