work based learning can be defined as educational experiences that focus on

What Is Work-Based Learning?

Types of work-based learning, who does work-based learning benefit, how to start work-based learning, work-based learning: the bottom line, what is work-based learning definition, examples, and how to start.

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Forage puts students first. Our blog articles are written independently by our editorial team. They have not been paid for or sponsored by our partners. See our full  editorial guidelines .

Table of Contents

The journey from classroom to career can be mystifying, especially if your educational journey doesn’t fit perfectly into a career track. For example, while it might seem easier to major in software engineering and become a software engineer , those of us who majored in English might need help figuring out where to apply our skills. That’s where work-based learning comes in.

So, what is work-based learning, and who does it benefit? If you’re trying to make the jump from school to career, here’s what you need to know.

Work-based learning is a term that includes all of the activities educators and employers can offer to help bridge the gap between classroom and career. Regardless of what you’re majoring in, work-based learning can help you build the job skills you need to thrive in the workplace, including soft skills and transferable skills .

There are three main aspects of work-based learning:

• Aligning the classroom and workplace: helping students learn in-demand workplace skills 
• Applying skills to the workplace: on-site or virtual workplace learning experiences
• Support: giving students mentorship from classroom advisors and workplace professionals

Work-based learning is federally recognized by three different laws:

• Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) defines work-based learning as prolonged interactions with professionals in workplace settings or simulated environments where the work tasks align with educational instruction.
• Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) outlines cases where educators can use local and federal funds for work-based learning.
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) mentions work-based learning related to Job Corps, vocational rehabilitation programs, and programs for employees with disabilities.

Work-based learning encompasses various experiential learning experiences (learning through experiences), each with its own requirements, involvements, and benefits.

The type of work-based learning available to you through your school may depend on state regulations and frameworks.

Internships

Internships are work experiences where you perform entry-level tasks at a company, usually for a few months. During an internship, you’ll gain practical work experience by doing real work that professionals do — just at an entry level. The type of work tends to depend on the kind of internship, including the industry, company size, and your year in school. For example, some internships focus on more basic administrative tasks, while others involve working directly on company projects. 

In addition to work experience, you’ll build job skills and get to work directly with professionals at the company. Some companies also include specific mentorship opportunities for their interns.

>>MORE: How to Apply for an Internship: A Beginner’s Guide

Externships

Externships are work experiences where you work alongside a specific person at a company. During an externship, you’ll follow one professional through their daily tasks, meetings, and any other responsibilities — depending on the externship, you’ll also help them complete some of their work. 

The goal of an externship is to understand a person’s day-to-day role, with the potential opportunity to do some work as well. Externships are typically shorter than internships, lasting from a day to a few weeks.

>>MORE: Internship vs. Externship: What’s the Difference?

Job Simulations

A job simulation is a program where you complete some tasks relevant to a specific role, typically online. These are usually short programs where you can quickly get a sense of what a job is like by doing some of the daily work, getting feedback, and building job skills along the way.

>>MORE: Unsure what job simulation is right for you? Take our quiz to get a recommendation based on your interests, level of career knowledge, and skills you want to learn.

Job Shadowing

Similar to externships, job shadowing focuses on following a specific person through a day at work. Unlike externships, however, this work-based learning experience is less about actual work and more about understanding a particular job and company. 

There are typically no work tasks involved in job shadowing experiences. These experiences tend to last a very short time — about a day — and, therefore, are a smaller commitment.

Co-ops are “cooperative education experiences” where you alternate between working at a company and attending school. These are full-time, paid positions with a specific company. For example, you may work for a company full-time for a few months, then attend school full-time for a few months.

Regardless of what kind of work-based learning you do, these experiences can benefit you in your journey to entering the workforce:

• Build job skills: learn critical skills you need to do the roles you’re interested in
• Build soft skills: learn crucial interpersonal skills you need to work well with others in the workplace
• Understand different roles: get an inside, firsthand view of what specific roles are like
• Understand company culture : get a preview of what working for a specific company is like, including their values, practices, and attitude
• Networking : connect with workplace professionals who can help give you guidance and advice

Matt Rogers, CMO at Code Ninjas, shares the benefits he’s seen for students of his work-based learning program. 

“Work-based learning fosters better problem-solving skills , technical proficiency, and critical thinking ,” he says. “At Code Ninjas, these skills, along with soft skills like teamwork , creativity , and communication , are cultivated to prepare children for various careers in an increasingly digital landscape. This work-based approach ensures that children are not just consumers of technology but are empowered to be creators and innovators, making them well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future workplace.”

Starting with work-based learning in elementary school is ideal, as Rogers does with his organization, but continuing throughout high school and college as you get closer to a full-time career can set you up for career success

Overall, work-based learning experiences are a great way to understand how your learning in the classroom translates to the professional world. Not only will you learn more about what the workplace is like, but you’ll also learn what you like and don’t like — which is invaluable in the job search process.

Ready to try work-based learning? While some opportunities will come from your professors and other educators, there are some ways to get started on your own.

Check Out What Your School Has to Offer

The work-based learning experiences available to you through your school depend on your state and school’s regulations, resources, and connections to different employers. 

To figure out what options are available to you through your school, you should:

• Do your research on your school’s website: When I was in college, I found out about internship and externship programs by googling my school’s name, “internship,” and “externship.” It’s that simple! Some schools have dedicated pages to share more details about what they have to offer.
• Go to the career center: If your school has a dedicated career center, these professionals are great resources to ask about what’s available. Even if they don’t have what you’re looking for through the school, they can support finding these opportunities independently.
• Talk to professors: Professors can be a great resource to find out what’s available, even if they don’t offer work-based learning experiences connected to the particular course you’re taking. Like career centers, they may also have connections or advice on how to find these opportunities outside of school.

While some work-based learning opportunities require applications (particularly internships, although networking can help you land the role!), other opportunities, like job shadowing, require networking to find and ask a specific professional to follow their day.

Start with who you already know. Asking friends, peers, and professors for advice can help you find leads of other people to reach out to and get career advice. Start with informational interviews , which can help you learn more about a person’s background and establish a foundational connection. 

