Scaling Work-Based Learning: A Framework for Effective Employer Intermediaries
Work-based learning experiences, including internships, co-ops, and apprenticeships, provide employers with access to emerging talent and allow learners to build valuable skills through hands-on work. These experiences are increasingly of interest to both K-12 and postsecondary education systems as they strengthen individuals’ ties to the labor market, helping to prevent underemployment and unemployment, and are critical to building a workforce that can drive a globally competitive economy.
Yet the U.S. has failed to systematically invest in work-based learning opportunities. In 2023, an estimated 8.2 million learners sought internships, though only 44 percent of them found one. Even fewer — just 30 percent — had work-based learning experiences that included clarity, supervision, and skill development. Employers often want to offer work-based learning programs but face barriers such as limited staff to manage programs and supervise learners, difficulty designing programs, challenges finding qualified candidates, and obstacles complying with labor laws and rules governing internships and apprenticeships.
Grappling with these significant barriers for employers — and ultimately unlocking them — is critical to enabling millions more learners to experience the benefits of work-based learning.
The role of employer intermediaries in work-based learning
Employer intermediaries can play a vital role in addressing these challenges. These organizations fill the gaps that exist between industry and the education/workforce system, and provide specialized capacity to help employers launch, scale, and implement work-based learning programs. Intermediaries play a critical role in supporting work-based learning within businesses of all sizes, especially small and medium-sized companies, which often lack the resources to develop work-based learning programs on their own, yet account for most new job growth.
Framework for Effective Employer Intermediaries
In 2025, an action group of intermediary organization leaders, researchers, and policy experts came together to define and guide the practice of employer intermediaries in order to grow work-based learning opportunities. The new Framework for Effective Employer Intermediaries defines employer intermediaries not by organization type but rather by the functions they perform to help employers design, implement, and scale work-based learning programs. In addition to the framework itself, the action group experts worked together to identify and define five key functions of employer intermediaries that support work-based learning:
- Employer engagement — Cultivating relationships with employers to understand their talent challenges and build buy-in for work-based learning as a viable talent solution.
- Solutions design — Involving and representing employers in designing and negotiating talent solutions with learning providers that address employer needs and expand opportunities for learners.
- Solutions brokering — Connecting employers with the right partners to grow talent pipelines.
- Implementation support — Helping employers adopt and sustain work-based learning programming that yields lasting impact.
- Administrative support — Simplifying processes for employers related to work-based learning administration and funding.
Large-scale systems-level change requires sustained attention and dedication, so when Strada looks back at progress made over the past year, we are inspired by moments that point toward a future in which every person — no matter where they start — can envision a way ahead that is filled with opportunity.
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The components are industry leaders that have the skilled workers they need, education and training providers that understand employers’ needs, and strong collaboration between those employers and educators.
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