{"id":45103,"date":"2025-07-07T04:37:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T04:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/45103\/"},"modified":"2025-07-07T04:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T04:37:10","slug":"the-bridgeable-divide-between-higher-education-and-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/45103\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bridgeable Divide Between Higher Education and Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s college graduates are entering a job market more demanding and less forgiving than it has been in decades. For too long, students have been told that a college degree is their ticket to a good job. But increasingly that promise is no longer so certain. Despite a widespread talent shortage, many employers say they won\u2019t hire recent graduates because applicants lack the skills, experience or readiness to contribute on day one<\/a>. A recent survey<\/a> found that while 98 percent of HR leaders are struggling to find talent for business roles, nearly 90 percent would rather continue searching than take a chance on someone fresh out of college.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that today\u2019s college students are somehow less talented or motivated. It\u2019s that they\u2019ve had too few opportunities to apply what they\u2019re learning in real-world settings. The disconnect between higher education and the workforce isn\u2019t new, but in today\u2019s fast-changing economy, it\u2019s more urgent than ever to close that gap. From internships and co-ops to project-based experiences embedded directly into coursework, work-based learning helps students translate theory into practice, build confidence and networks, and graduate with a resume that reflects the development of job-ready skills.<\/p>\n

Demand for these experiences is rising, and not just from frustrated employers. More than 70 percent of community college students<\/a> now say that \u201cgaining skills to succeed in the workplace\u201d is a top reason they go to college. Access remains limited, however. Too many students still graduate without ever having a meaningful opportunity to gain professional experience. While many colleges are looking to expand work-based learning, they\u2019re constrained by fragmented infrastructure, limited employer partnerships and funding models that prioritize enrollment over outcomes. Bridging this gap will require leadership \u2014 and investment \u2014 at the state level.<\/p>\n

A few states are taking action with policies and funding streams making it easier for institutions to embed experience into students\u2019 academic journeys. In Virginia, for example, the state\u2019s Talent + Opportunity Partnership<\/a> (V-TOP) is helping colleges expand access to paid, credit-bearing internships through regional hubs and competitive grants. At the University of Virginia\u2019s College at Wise, for instance, V-TOP funding supports staff dedicated to helping students and employers co-design high-quality experiential learning opportunities, ensuring that hands-on learning is a core part of the college experience.<\/p>\n

Texas, meanwhile, has launched the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative<\/a>, a partnership among the state\u2019s higher education, workforce and K-12 agencies. The initiative aims to expand work-based learning that\u2019s aligned with high-growth industries in the state. Importantly, it\u2019s backed by legislative momentum, including a directive for state agencies to identify long-term funding strategies to grow and sustain these opportunities.<\/p>\n

Indiana has long had an Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship<\/a>, whose aim is to promote and support a continuum of opportunities that connects students directly with employers. The state is also working to directly fund and incentivize these connections, helping more employers offer paid work-based learning experiences. Through the EARN Indiana program<\/a>, for instance, eligible employers are reimbursed for 50 percent of a student\u2019s internship wages, reducing barriers for participation and encouraging more small businesses to invest in talent development.<\/p>\n

In Colorado, a cross-agency partnership spanning workforce development, higher education, economic development and labor has produced a detailed report<\/a> outlining shared goals and strategies to align education and employment systems. Meanwhile, the state\u2019s Department of Higher Education is leading a statewide Industry Credentials\/Work-Based Learning program<\/a> that awards college credit for work-related experience.<\/p>\n

Despite this growing momentum, efforts remain fragmented and underfunded. Many programs rely on temporary grants, ad hoc employer partnerships or the goodwill of overstretched faculty. Funding arrives in short bursts. Promising pilots deliver results, then vanish. Without greater funding and stronger infrastructure, most colleges will be unable to deliver work-based learning at the scale and consistency that students and employers need.<\/p>\n

That’s a missed opportunity for both students and the economy. Work-based learning remains one of the most effective strategies states have for improving both college completion and career readiness. It also works to prevent brain drain and build talent pipelines to attract and retain businesses to create new jobs and a thriving economy. Virginia, Texas, Indiana and Colorado are demonstrating what\u2019s possible. Other states should build on these efforts by coordinating, codifying and expanding work-based learning initiatives. That means setting clear goals, securing sustainable funding and fostering cross-sector partnerships that make it easier for institutions and employers to collaborate.<\/p>\n

Work experience can no longer be treated as optional. Embedding it into the core of the college experience is essential to preparing students for the realities of today\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n

Dana Stephenson is the co-founder and CEO of Riipen<\/a>, which provides a work-based learning platform to help bridge the gap between education and employment. Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift is the president of Education at Work<\/a>, a nonprofit serving higher education and focused on work-based learning.<\/p>\n

Governing\u2019s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing\u2019s editors or management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s college graduates are entering a job market more demanding and less forgiving than it has been in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":45104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,420,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-45103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-jobs","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114810103028650808","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}