Work-based learning opportunities help bridge the gap between what you learn at school and career opportunities. Depending on the type of involvement you’re looking for, each opportunity can offer you a way to learn more about the workplace, specific roles, and job opportunities, all while building crucial skills and connections. 

Rogers sums up the benefits of work-based learning:

“Work-based learning is about more than just preparing for future careers; it’s about developing life skills.”

Ready to start work-based learning? Try a Forage job simulation . 

Image credit: Canva

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Work-Based Learning Manual

A How-To Guide For Work-Based Learning

Introduction to Work-Based Learning

What is work-based learning.

Work-based learning (WBL) is a set of instructional strategies that engages employers and schools in providing learning experiences for students.  WBL activities are structured opportunities for students to interact with employers or community partners either at school, at a worksite, or virtually, using technology to link students and employers in different locations.

The purposes of WBL are to build student awareness of potential careers, facilitate student exploration of career opportunities, and begin student preparation for careers.  These awareness, exploration, and preparation activities help students make informed decisions about high school course and program enrollment and about postsecondary education and training.  Exposure to careers through an individual WBL activity can be beneficial, but students attain best results when WBL activities are structured and sequenced over several years.

WBL should be integrated with classroom learning to help students draw connections between coursework and future careers.  Students need time and assistance to prepare for WBL activities as well as opportunities to reflect on the activities afterward.

Quality work-based learning should include the following elements:

• A sequence of experiences that begins with awareness and moves on to exploration and hands-on preparation.
• Clearly defined learning objectives related to classroom curricula.
• Alignment with students’ career interests.
• Alignment with content standards and industry/occupational standards.
• Exposure to a wide range of industries and occupations.
• Collaboration between employers and educators, with clearly defined roles for each.
• Activities with a range of levels of intensity and duration.
• Intentional student preparation and opportunities for reflection.

This WBL manual has been developed by FHI 360 to guide implementation of WBL activities.   Before moving on to a chapter about a specific WBL activity, users should review the entire introduction. It provides information pertinent to all WBL activities, which will enable district or school staff members to implement WBL activities in a broader, well-planned context.

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How to Use the FHI 360 Work-Based Learning Manual

The FHI 360 Work-Based Learning Manual is a how-to guide with suggestions and tools for planning and implementing specific WBL activities.  While district or school priorities for implementing WBL may vary, as will the variety of local employers with which to partner, the manual provides information that will help in implementing each activity in the context of the complete WBL continuum.

This Introduction provides: an overview of WBL activities; their benefits to students, schools, and employers; the skills to be developed through WBL; suggestions for planning the overall WBL program; important steps for implementing WBL activities; and guidance for the critical tasks of managing collaboration with the wide range of essential stakeholders, especially employers.  Each of the other chapters provides more detailed information about a specific WBL activity: ideas on which stakeholders to engage; a suggested implementation time line; resource templates and tools; and links for more information.  In addition, each WBL activity chapter provides ideas for student preparation as well as suggestions for employer preparation.  The time lines and tools in the manual are suggested best practices that should be adapted to suit the specific needs of the participating schools and employers.  For example, what works well in a larger, urban district may need to be scaled down to fit more rural communities that have fewer employers spread across greater distances.

Benefits of Work-Based Learning

Well-planned WBL programs benefit all participants in multiple ways.

Benefits to students:

• Build relationships with adult role models other than families, friends, and teachers.
• Acquire experience and workplace skills.
• Set and pursue individual career goals based on workplace experiences.
• Engage parents in career planning.
• Get a “foot in the door” for possible future part-time, summer, or eventual full-time jobs.
• Become aware of career opportunities, explore those of interest, and start preparing for them.
• Build understanding of skills required to succeed in the workplace.
• Recognize the relevance of education to career success and increase motivation for academic success.

Benefits to schools:

• Build relationships with the community.
• Make classroom learning more relevant.
• Enable students to share their experiences with peers and teachers.
• Provide staff development opportunities.
• Increase staff understanding of the workplaces for which they are preparing students.
• Expand curricula by using workplaces as learning environments.

Benefits to employers:

• Build positive relationships with school staff and students.
• Help create a pool of better-prepared and motivated potential employees.
• Strengthen employees’ supervisory and leadership skills.
• Improve employee retention and morale.
• Learn about the knowledge and skills of today’s students and tomorrow’s employees.
• Generate favorable visibility in the community.
• Derive value from student work.
• Make contacts with potential candidates for part-time, summer, or eventual full-time jobs.

Work-Based Learning Continuum

The WBL continuum is a sequence of activities that starts with low-intensity experiences that begin to engage students in thinking about careers and gradually progresses into more in-depth, intensive experiences that include opportunities for hands-on learning.  WBL also includes expanding teachers’ knowledge of the employers in their region and the careers that might be available to their students.

Career awareness activities help students learn about a variety of careers, the education and training required for those careers, and the typical pathways for career entry and advancement.  Career awareness activities expose students to a wide range of occupations in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

Career awareness activities generally have the following characteristics:

• Industry or community partners provide a learning experience for students, usually in groups.
• The activity is designed and shaped by educators and employer partners to broaden students’ knowledge by introducing a wide range of careers and occupations.
• The activity provides information about the types of careers available, the people in them and what they do, and the education and training required for those careers.
• Students learn about appropriate workplace behaviors.
• Students have opportunities to reflect on what they have learned and begin to identify interests for further exploration.
• Students in the middle and high school grades may all benefit from career awareness activities, providing they are tailored to the specific grade level.

Career awareness activities might include:

• Guest speakers (Chapter 2)
• Workplace tours (Chapter 3)
• College and career fairs (Chapter 4)

Career exploration activities help students learn about the skills needed for specific careers by observing and interacting with employees in the workplace.  As a next step after career awareness, career exploration activities are usually more focused on specific careers in which students are interested.

Career exploration activities generally have the following characteristics:

• Students interact one-on-one with employees in a specific industry or occupation.
• They are usually one-time or one-day events.
• Students play active roles in selecting and shaping the activities, based on their individual interests.
• Students have opportunities for deeper analysis and reflection to help refine their choices about future education and training.
• They are best suited to high school students.

