Eight states to participate in an intensive learning community
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to welcome a 20-state coalition participating in Advancing State and Systems Strategies for Work-Based Learning, a national, multi-state initiative designed to help states build sustainable, scalable approaches to work-based learning experiences and quality education-to-career coaching.
Significant interest in this initiative reflects growing demand among states to strengthen the connection between education and employment and to ensure that more students have access to the guidance, information, and experiences they need to translate education into meaningful career outcomes.
“State higher education agencies are uniquely positioned to help institutions expand access to high-quality work-based learning,” said John Lane, SHEEO Vice President for Academic Affairs. “By strengthening the connection between education and career pathways, states can help more students engage in meaningful learning experiences and improve outcomes, especially for students who face barriers to high-quality apprenticeships, internships, and additional work-based learning experiences.”
SHEEO’s Advancing State and Systems Strategies for Work-Based Learning project is supported by philanthropic grants from the Strada Education Foundation, JPMorganChase, and Ascendium Education Group.
Connecting work-based learning with quality coaching
Work-based learning (WBL) can help close gaps between education and workforce readiness. Learners who complete at least one internship are 48.5% less likely to be underemployed after graduation than peers who have no internships. Still, many states find that policies and practices are lacking to advance high-quality WBL across disciplines, institutional sectors, and regions at scale. Effective education-to-career guidance, known as quality coaching, helps students understand their talents and interests, provides access to timely and actionable labor market information, and uses education and employment outcomes data to help students understand which pathways are most likely to lead to their goals.
One coalition, differentiated support
Eight of the 20 states and territories were identified to participate in an intensive learning community and will receive structured assessment, individualized technical assistance and coaching, peer learning, and support in developing and advancing state-specific policy agendas.
Participants in the learning community include California, Hawai‘i, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, and Rhode Island. SHEEO will support states in assessing their experiential learning and advising ecosystems, developing coherent and durable policy agendas, and advancing sustainable models that improve student persistence, completion, and postsecondary career outcomes. Those participating in the learning community will receive research-backed guidance and tools needed to advance lasting reforms that center on students, their programs of study and career aspirations, and institutional missions in education-to-career guidance that leads to quality experiential learning.
Due to the significant interest in quality work-based learning strategies, SHEEO is welcoming 12 additional partner states to participate in a broader coalition, including Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. Partner states will attend an in-person convening, monthly webinars, and receive technical assistance in WBL and education-to-career guidance strategies.
“Work-based learning is one of the most powerful tools for career success, yet a majority of students lack access to paid opportunities,” said Laura Love, Strada Senior Vice President of Work-Based Learning. “This national coalition will help state leaders bring proven strategies to scale, ultimately strengthening outcomes for students, employers, and regional economies.”
“The extraordinary response from states sends a powerful signal: there is real momentum to ensure that education leads to opportunity,” said Craig Robinson, Strada Senior Vice President of Quality Coaching. “States increasingly recognize that work-based learning, quality coaching, labor market information, and outcomes data cannot operate as separate strategies. This coalition creates undeniable momentum to improve opportunities for millions of learners.”
“This 20-state coalition represents the significant interest we’ve seen year after year in workforce alignment policies and practices to advance student success before and after graduation,” said Rob Anderson, SHEEO President. “We’re grateful to collaborate with states and our philanthropic partners on strategies vital to sustaining and scaling transformative opportunities.”
Learn more about this project at https://sheeo.org/project/work-based-learning-quality-coaching/.