Abstract:

This research study put forward an explanatory study that will seek to analyse the challenges experienced by Office Management and Technology third year students during Work-Integrated Learning (WIL).

Third year students, many of whom are underprepared for workplace, need to adapt to new learning environments, unfamiliar pedagogies and new and challenging assessment requirements. University staff are thus under pressure to motive their third year students as they go to workplace for the first time.
The aim of this study was to investigate challenges encountered by Office Management and Technology third year student during Work-Integrated Learning.
Workplace preparation is an importance of being ready for work at any environment or organisation. Starting work can be a daunting experience and a big adjustment for individuals. It is always not easy to adapt to new environment, especially when you are expected to be the one coming with change.

The target population of this study consisted of Office Management and Technology third year students in the Department of Information and Corporate Management at Durban University of Technology. A questionnaire was considered the most suitable method of data collection for this study. The technique of probability sampling was chosen in this research, with a sample size of 100 participants drawn from the population.

The questionnaire was arranged from the general to the more specific information that impacted on the study. The questionnaire consisted of three section, A, B and C. At the beginning of the questionnaire, the researcher ascertained the student demography. The next aspect was the factors affecting the student’s performance, information was needed to know the factors leading to poor performance and a checklist was also included to gather this information. The following aspect of the questionnaire was for the researcher to find the challenges or experiences faced by Office Management and Technology students and perspective recommendations for the Office Management and Technology programme.

The study found that University academics should be concerned to ensure that the students that graduate for their programmes are prepared for the world of work. The integration of professional and academic concerns in the curriculum will go a long way in addressing this requirement.

Keywords:

Work-Integrated Learning, Work preparedness, World of work, Workplace learning.