Career exploration activities might include:

• Informational interviews (Chapter 5)
• Job shadows (Chapter 6)

Career preparation activities integrate career and academic skills acquired in the classroom with skills and knowledge acquired in the workplace.  The emphasis is on building employability and work readiness skills and on understanding applications of school-based learning to specific careers.  Many students use these activities to help make decisions about future education and training options.

Career preparation activities generally have the following characteristics:

• They build on the interests developed in career awareness and exploration activities by providing more in-depth, hands-on experiences.
• Students interact one-on-one with employees in a specific occupation or industry over an extended period of time.
• Students engage in activities that have career development value beyond success in school.
• Both students and employers benefit from the experience.
• Student performance is evaluated by employers.
• The activities are connected to the academic and career/technical curricula.
• They are of sufficient duration and depth to enable students to develop and demonstrate specific knowledge and skills and to make further education and career planning decisions.
• They are applicable to multiple postsecondary education and career options.
• They are most suitable for high school students, typically in the 10 th to 12 th grades, because they help inform both short- and longer-term decisions about career choice, course selection, and planning for postsecondary education.

Student internships are the only career preparation activity addressed in this manual (Chapter 7).  There are several other types of learning-by-doing career preparation activities, which are not addressed in this manual.  Users may wish to investigate alternatives such as school-based enterprises (e.g., student-run businesses), service learning (e.g., using volunteer projects as simulated workplaces), or cooperative education (e.g., combining part-time or alternating periods of school and work).  These options are beyond the scope of this manual and offer quite similar experiences to the internships addressed in Chapter 7.

Work-based learning for teachers:   Students and employers are not the only ones who can benefit from WBL.  Participating in WBL activities can improve teachers’, counselors’, and administrators’ capacity to guide students’ career development work by bringing actual work experiences into classrooms, counseling settings, and the larger school community.  WBL for teachers, for example, can be used for curriculum development and for integrating work-related concepts and experiences into instruction.

Teacher WBL activities generally have the following characteristics:

• They expand teachers’ knowledge of the careers in which their students are interested.
• They familiarize teachers with the skills and education required for specific careers.
• They connect teachers with employers for either short-term or extended interactions in the workplace.
• They include opportunities for teachers to reflect on their experiences and determine how they will apply what they learn in their classrooms.
• Sometimes they enable participating teachers to earn continuing education or graduate credits.

Teacher WBL activities may include:

• Teacher workplace tours (Chapter 8)
• Teacher externships (Chapter 9)

1.4.1 Skills Developed Through Work-Based Learning

One of the purposes of WBL is to help students develop skills and behaviors that are essential to success in every workplace. The following chart presents a typology of workplace skills. It is reprinted, with permission, from A Work-Based Learning Strategy: Career Practicum by ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Careers. Many states and school districts have incorporated versions of these workplace skills into their standards for learning.

When implementing WBL activities, it is important to build in opportunities for students to develop these skills and to work with employer partners to ensure that they address them in their work with students.

How to Develop a Work-Based Learning Plan

A robust WBL program has many moving parts: scheduling multiple WBL activities for students from multiple schools; recruiting employers to participate in multiple WBL activities; coordinating with school schedules; matching up students with employers according to students’ career interests and employer expectations; managing the logistical details of WBL activity implementation; ensuring that both students and employers are well-prepared for each WBL activity, providing for post-activity reflection and evaluation; and capturing lessons learned from implementation that can be used for continuous improvement.  Without a good overall plan, too many critical tasks can slip through the cracks, it is harder for school staff to integrate WBL activities into the classroom curriculum, and employers could be bombarded with multiple, fragmented – and eventually unwelcome – requests for participation in WBL activities.  While the how-to description below is designed to help districts and schools of all sizes, a more abbreviated approach may be more suitable in smaller, more rural regions.

The WBL coordinator (and other district or school staff) should begin by convening key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive WBL plan that will:

• Provide a framework and context for all WBL activities.
• Engage key education and employer stakeholders to gain their support and ensure that WBL activities can be carried out efficiently and effectively. (See Sections 1.6.1 and 1.6.2 for more on managing stakeholders generally and engaging employers in particular.)
• Lay out a schedule of which WBL activities will be implemented for which students/schools at what point in the year.
• Identify resources (human and financial) that will be needed and how they will be obtained.
• Set priorities for making the inevitable trade-offs required by resource limitations.
• Define roles and responsibilities for those involved in implementation.
• Define how WBL activities will complement classroom curricula and be integrated into academic learning.

In addition to serving as a framework for organizing the work of WBL coordinators and other district or school staff, the WBL planning process is an opportunity to enlist the support of those most critical to implementation of individual WBL activities.  The plan will also define the costs associated with specific WBL activities (typically transportation to workplaces, substitute teachers, facility and food costs for career/college fairs, and staffing to provide support and supervision for activities that are implemented in the summer) with enough lead time to enable staff to develop strategies for securing the necessary budget resources.  The planning process also provides a context for setting overall WBL priorities for a district or school.

There may already be a WBL plan in place; in that case, the WBL coordinator should determine how it should be updated, strengthened, or otherwise revised.  If a plan is in place, staff should identify employers that have participated in WBL activities in the past and assess the nature and quality of their previous involvement. Key stakeholders should be involved in any revisions so that their support for the plan is assured.  WBL coordinators may find it necessary to meet immediate demands for WBL activities concurrently with developing a more comprehensive plan.

The first step in developing a WBL plan is to recruit a committee of stakeholders to engage as partners in the planning process.  The following stakeholder partners are critical:

• District and school administrators (including career and technical education [CTE] administrators)
• Major employers and employer associations (e.g., chambers of commerce)
• Relevant local, regional, and state agencies (e.g., workforce development boards [1] , economic development agencies, and state departments of labor and/or commerce)
• Career advisors
• College representatives [2]

Parents and students (and perhaps young alumni) should also be involved in the planning process, but it may make more sense to obtain their perspectives through focus groups early in the process rather than to ask them to attend a series of meetings where only parts of the discussion will be of interest.

