\n<\/p>\n
Sumeet Dave always wanted to work in engineering. It just took him 20\u00a0years\u2014and an apprenticeship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had so many closed doors,\u201d he said of the job opportunities that followed a stint in the U.S. Army National Guard, an initial attempt at a bachelor\u2019s degree in aerospace engineering in the \u201900s and an eventual bachelor\u2019s degree in allied health administration and management. He\u2019d pivoted to allied health when he didn\u2019t find a job as an MRI tech after a separate two-year program in nuclear medicine technology, he explained. But a viable career path never quite materialized.<\/p>\n
After working as a pharmacy technician, among other jobs, for years, Dave was looking to reskill, again. A chance conversation about apprenticeships with an administrator at Howard Community College in Maryland opened his eyes to a program in information technology with AT&T.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018What do you mean, I can actually work and take some classes?\u2019\u201d he recalled. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know there were apprenticeships out there, because I thought it was something of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three years later, Dave has a full-time job, a national credential in IT and a federal security clearance. He\u2019s also looking to pursue a master\u2019s degree with tuition reimbursement from his employer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was my dream\u2014to go into some field of engineering\u2014so it was great to find something like AT&T, which has an apprenticeship program where you can jump into it, which later becomes software engineering,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s given me a great opportunity to get my foot in the door. You make a difference, contribute to the organization, and then the sky\u2019s the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sumeet Dave<\/p>\n
Dave\u2019s years of underemployment could be read as data points against college in the escalating college-versus-career debate\u2014especially at a time when the hiring edge for college graduates is especially narrow. But study after study shows that college remains worth it for most learners, even when postgraduate earnings are debt-adjusted. So instead of being a simple referendum on college value, Dave\u2019s story captures a broader shift in how career-connected students expect\u2014and need\u2014their college experiences to be. <\/p>\n
Student Voice is an ongoing survey and reporting series that seeks to elevate the student perspective in institutional student success efforts and in broader conversations about college.<\/p>\n
Some 1,135 two- and four-year students responded to this flash survey about work-integrated learning, conducted in January. Explore the data, captured by our survey partner Generation Lab, here. <\/p>\n
Check out past reports from our 2025\u201326 survey cycle, Student Voice: Amplified.<\/p>\n
In Inside Higher Ed<\/em>\u2019s main 2025 Student Voice survey, most students expressed confidence that they have what they need to succeed postcollege, but they also wanted their institutions to stack the deck with more targeted career-readiness efforts. And in a follow-up Student Voice flash survey, out today, on work-integrated learning (WIL), nearly all 1,135 two- and four-year students express interest in engaging in some form of WIL. <\/p>\n A quarter are interested in apprenticeships, like Dave\u2019s, while half are interested in internships. Part-time work related to their majors, another paid option, also appeals to many students. But pay is not the only motivating factor, nor is extended exposure, as short-term job shadowing ranks relatively highly. <\/p>\n Students say their top goals for WIL are technical skill development and professional networking.<\/p>\n Most respondents are confident that their institution will be able to provide WIL experiences, either directly or indirectly\u2014even if they\u2019re not really sure what differentiates, say, an internship from a cooperative education program. But WIL participation gaps and strong interest even among students who\u2019ve already engaged in such experiences show that demand for career-connected learning is outpacing access to it. And for many respondents, there\u2019s new urgency around the rise of AI and automation: More than half say this makes hands-on experience even more important.<\/p>\n Here are eight takeaways from the survey.<\/p>\n The top three models in which students have participated are internships (27\u00a0percent of the sample); part-time jobs related to their majors, on or off campus (27\u00a0percent); and undergraduate research or research assistantships (20\u00a0percent). But 36\u00a0percent of all students haven\u2019t participated in any form of WIL, a share that increases to 40\u00a0percent for Black students and 49\u00a0percent for Hispanic students in the sample (versus 26\u00a0percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander students, 31\u00a0percent of white students, and 29\u00a0percent of those from other racial groups). Adult learners 25 and older also have an elevated nonparticipation rate of 49\u00a0percent. By institution type, private nonprofit institutions have an edge: 27\u00a0percent of their students have not participated in WIL versus 38\u00a0percent of public institution students. In a related finding, community college students were more likely than their four-year counterparts (public or private nonprofit) to signal nonparticipation, at 58\u00a0percent versus 30\u00a0percent.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Of the 750 students who have participated in WIL, three in four report that their experiences were highly valuable. Just 3\u00a0percent say their experiences had low or no value. This is relatively consistent across the sample, including among two-year students. It\u2019s also somewhat consistent across experience types: Some 80\u00a0percent of students who\u2019ve participated in an employer-sponsored project say it was highly valuable, as do 82\u00a0percent of internship alums and 77\u00a0percent of microinternship participants, for example.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n From internships to co-ops to job shadowing, just 11\u00a0percent of students say they understand the differences <\/strong>among <\/strong>various WIL models to explain them very well to someone else. Most of remainder say they could explain them fairly or somewhat well, meaning that students tend to grasp some of the options in this space but could use help understanding them fully. Different forms of WIL offer different\u2014and ideally overlapping\u2014benefits. