Work-Based Learning
Among the many approaches to work-based learning, internships and apprenticeships currently have the strongest evidence base for improving student outcomes.
Paid student internships are recognized as a best practice that makes quality work-based learning experiences more accessible.
By the numbers
of graduates who completed a paid internship have a first job that requires their degree, compared to 44 percent of those who did not complete an internship.
of seniors have completed a paid internship, which is linked to better career outcomes.
Why work-based learning matters
Connecting academic learning with hands-on learning in a workplace setting is one of the oldest and most proven methods of education in the world. Despite this strong evidence base, the current supply of work-based learning opportunities is often insufficient and inequitable. Individuals of color, first-generation students, community college students, and those who are financially vulnerable face some of the worst odds of securing an internship.
Internships and Beyond: Strengthening Career Value Across Diverse Models of Work-Based Learning
One of the most promising strategies for helping students connect their education to career opportunities is giving students the opportunity to participate in off-campus learning experiences that are aligned with their field of study. Unfortunately, these work-based learning experiences remain too scarce.
With internships, the issue is supply, not demand
For college students, a paid internship comes with abundant benefits. Among them are a greater chance of securing a college-level job, and increased opportunities to explore careers, develop skills, and grow professional networks. There also is the likelihood of higher pay one year after graduation. Yet the nation’s supply of internships has not kept up with demand.
How we support work-based learning
Strada partners with states, institutions, policymakers, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations to support proven work-based learning models that are responsive to changing workforce needs and students’ interests.
State Higher Education Executive Officers
Through a series of engagements with states, SHEEO is supporting the growth of paid work based learning. States will develop action plans to scale work-based learning, including the expansion of education-to-career guidance, and share their plans with other state leaders.
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
This pilot initiative with major employers aims to significantly increase work-based learning opportunities that provide real-world experiences for students at state colleges and universities in Pennsylvania.
National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree
In a groundbreaking approach to college education, the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree is redefining traditional pathways to success by combining paid, hands-on experience with academic learning through the Apprenticeship Degree — an accredited college degree, delivered through a new approach.
Aspen College Excellence Program
The program promotes work-based learning by helping community colleges integrate career skills into curricula, build strong employer partnerships, and expand paid internships. These efforts are aimed at aligning programs with high-wage regional jobs.
How we measure progress
While the benefits of work-based learning experiences are clear, access to quality work-based learning — such as paid internships — is still limited.
Strada developed the State Opportunity Index to help states measure their progress toward broadening access to paid internships, considered by many experts to be the gold standard for work-based learning. To better understand the internship experience, we conducted a nationally representative survey of individuals who completed their college education (public two- and four-year institutions) between 2020 and 2023. We also looked at public four-year graduates in the four largest states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas.
The 2025 State Opportunity Index showed that nationally, 26 percent of four-year students complete a paid internship by the time they graduate, while just 10 percent of community college students complete a paid internship. Graduates who completed a paid internship are much more likely to have a first job that requires a degree (73 percent), and are more likely to be satisfied with their first job and the progress they are making toward their long-term career goals.
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FAQs
Work-based learning connects academic study with hands-on experience in a workplace, one of the oldest and most proven methods of education in the world. All learners should have access to it, including paid internships and apprenticeships, which currently have the strongest evidence base for improving student outcomes.
Work-based learning matters because paid experiences are linked to higher earnings and a greater chance of landing a college-level job. Despite that evidence, the supply of opportunities is uneven. Students of color, first-generation students, community college students, and those who are financially vulnerable face the worst odds of securing an internship.
Yes. Among graduates who completed a paid internship, 73 percent landed a first job that required their degree, compared with 44 percent of those who did not. Interns also tend to earn higher pay one year after graduation and report greater satisfaction with their early career progress. The effect is substantial.
Access to paid internships is still limited. The 2025 State Opportunity Index found that nationally, 26 percent of four-year students complete a paid internship by the time they graduate, compared with just 10 percent of community college students. Paid internships are tied to stronger early-career outcomes, yet most students never get one.
Work-based learning is measured through the State Opportunity Index, which tracks state progress toward broadening access to paid internships, widely seen as the gold standard. The data comes from a nationally representative survey of people who completed public two- and four-year institutions between 2020 and 2023, plus four-year graduates in the four largest states.
Students of color, first-generation students, community college students, and those who are financially vulnerable face some of the worst odds of securing an internship. Because many quality work-based learning experiences are unpaid, students who cannot afford to work without pay are often shut out of the strongest opportunities. Access is deeply uneven.
Strada partners with states, institutions, and others to support proven work-based learning models. Examples include the Council for Independent Colleges' Work-Based-Learning Consortium, Arizona State University's Work+ Collective, and the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree, which combines paid, hands-on experience with academic learning through an accredited apprenticeship degree.
Work-based learning includes several models that connect study to the workplace: internships, co-ops, practicum or clinical placements, undergraduate research, and apprenticeships. Among these, paid internships and apprenticeships have the strongest evidence for improving student outcomes, which is why broadening access to paid experiences is the priority.
The summer 2026 Strada Education Foundation interns were exposed to the work of a national nonprofit while building skills for their future careers.
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At a State Higher Education Executive Officers Association convening in Washington, D.C., delegations of state leaders exchanged policy developments on work-based learning evidence and solutions.
A new Strada grant aims to test and support the effectiveness of employer intermediaries, which can fill a critical gap between the learners and employers.
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In light of what the State Opportunity Index reveals about progress in individual states and nationally, panelists will highlight practical strategies that all who seek to connect education to opportunity can apply to their work.
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