Recruitment of employer representatives should be focused on individuals who can provide a broad range of diverse employer perspectives and can devote the necessary time.  Certainly, the largest employers in the region should be asked to participate, but recruitment of employer representatives should probably focus on employer associations like chambers of commerce, other industry or trade associations (e.g., manufacturers association or home builders association) and service clubs (e.g., Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions).  These associations and clubs can provide their members’ perspectives, and they also can be valuable partners for recruiting their members to participate in WBL activities.  Representatives from local governments, regional workforce development boards, economic development agencies, non-profit organizations, and state departments of labor or commerce can also offer knowledge and expertise to the planning process.  There may be smaller employers that are willing to engage in the planning process, but staff should try to limit the inconvenience of doing so; it might be easier for them to meet once (or have a telephone conversation/interview) with a staff member to provide their perspectives on the WBL plan than to attend a series of meetings.

The WBL coordinator should design the planning process in such a way that there are as few meetings as possible, and most of the work is done by staff between meetings.  For example, a kick-off meeting might be devoted to introducing WBL objectives and activities, reviewing any previous WBL activities in the district, describing how WBL activities benefit all participants, and asking each partner to share perspectives on the value of WBL and the practical considerations the plan should address.  A second meeting might be scheduled to review a staff-prepared draft plan and identify gaps or any revisions that might be needed.  This draft plan could be circulated more widely to enable other stakeholders, such as principals, to comment before the plan is finalized.  A third and final meeting would approve the plan and focus on how each partner can help in implementation.

The WBL coordinator should determine what will be the most useful format for a WBL plan.  It may be as simple as a calendar with a weekly or monthly listing of which WBL activities are planned for which students and which employers.  A more elaborate narrative document might be useful in building awareness of WBL and in recruiting employers for specific WBL activities, but it is not essential that such information be in the plan itself.

A summary of the plan should be made widely available to as many stakeholders as possible so that they know what to expect.  It may also be used as a tool for engaging media interest in WBL.

[1] Workforce development boards (WDBs), sometimes called workforce boards or workforce investment boards (WIBs), coordinate workforce development resources at the state, regional, and/or local levels, develop strategic plans, and establish funding priorities.  More than 50 percent of each WDB’s members must come from the business community.  For further information, visit the National Association of Workforce Boards at www.nawb.org .

[2] When used in this manual, the term college includes two- and four-year colleges and universities, technical schools, certificate or licensure programs, and apprenticeships.

How to Implement Work-Based Learning Activities

There is no single right way to implement WBL activities, and the responsibility for doing so may rest with a variety of individuals.   This manual is intended to help anyone responsible for implementing a WBL program: counselors; career advisors; school administrators; teachers; or other district and school staff members.  The term WBL coordinator is used throughout the manual to refer to the individual responsible for coordinating a WBL activity and serving as a single point of contact for employers. Typically, the WBL coordinator acts as a liaison between employers and educators and ensures that each aspect of the WBL activity is implemented successfully.  Depending on the specific WBL activity and context, school site responsibilities may rest with counselors, career advisors, teachers, or administrators.

When introducing WBL activities to a community or region, it is wise to start with those that are easiest to implement successfully—particularly those in which employers are most likely to participate. A good strategy might be to start with WBL activities like guest speakers, workplace tours, or informational interviews that afford employers the opportunity to interact with students with minimal risk and a very modest commitment of time.  Positive early experiences may lead to employer willingness to engage in WBL activities requiring a higher level of engagement, such as job shadows or internships.

The key stakeholders required for implementing WBL activities may include (and will almost always include those marked with an asterisk):

• *District and school administrators
• *Career advisors
• *Counselors
• *Local or regional CTE staff
• College representatives
• Employer associations such as chambers of commerce, other industry or trade associations, service clubs, and economic development organizations
• Regional workforce development boards
• State departments of labor or commerce

Implementation of a specific WBL activity usually includes the following steps:

• Identify the stakeholders needed to assist with the specific WBL activity.
• Collect information on students’ career interests to help target employer recruitment.
• Recruit stakeholders to participate in the WBL activity. This step can take substantial time; an early start will help significantly.
• Keep all participating stakeholders informed at each stage of implementation.
• For WBL activities that take place in the summer (e.g., student internships and teacher externships), the district or school may need to budget for related staffing and logistical costs and ensure appropriate staffing throughout implementation.
• Prepare students, employers, and other participants for the WBL activity. Ensure that everyone involved understands – and accepts – his or her responsibilities.
• Carry out the WBL activity. Document it with photos, attendance lists, or other appropriate means.
• Provide structured opportunities for students to reflect on what they learned and how they can apply it to subsequent career development and academic work.
• Obtain evaluations of the WBL activity from students and employers; these should be used for continuous improvement of the WBL program.
• Extend thanks and provide recognition to participating stakeholders, especially employers.

More detailed information, including suggestions for implementation, time lines, and resource materials can be found in each WBL activity chapter.

1.6.1        Managing Stakeholders

When implementing WBL activities, each stakeholder needs to understand the purpose of the activity, the benefits of participating, his or her specific role, the time line for implementation, and the resources that will support implementation.  This means that the WBL coordinator will need to keep track of every interaction with each stakeholder to make sure that the right information gets to the right party at the right time.  Efficient tracking of stakeholder contacts and the roles and responsibilities each assumes are crucial to success.  A WBL database that tracks school staff and employer contacts will prove to be a vital asset for managing WBL activities.  A sample WBL database template is provided in the Resources section of this introduction.

The WBL database should be created by the district or school staff member who will be responsible for entering and managing the information; frequent and consistent updating will be required.  The WBL database not only tracks specific contact information and tasks related to individual WBL activities; it can also be used to track participation of schools and employers over time.  As more WBL activities are implemented and staff changes occur, new staff members can use the database to ensure consistency and continuity.

The WBL database should be designed to be accessible to the WBL coordinator and other stakeholders such as school-based staff, who may need access to carry out their responsibilities.  This can be accomplished by saving the document to an intranet or by using online services or “cloud” tools.