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Nearly eight in 10 students are somewhat (33\u00a0percent) or very (47\u00a0percent) interested in engaging in WIL. This is consistent across the sample, including among Hispanic students, who had the lowest participation rate in a previous question, suggesting that these students are not disproportionately missing out for lack of interest. And despite their own relatively low participation rate, 74\u00a0percent of community college students are interested in WIL\u2014as are 70\u00a0percent of adult learners. In terms of repeat customers, 82\u00a0percent of students who\u2019ve already participated in some form of WIL want to engage in more of it in the future.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Paid work related to their major is the No.\u00a01 model in which students express interest (52\u00a0percent of the sample). Internships, perhaps the most widely recognized model, are a very close No.\u00a02, at 51\u00a0percent. No.\u00a03 is job shadowing, at 33\u00a0percent. Apprenticeships are No.\u00a04, at 25\u00a0percent of the sample. Fewer adult learners are interested in internships than in part-time work related to their studies.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Students view WIL as an opportunity to build practical expertise and professional connections and identity. Half say they are most interested in developing technical skills related to their field or industry, while 45\u00a0percent cite networking and relationship-building opportunities. Another 37\u00a0percent seek to build self-confidence and professional presence, and 36\u00a0percent seek stronger problem-solving and critical-thinking skills\u2014which employers consistently rank as a top want.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Some 55\u00a0percent of students say this when asked how the rise of AI and automation is influencing their thinking about WIL. Thirty-nine\u00a0percent are also concerned about job security in certain fields. About a third each are looking for roles that emphasize uniquely human skills and want to understand how AI is being used in their specific field. Just 8\u00a0percent say that AI has not influenced how they think about WIL.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Some 27\u00a0percent are very confident in their colleges\u2019 abilities here, while the majority, 52\u00a0percent, are somewhat confident. Just 4\u00a0percent of students don\u2019t plan to seek this kind of help from their institution. This is relatively consistent across the sample, and while it\u2019s a vote of confidence, it\u2019s also an expectation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n While colleges are doing more to meet that expectation, opportunity gaps persist: Nationally, participation in paid internships increased to 37\u00a0percent of four-year students graduating in 2025, up from 26\u00a0percent of graduates from the classes of 2020 to 2023, according to Strada Education Foundation\u2019s 2025 State Opportunity Index. Those gains are mitigated by Strada\u2019s finding that 70\u00a0percent of first-year students intend to do an internship (researchers frame this as an intent-participation gap). <\/p>\n Like Inside Higher Ed<\/em>\u2019s survey, Strada has determined that students most value WIL\u2019s ability to boost their technical skills and expand their professional networks. But internships confer particular benefits, with 73\u00a0percent of graduates who completed a paid internship landing a first job that actually requires their degree, compared to 44\u00a0percent of those who did not complete an internship. And, as in the Student Voice survey, Black and Hispanic students are disproportionately underrepresented in internship participation nationally.<\/p>\n Looking more broadly, Strada has found that 43\u00a0percent of graduating seniors at four-year institutions report having had at least one of five paid, work-based learning experiences: internship, co-op, practicum\/clinical\/student teaching, undergraduate research and apprenticeship. Among community college students, 17\u00a0percent enrolled in 2025 reported engaging in one or more of these.<\/p>\n Ultimately, participation in work-based learning is growing but uneven, and data tracking participation remains \u201cspotty,\u201d according to the opportunity index.<\/p>\n At Butler University\u2019s Founders College\u2014where every student completes at least one paid internship and takes career-development courses throughout the academic year\u2014WIL is built into the curriculum, increasing access and compounding its benefits through layering. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, professor and founding dean of the college, said that the paid internship requirement \u201censures students graduate with experiences ready for employment.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cParents gravitate to this outcome,\u201d she continued. \u201cStudents welcome the exposure, and for leaders like me, having the one paid internship as the goal, we do a better job of proactively embedding learning, exposure and skills leading up to the goal.\u201d In their first year, for instance, students meet with potential employers and participate in job shadowing. They also engage in project-based learning, work-based communication and networking skills development ahead of their internships.<\/p>\n How are employers themselves thinking about this rapidly evolving space? A recent study of human resources, learning and technical officers at global firms by the Learning Society at Stanford University found: <\/p>\n Gentle-Genitty said that, in the end, \u201cwe are responding to an ever-changing, reshaped society.\u201d And no matter the mode of WIL, \u201cwe know it\u2019s here to stay in an AI-enhanced world. But we must define the rules of play and the start and stops\u2014or even the amount of playing time needed for our future workforce to be ready.\u201d <\/p>\n Speaking for students trying to break through in a job market that feels at once highly competitive and full of new opportunities, Dave, the apprenticeship alum, said, \u201cIf they can do the job, give them a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n This independent editorial project is produced with the Generation Lab and supported by the Gates Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sumeet Dave always wanted to work in engineering. It just took him 20\u00a0years\u2014and an apprenticeship. \u201cI had so many closed doors,\u201d he said of the job opportunities that followed a stint in the U.S. Army National Guard, an initial attempt at a bachelor\u2019s degree in aerospace engineering in the \u201900s and an eventual bachelor\u2019s degree<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[535,585,678,19527],"class_list":{"0":"post-45331","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-college","9":"tag-learning","10":"tag-students","11":"tag-workbased"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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