Work-Based Learning
Among the many approaches to work-based learning, internships and apprenticeships currently have the strongest evidence base for improving student outcomes.
Paid student internships are recognized as a best practice that makes quality work-based learning experiences more accessible.
By the numbers
of graduates who completed a paid internship have a first job that requires their degree, compared to 44 percent of those who did not complete an internship.
of freshmen say they want a paid internship, but only 25 percent of seniors have completed one.
Why work-based learning matters
Connecting academic learning with hands-on learning in a workplace setting is one of the oldest and most proven methods of education in the world. Despite this strong evidence base, the current supply of work-based learning opportunities is often insufficient and inequitable. Individuals of color, first-generation students, community college students, and those who are financially vulnerable face some of the worst odds of securing an internship.
Building Better Internships
The National Survey of College Internships examines why students seek internships, barriers faced in securing them, the quality of the experience, and whether they connect to career goals. The survey was developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions and is now administered in partnership with Strada.
With internships, the issue is supply, not demand
For college students, a paid internship comes with abundant benefits. Among them are a greater chance of securing a college-level job, and increased opportunities to explore careers, develop skills, and grow professional networks. There also is the likelihood of higher pay one year after graduation. Yet the nation’s supply of internships has not kept up with demand.
How we support work-based learning
Strada partners with states, institutions, policymakers, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations to support proven work-based learning models that are responsive to changing workforce needs and students’ interests.
Work-Based-Learning Consortium
The Council for Independent Colleges’ Work-Based-Learning Consortium, a partnership between independent colleges and an online experiential learning platform, is working to ease barriers and create more equitable and accessible work-based learning opportunities for students. The collaboration aims to integrate work-based learning opportunities into coursework.
Arizona State University's Work+ Collective
Through this initiative, more than a dozen institutions are injecting mentorship and career development skills into campus student employment. After piloting Work+ on its own campus, ASU is engaging with two- and four-year institutions across the country that are rethinking the impact student employment can have on working learners.
National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree
In a groundbreaking approach to college education, the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree is redefining traditional pathways to success by combining paid, hands-on experience with academic learning through the Apprenticeship Degree — an accredited college degree, delivered through a new approach.
HBCU Initiative
The initiative is designed to elevate the transformative economic, social, educational, and cultural influence of historically Black colleges and universities.
How we measure progress
While the benefits of work-based learning experiences are clear, access to quality work-based learning — such as paid internships — is still limited.
Strada developed the State Opportunity Index to help states measure their progress toward broadening access to paid internships, considered by many experts to be the gold standard for work-based learning. To better understand the internship experience, we conducted a nationally representative survey of individuals who completed their college education (public two- and four-year institutions) between 2020 and 2023. We also looked at public four-year graduates in the four largest states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas.
The 2024 State Opportunity Index showed that nationally, 26 percent of four-year students complete a paid internship by the time they graduate, while just 10 percent of community college students complete a paid internship. Graduates who completed a paid internship are much more likely to have a first job that requires a degree (73 percent), and are more likely to be satisfied with their first job and the progress they are making toward their long-term career goals.
Strada is extending an invitation for each institution to participate in the State Opportunity Index survey and to receive confidential and benchmarked results, free of cost.
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Even though internships impart a strong labor market advantage that tends to persist after graduation, the nation’s supply of internships has not kept up with demand. A new report provides insights.
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