1.6.2        Employer Engagement and Communication

Engaging a wide range of employers in multiple WBL activities every year is critical to the very existence of WBL programs, let alone their success.  WBL coordinators have no more important task, and they probably do not have a more challenging one.  The more effectively coordinators engage with employers from the outset, the easier it becomes to plan and implement the full range of WBL activities.

Employer engagement should take place on at least two levels: (1) broad awareness in the community about the role of WBL in preparing students for careers and (2) recruitment of specific employers to participate in one or more WBL activities.  The WBL coordinator will need to build an extensive network of employer contacts (starting with the participants in the planning process described earlier in this introduction and/or with employers that may have participated in WBL activities in the past) that can be used to plan and implement specific WBL activities.  These contact networks should be managed and maintained using the WBL database described above.  Communications with employers should be succinct, informative, and tailored to the recipients’ needs and organizational cultures.  Whenever possible, communications should build on employers’ previous WBL involvement.  Because WBL is not a one-time initiative, special efforts should be made to retain employers as WBL participants year after year.

Broad Awareness in the Community and Among Employers

General community awareness of the role of WBL in helping students set and pursue education and career goals is the foundation on which all employer engagement is built.  It is much easier to engage an employer in conversation about hosting a job shadow, for example, if the conversation does not have to start with explaining what WBL is all about, why it is important for students, and how it can benefit employers.

The audiences for WBL awareness outreach are much broader than the more targeted audience for recruiting hosts for internships in a specific occupation, for example, because awareness and word of mouth are powerful recruitment tools.  The WBL coordinator should think broadly about how to reach all kinds of employers, not only in the business sector but also in the public and non-profit sectors and among the self-employed.  There are many ways to reach employer audiences, both directly and indirectly, with general information about WBL that can pave the way for successful recruitment of employers to participate in specific WBL activities.  Some useful ways to build awareness include:

• Contact employer associations such as chambers of commerce, other industry or trade associations, and service clubs to request opportunities to speak about WBL at one of their meetings. Be sure to collect contact information for those in attendance and add it to the WBL database.
• Develop contacts and share information about WBL with economic development agencies, colleges, workforce development boards, community-based organizations, non-profits such as United Way, and state departments of labor or commerce.
• Send information about WBL home to parents who, in addition to being advocates for their children’s education and career development, may be employers or employees who can participate in WBL activities.
• Tap into the personal networks of district and school staff to learn who can open which employer doors for the WBL coordinator.
• Contact local media outlets (print, radio, television, and school) to interest them in feature stories, appearances on talk shows, or coverage of WBL activities.
• Consider publishing a periodic electronic WBL newsletter with highlights of recent and upcoming WBL activities, including photos and quotes from participants. Include information on how to get involved in future WBL activities.  The distribution list may include the full WBL database, but the frequency and length of the newsletter should be limited so that its arrival is welcomed.

It is worth remembering that, because WBL may not have been part of the high school experience of most adults in the community. The information you provide may be new to them and therefore especially interesting.  In all of these awareness activities, the benefits of participation for students, school, and employers should be highlighted.

Targeted Recruitment of Employers for Work-Based Learning Participation

Outreach to employers to request participation in one or more WBL activities should usually be targeted to those that offer careers about which at least some students (and teachers) have expressed interest in learning.  If approaching an employer that has never participated in WBL, it is a good idea to start with an activity that is easiest for the employer (e.g., guest speakers or workplace tours) and build on a favorable experience by later requesting a more challenging form of participation.  Each request should be tailored to the recipient, using information about the employer that has been researched and recorded in the database, and may offer a menu of choices of WBL activities.  For example, asking a veterinarian with a solo practice to spend a whole day at a college and career fair, including preparing an exhibit, is probably not realistic, but asking him/her to speak to a class or host a job shadow might be more likely to elicit a favorable response.  Similarly, recruiting employers in seasonal industries (e.g., agriculture, tourism, or construction trades) should focus on their off-peak seasons when they are more likely to be able to devote some time to a WBL activity.  Every request should include enough specific information to enable the recipient to determine if it is even feasible to consider a positive response; in the event a request is declined, the WBL coordinator should be prepared to offer an alternative WBL opportunity that better fits the employer’s schedule or ability to engage with students.

In the early stages of implementing WBL, it may be necessary to conduct research to identify what employers exist in the local area, what industries they represent, and how many employees they have. Local and regional chambers of commerce and other industry or trade associations can be helpful resources for such research as can service clubs, economic development agencies, workforce development boards, and state departments of labor or commerce. The WBL coordinator should not overlook public sector employers such as school systems, colleges, and state and local agencies (e.g., emergency services, law enforcement, and human services).  It may take a little more digging to identify small business owners and solo practitioners in occupations such as the building trades, design, health care, accounting, or the arts and to find ways to engage them in WBL activities that are not so time-consuming that they compromise their abilities to earn a living.  This kind of research about employers might be an excellent school activity for a career readiness class, CTE class, state history and current affairs class, or another appropriate class.  Students will acquire a great deal of career information by conducting this research and sharing their findings with classmates.

The WBL coordinator should make it a priority to identify and cultivate relationships with the largest local employers and those that offer careers in occupations of greatest interest to students.  These are the “make-or-break” employers for the local WBL program.  The coordinator should identify the right contact within each organization (perhaps in human resources) and request an opportunity to acquaint him/her with the full range of WBL activities to determine which provide the right fit between student interests and the employer’s ability to accommodate them.  Ideally, the employer and the coordinator could agree on a plan for participation in a variety of WBL activities at different times of the year.  Such a plan would enable the coordinator to make specific requests in the context of an agreed-upon framework.  Multiple, unconnected, and unexpected requests from multiple sources for WBL participation risk turning off the employer’s enthusiasm for WBL and conveying the impression that local WBL efforts are disorganized and inefficient.  Instead, the WBL coordinator should use an “account management” approach and serve as a single point of contact for all communication with these high-priority employers (even if it is necessary to hand off some coordination responsibility for specific activities led by school-based staff).  If managed effectively, these employers can become champions for WBL by helping recruit additional employers that are harder to reach.  Over time, consistent use of the WBL database will facilitate an account management approach to coordination of WBL participation by every employer, which will, in turn, minimize intrusion into their routines and make it easier for them to say “yes” to WBL invitations.

