Work-Based and Professional Learners Special Interest Group

Work-based and professional learners represent a significant and expanding proportion of the higher education population. Their distinctive contexts, balancing employment with study, integrating workplace and academic learning, engaging with tripartite review processes, and navigating professional standards, require tailored approaches to personal tutoring and academic advising.

This SIG focuses specifically on the distinctive pedagogies, relationships, and institutional arrangements needed for work-based and professional learners and is a member-led community of practice that advances effective, research-informed personal tutoring and academic advising for these students, in line with UKAT’s mission to support every student to flourish and succeed.

Audience

This SIG is open to all UKAT members but will be of particular interest to practitioners from professional programmes, apprenticeship teams, and related roles.

The key benefits of engaging with this SIG include:

• Share and learn best practice for supporting work-based and professional learners through effective tutoring, coaching, and academic advising approaches.
• Build your professional knowledge and scholarship through research, case studies, evidence-sharing, and sector-informed resources.
• Connect with a network of peers, employers, and professional bodies to collaborate, exchange ideas, and strengthen learner support.
• Influence the future of practice and policy by contributing to sector discussions and shaping approaches to personal tutoring for work-based learners.

We will do this by:

• sharing effective models of personal tutoring tailored to these contexts
• development of practical resources
• targeted CPD covering key topics such as apprenticeships, employer engagement, professional identity, and balancing work-study commitments.
• cross-sector collaboration and influence through joint projects and resource contributions to UKAT.

Aims

To build a collaborative community of practice that advances effective personal tutoring for work-based and professional learners through knowledge sharing, professional development, scholarship, and sector influence, promoting high-quality, evidence-informed practice across higher education.