Strategies for Connecting Learners to the Workplace: What Higher Ed Leaders Are Really Saying

Carrie O'Donnell
CEO

In today’s  higher education landscape, one challenge is becoming increasingly urgent: how to ensure students are ready for the workplace. At our recent webinar, “Strategies for Connecting Learners to the Workplace,” both panelists and participants shared candid insights about what it takes to create a fully integrated ecosystem that makes experiential learning, internships, and mentorship truly meaningful and scalable. Our expert panelists included Dr. Connie Yowell (Executive Director, Center on Future of Higher Ed & Work at Northeastern University), Dr. Niesha Taylor (Director of Career Readiness at NACE), and Dr. Melanie Booth (Principle, Nectary Solutions)

The conversation highlighted a sector grappling with fundamental questions: How do we align academic programs with the realities of the workforce? How can experiential learning be inclusive for students balancing work, family, and financial obligations? And what role does AI, digital platforms, and structured mentorship play in preparing students for meaningful careers?

Here’s what emerged from both the expert discussion and the lively participant chat.

Research Shows a Need to Bridge the Experiential Learning Gap

Panelists emphasized the recent rise in unemployment and underemployment of recent graduates.  And, Connie Yowell cited research that in order for a new worker to show a return on investment for their employer, they need to have 12 months experience–something that most graduates are unable to attain.

Internships can help to bridge this gap.  According to the Business Higher Ed Forum, 8.2M learners want internships, yet there are only 3.6M internship opportunities available and 2.5M quality internships. 

Experiential Learning Remains Essential—But Needs Reimagining

Students need opportunities to explore potential career paths, to learn what they want to do and what they don’t want to do.  This should start in the classroom, where students have the opportunity to solve work-based problems and think about what types of problems they do or don’t want to tackle in a potential career.

This extends to co-curricular work-based learning (WBL).  Internships, co-ops, apprenticeships and field placements continue to be the “signature pedagogy” for many disciplines, from social work to IT. Employers value them not just for technical skills, but for the soft skills students gain—teamwork, communication, resilience, and the ability to handle constructive criticism.  Attendees noted that other activities such as part-time jobs and community service work can also provide WBL experiences. 

Yet the traditional model isn’t working for all students. As one participant noted:

“Many of our students have complex lives—families, work obligations. We need to think creatively to meet students’ needs where they are.”

Panelists emphasized that experiential learning should be tiered, starting with experiential learning curricula and  exposure opportunities and building toward higher-level placements. Platforms like Riipen and MentorPro can expand access to employer-aligned projects and scalable mentorship, bridging gaps between classroom knowledge and real-world application.

Most importantly, educators need to guide students to understand and explain what they have learned in a job and the relevant work-place skills acquired in coursework.

Models That Help Students Tell Their Work-based Learning Stories

Panelists stressed the importance of making learners’ skills visible, regardless of the source. This is complicated by the prevalence of the credit hour as the record of learning.

Niesha Taylor, in her work with NACE, is very involved with the LER (Learning and Employment Record) Accelerator Initiative, a consortium  of organizations and 24 institutions. LERs help students build stories that connect the learning and work experience to the next potential job and ensure that the story doesn’t just look like a flat degree. 

Panelists also stressed the need for institutions (and employers) to recognize non-degree learning, including giving credit for alternative credentials and by using prior learning assessment (PLA) to grant credit for prior learning–critical with returning adult students.

Finally, connections and consortia are critical to this effort. Within an institution, career services has to be at the table for conversations around career connected learning and curricula.  And, if institutions want to scale WBL, creating and joining consortia like the LER Accelerator can be very beneficial.

AI and Technology Offer Opportunities And Challenges

AI isn’t just a buzzword; it’s reshaping how students gain workplace-ready skills. Tools and platforms can provide experiential learning and authentic assessment opportunities and they can simulate internship experiences, provide just-in-time feedback, and enhance mentoring—but only if institutions clearly define desired competencies, including knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions.

“If we get clear about the necessary competencies, AI may provide internship-like opportunities to a wider audience—and meet the needs of students who can’t participate in traditional placements,” noted one panelist.

AI can also assist institutions as they strive to increase equity and access: non-traditional students and those with limited access to resources require alternative pathways that balance learning outcomes with life realities.

Culture and Faculty Buy-In Are Critical

Perhaps the most important insight from the session: culture drives outcomes more than technology or platforms. Institutions need to support the change that is needed to elevate experiential learning and help students navigate a career connected learning experience.  This means changing the classroom pedagogy, as discussed above. Faculty need to embrace the role of “guide on the side,” while leadership ensures systemic support for experiential learning.

Connie Yowell noted:  “We have to make the room and space for faculty to change their identities and their story as well. …they are guiding their students along a set of experiences, and that’s a completely different identity for faculty (accustomed to being content experts) that we’ve got to create room for and allow them to experiment with.”

“If this is the expectation of a faculty/staff’s role from day one, organizational change is more successful,” one participant emphasized.

Scaling these programs requires faculty buy-in, institutional alignment, and iterative experimentation. Panelists noted that platforms and programs are only effective when faculty understand their value and can integrate them meaningfully into coursework.

The Path Forward: Creative, Inclusive, and Scalable

Forward-thinking institutions are exploring strategies that move beyond the classroom, beyond traditional internships and field placements, and reactive approaches. Emerging best practices include:

• Developing tiered experiential learning models that start with exposure and build to complex projects and internship-like WBL.
• Focusing on equity and accessibility, ensuring non-traditional students can participate fully–and can attain competencies to navigate new workforce ecosystems.
• Integrating AI and digital tools to simulate real-world experiences where traditional placements are not feasible.
• Aligning curriculum with career competencies, including soft skills and professional dispositions.
• Supporting faculty development and cultural change, moving from “sage on the stage” to active coaching and mentorship.
• Leveraging digital platforms to scale opportunities for students.

“What if the workplace was the learning lab? What if we designed a curriculum over time to plan, research, and implement a workplace project?” asked Melanie Booth, highlighting the potential for creative, student-centered design.

What This Means for Higher Ed Leaders

The discussions from this session underscore that preparing students for the workforce is no longer an optional add-on—it’s central to institutional mission. Those that thrive will:

• Treat experiential learning as a cultural transformation, not just a curricular checkbox.
• Prioritize faculty support and buy-in, fostering meaningful mentorship and project-based learning.
• Focus on holistic skills and competencies development, ensuring students are prepared for diverse, evolving career paths.
• Integrate AI and digital platforms strategically, providing scalable and equitable pathways.

The urgency is clear: the future of work isn’t waiting, and institutions must lead the way. The question isn’t whether students need workplace-ready skills—they do. The real challenge is how higher education can deliver them equitably, creatively, and at scale.

If you’re interested in watching the full discussion, you can find the webinar recording on our YouTube channel.