Communicating with Employers

WBL coordinators will need to find a balance between the desire to keep employers informed and engaged in WBL and the risk of over-communicating and making employers feel like they are being bombarded by too many calls and emails that are not of specific value or interest to them.  Following a few simple principles can help avoid this outcome: (1) coordinators should communicate only as frequently as necessary to get the job done; (2) the purpose of each communication should be clear as should its utility to the recipient; and (3) the least intrusive method that can accomplish the task should be used (e.g., call vs. meeting, email vs. call).  Like most people, employers are busy and appreciate it when others show respect for their time.  For communications about specific WBL activities, the coordinator should be prepared for every call or meeting, having researched the company and its prior WBL experiences and prepared a list of all topics to be covered.  He/she should be clear about what is requested and when, why it is important, how students and the employer will benefit, and how and when the WBL coordinator will be in touch as implementation unfolds.  Making sure the employer understands and accepts the responsibilities involved in participating in a specific WBL activity is the best way to avoid unpleasant surprises and ensure that implementation goes smoothly.

Employer Retention

Every business knows that it is easier and less costly to generate repeat business from existing customers than it is to acquire new ones.  The same is true for employer participation in WBL programs.  Employers whose initial experience with WBL is positive are much more likely to participate again, participate in the more challenging WBL activities, and to recruit their peers in their own organizations and others to participate in WBL.  Key factors in employer retention include:  communicating clearly and concisely before, during, and after the activity; ensuring that employers’ expectations for how the WBL activity will be implemented are met (i.e., no surprises); making certain that students are well-prepared to make the experience a positive one for the employer; soliciting feedback that can be used to improve future WBL activities; and providing appropriate feedback, appreciation, and recognition.  In larger communities, an annual recognition event for all the employers who have taken part in WBL may be feasible; other means of recognition may be more appropriate in rural areas.  Over time, the WBL coordinator should check in at least annually with the employers that have been most active in WBL to ask for their thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the local WBL programs and learn whether they have had continuing contact with students they met through WBL participation (e.g., summer jobs, part-time work, or full-time employment after college).  Learning about some success stories can be very helpful in recruiting additional employers to participate in WBL activities.  Conversely, learning from employers about any negative experiences can help in identifying changes that may be needed to ensure that future WBL activities lead to more positive experiences.

The most important resource for managing all the moving parts of a comprehensive WBL plan is the WBL database described earlier.  A sample Excel template is provided here, but the design can be adapted to local needs, resources, and preferences.  The WBL database may range from a simple spreadsheet to a more sophisticated information management database. The more schools and employers there are to track, the more an investment in the time it takes to set up a WBL database, using readily available software, will pay off in the long run.  With a comprehensive WBL database, the WBL coordinator can generate reports on WBL contacts and participation at a specific school or employer or a list of WBL activities planned for the coming month, for example.

Work-Based Learning

As policymakers and educators work with employers to develop a range of career preparation pathways, these pathways are designed to blur the boundary between school and work by pairing traditional academic and technical skills training with real-world work experiences. Opportunities to embed work experiences within education benefit students and employers alike.

ESG brings strong expertise in working with states and local communities on the design of high-quality work-based learning experiences as well as on the role that intermediary organizations can play to support high-quality work-based learning experiences at scale. We work with leaders across the country to build out work-based learning models and define quality for the continuum of work-based learning experiences, and provide the support to execute them. This work is particularly critical as education and workforce leaders consider new models of work-based learning that can be implemented as the country gradually shifts from virtual engagement back to in-person working and learning experiences.

Learn more about ESG’s Work-Based Learning efforts

The Critical Role of Intermediary Organizations in Expanding Youth Apprenticeship

Youth apprenticeships provide an opportunity for policymakers, employers, and educators to grow the population of skilled workers and keep pace...

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What Is Work-Based Learning?

Work-based learning (WBL) gives students exposure to the world of work through a set of sequenced and coordinated activities. It addresses the shared goal of educators and employers in preparing students with the knowledge and skills necessary for productive careers.

When executed correctly, work-based learning enables students to achieve educational outcomes that align with employer requirements—bridging the gap between school and work. Students have the opportunity for applied career exploration which brings job-relevance to the educational process. Through exposure and financial support, they gain access to new, attainable career opportunities.

How can a quality WBL experience be provided?

Implementing a quality WBL program is made possible through partnerships between education, industry, non-profit and public organizations. This model delivers a comprehensive set of experiences designed to promote awareness, build capacity and align resources for students. This gives them the necessary tools to grow, develop, plan, execute and transition to meaningful productive careers.

Accelerating Your Workforce with Work-based Learning

What’s the difference between work-based learning and on-the-job training.

That’s a great question. On-the-job training (OJT) is often a component of quality WBL. What distinguishes them is that WBL aligns work experiences with an educational objective—not employment alone. OJT is often more narrow in focus, with the ability to provide the exact training required to execute specific job roles and functions. Conversely, WBL leverages OJT as part of its educational strategy. The focus? Develop the largest set of knowledge and competencies needed for both employment and educational outcomes.

Applying the principles of work-based learning

Work-based Learning is not a new concept, but the increasing efforts of so many to establish and grow Youth Apprenticeship models makes it necessary to align with practical, quality principles to ensure design, outcomes and continuous improvement efforts are not compromised.

Career-oriented | Equitable | Portable | Adaptable | Accountable

How You Can Get Involved

Learn how you get involved with our work-based learning program by contacting us or help support a student’s work-based learning journey by donating today.

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The Why and What Behind Work-Based Learning

By Jordan Menning,

Work-Based Learning (WBL) has become one of the most talked about approaches in education. The WBL approach to learning provides real-world experience and opportunities to build skills that will prepare them to be successful in future career opportunities. According to the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act , WBL is:    

“Sustained interactions with industry or community professionals in real workplace settings, to the extent practicable, or simulated environments at an educational institution that foster in-depth, firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field, that are aligned to curriculum and instruction.” As schools continue to build work-based learning programs, they have taken many different forms such as co-op programs, job shadowing, apprenticeships, and internships. Through these experiences, students have opportunities to better understand how to succeed in the workplace through exploring different careers and building the skills and knowledge in order to succeed.  Many WBL experiences provide learners with opportunities to build valuable connections to industry and industry professionals. The networking opportunities learners have, provide valuable insights that often help learners with future job opportunities. These connections can be made from guest speakers all the way to apprenticeships.               In the WBL continuum from ACTE , there are areas of awareness, exploration, preparation, and participation. As you think about the WBL opportunities you provide or want to provide, you want to determine how learners are able to experience each area in the continuum. More and more high school learners are graduating high school with a limited understanding of the career opportunities available, as well as what skills are needed to be successful in their desired career path.  This research supports the belief that WBL improves student motivation. It also references the belief that students in WBL opportunities apply and extend their classroom learning. While internships and apprenticeships are normally structured, the opportunities to connect to industry professionals can look very different. Many schools across the country focus on project-based learning or authentic learning opportunities that incorporate a real-world application to learning. One example of this is the performance tasks within Defined Learning and Defined Careers . Through these tasks, learners of all ages get the opportunity to explore careers and get put in situations that are similar to people working in the career field. Learners get the opportunity to hear about different career opportunities and apply their learning through a real-world context. When all learners are provided with these real-world learning opportunities connected to work-based learning, we are setting up future generations to be successful and meet the needs of the ever-changing workforce.                                                            

About the Author: Jordan Menning is an educational consultant and leader that has a passion for making sure each learner has meaningful real-world learning experiences. His dedication to education has led him to lead educators and schools to implement project-based learning (PBL) throughout the country. Over the course of the last 12 years, Jordan has taught ELA, math, science, and STEM. Jordan has also been an instructional coach, consultant, and Future Ready leader. 

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Work-Based Learning: Creating Real-World Relevance in Education

Posted on 04.30.2024

This post was originally published by WestEd’s  Center for Economic Mobility.

By Phyllis Pistorino, Svetlana Darche, and Kerry Sherman Headington

In this blog post, we explain the elements and perceived positive impacts of work-based learning, and explore an exciting professional development course that WestEd created for community college faculty to facilitate work-based learning in their courses.

Many of us can remember a time in school when we thought, “When will I ever use this?” Today’s students are no different: a recent Wiley study  found that a substantial number of students feel disengaged because they don’t see the connections between coursework and their real lives. Students seek not only relevant, real-world experiences, but also learning that is dynamic and interactive. Additionally, students are concerned with finding a future career that they enjoy, while providing them with a meaningful way to contribute to the world.

What can educators do to foster engagement and a sense of purpose in students? Work-based learning (WBL) is an instructional strategy that supports all students’ learning while preparing them for future careers. The benefits of WBL are myriad: students can build social capital; develop “soft skills,” also known as 21st Century Skills; discover their career interests; begin to define their roles in society; and, most importantly, gain real-world experience. All this can boost their confidence and make them more valuable to employers, ultimately jumpstarting students’ economic mobility, or a person’s ability to earn a living wage and improve their economic status over the course of their lifetime. Both K-12 and college students benefit from WBL, as research shows that starting WBL from an early age provides better outcomes for postsecondary success and career readiness.

Employers also benefit by helping to shape their future workforce. Recent surveys have found that employers are seeking stronger 21st Century Skills in their new hires, namely problem solving, critical thinking, professionalism, communication skills, and adaptability, among others. Employers are increasingly seeking candidates with proven work experience for entry-level jobs; those with internships and other work experience will beat out candidates with only credentials. This movement, called “skills-based hiring,” highlights just how important contextual learning strategies like WBL are as more companies move toward this practice.

What Is WBL? Learning About, Through, and For Work

WBL operates on a continuum ranging from basic career awareness activities, such as guest speakers and job shadowing, to more involved experiences, such as internships, apprenticeships, and paid work placements. It requires a direct connection to curriculum and instruction, as well as first-hand engagement with the tasks of a given career field. While WBL used to be mainly associated with career and technical education (CTE), it’s now prevalent in both secondary and postsecondary institutions, for all students, across disciplines. The following continuum image illustrates the different levels of WBL and how students may progress through WBL activities to build career awareness, engage in career interactions, and participate in career training experiences.

As depicted in the WBL continuum image, students begin to explore careers by learning about work through brief encounters with employers and workplaces. At the second level, students engage deeply with professionals and employers, learning through work, involving the production of goods or services, which supports and expands their classroom learning. The final level, career training experiences, allows students to learn for work, by applying their knowledge in preparation for employment in specific occupations. This process can be cyclical over a lifetime, as students transition from schooling into their first jobs, and then into new occupations and careers as their life progresses.

Beginning with career awareness and exploration allows students to ease into their understanding of careers. An important aspect of WBL is that it allows students to visualize themselves at work. Students need reassurance from people already working in the profession that they can “belong” in that profession. Exposure to work culture and norms, such as how employees behave at work or what they talk about during downtime, can help students understand how they might fit in and bring their own identities and ideas to work.

WBL Supports Equity

Students who participate in WBL gain valuable mentorship and supervision from education and professional leaders, building connections that they may not otherwise have access to, thereby expanding horizons and opening doors to future opportunities that support economic mobility. Students are able to learn and demonstrate their skills and talents in ways that are not always possible in class. Research shows that students who participate in quality WBL are more likely than their peers to get a college-level job and stay in college-level jobs. While unemployment levels for Black and Hispanic or Latino young people remain high, particularly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the good news is that student participation in WBL coursework is high among the same groups, providing these students with equitable access to opportunities and connections.

WBL in Action: Example From San Diego and Imperial Counties, California

WBL implemented at scale calls for a shift from the traditional notion of “education  or  work” to a more integrated “education  and  work” model—breaking down long-standing silos between classroom learning and the world of work. This shift requires significant and dynamic relationship building between educators and industry. The  San Diego & Imperial Counties Regional Consortium , comprising 10 community colleges, embarked on this transformational work in partnership with WestEd. Over many meetings and communities of practice, the Consortium

• developed a shared language among all parties
• tracked progress by counting WBL opportunities that students were given
• hired liaisons to build relationships with employers
• hired WBL coordinators to work with faculty and students
• created an online WBL Professional Development Course for faculty to learn how to integrate WBL into their courses.

One of the Consortium’s greater goals was to make career planning “inescapable” for students. While working with WestEd, leaders in the region recognized that bringing WBL into the classroom is the only effective way to reach  all  students, and to do that, educators need support. To provide that support, educators throughout the region are invited to participate in the WBL Professional Development Course, which is offered three times a year and administered by WestEd. The WBL course uses an asynchronous cohort-based model on the Canvas platform, where participants review content, engage in discussion forums, and participate in knowledge checks, with the final product being a WBL Lesson Plan in their chosen discipline. Participants exit the course with the lesson plan and a toolbox of downloadable resources they can use with students.

As of Spring 2024, nearly 175 instructors and staff in the region have completed the WBL Professional Development Course. Assuming a course completer leads at least two courses of 30 students in a calendar year, it’s estimated that nearly 10,500 students have been exposed to WBL in just one year! Lesson plans submitted by course completers range from hosting guest speakers in an English as a Second Language course, to completing service learning with local nonprofits for a geography course, to participating in an industry-judged simulated workplace “restaurant war” in a culinary arts course. Instructors who completed the course were enthusiastic—in the end-of-course survey, 100% said they would recommend the course to a colleague, and many realized the benefits of integrating WBL into their instruction.

Watch this video to learn more about the WBL Professional Development Course created for the San Diego & Imperial Counties Regional Consortium.

How You Can Develop WBL Opportunities

WestEd offers expertise in work-based and experiential learning to support learners’ needs in the rapidly changing world. We assist with planning and system development, development of resources and tools, and design and delivery of professional learning, as well as data collection and evaluation processes. We work at the state level, with regional groups, and with colleges and K-12 school districts. The WBL Professional Development Course can be adapted for any region.

Do you want students to engage in real-world experiences and develop the 21st Century Skills employers are increasingly seeking? Are you interested in implementing WBL strategies? Contact the WestEd team at [email protected].

Phyllis Pistorino serves as a Program Associate at WestEd, where her efforts are instrumental in advancing projects across adult education, postsecondary education, and workforce development. Her educational journey began at community college, an experience that shaped her conviction in their critical role in transforming students’ lives and uplifting communities.

Svetlana Darche is a Senior Research Associate and Director of Career Education at WestEd. She is responsible for co-leading work in career-related education, workforce development, and adult education, including evaluation, policy research, needs assessment, technical assistance, and materials and tool development.

Kerry Sherman Headington is an education consultant working with WestEd and other organizations at the K-12 and college levels. She works on education research, development, and service projects at the local and state levels and is a Certified Linked Learning Coach. Her passion is in guiding educators and students in experiential and work-based learning as a means to college and career success.

Subscribe to the E-Bulletin for regular updates on research, free resources, services, and job postings from WestEd.

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5 Things You Should Know About Work-Based Learning

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• October 22, 2021

Have you found yourself in school asking, “ when am I going to use this in my life ?”

For many students, classwork can seem more like “busy work,” lacking significant meaning to the real world. They lose interest in their schooling and are left feeling unmotivated to even show up.

Making it even more difficult to find work, the lasting effects of the covid-19 pandemic has left many jobless, causing the  unemployment rate to reach the highest it’s been since 1948 . Unemployment amongst young workers between the ages of 16-24  rose from 8.4% to 24.4%  from spring 2019 to spring 2020.

But long before the pandemic, a puzzling  5.5 million youth  in the U.S. were neither in school nor working, making it harder for them to find future employment. Additionally, individuals between the ages of 20 and 24 had an  unemployment rate  of nearly double the national average, with 16 to 19-year-olds coming in at nearly triple the national rate of unemployment.

So how can students beat this statistic?

What if students could find relevance to their classwork that would encourage them to seek educational opportunities inside and outside of the classroom while preparing them for future employment?

One solution –  work-based learning .

What is work-based learning?

Work-based learning (WBL) is  defined  as “an instructional strategy that enhances classroom learning by connecting it to the workplace.” WBL provides students with educational experiences outside of the classroom so that they can gain a real-world perspective on their education.

WBL could be any academic experience that has a career component, like an internship, micro-internship, job shadow, or apprenticeship. Through work-based learning, students are granted a space where they can develop career-ready skills that will become essential when it is time to enter the job market.

In turn, c areer readiness  seals the gap between students who lack the necessary skills for success in the workplace and employers who aren’t seeking to teach new employees these skills.

What students need to know about work-based learning

° WBL equips students with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

° WBL exposes students to a variety of career opportunities available to them.

° WBL provides a real-world application to the concepts students learn in school.

° WBL prepares students to enter the workforce.

° WBL helps students make informed decisions about what they will do when they graduate.

Work-based learning differs from other hands-on experiences in that it allows students to apply what they learn academically to what they need to know in the real world.

For example, every student will be asked to write an essay at some point in their school years, but to apply this assignment to a real-world circumstance, a student may explore the art of writing by interning as a blog writer for a company.

Work-based learning is designed to align with  industry demands, and state standards  to ensure the student is receiving a relevant, impactful, and safe experience. This means that when a student finds a WBL opportunity, they can feel confident about their experience with a business that is looking to educate and train students. Companies that have a WBL program will provide support as needed to students throughout their time in addition to their instructors who will guide them throughout their experience.

When it is time to enter the workforce and seek employment, students need to have the confidence that they are prepared and qualified to pursue the career of their choice.

VLACS offers several ways for students to participate in work-based learning, like micro-internships , job shadows , and experiences . In addition to school credit, when students complete their work-based learning activity, VLACS will also issue them a digital badge  that verifies the new knowledge and skills they acquired throughout their experience.

Start preparing for college, careers, and beyond by  exploring learning opportunities  at VLACS.

Alexandra Enayat is the Communications Specialist at VLACS. With a background in Journalism, her work focuses on providing students and families with information to make informed decisions about their education. Her favorite thing about working at VLACS is sharing students’ experiences and celebrating their accomplishments with them.

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