New guidance is available to colleges seeking to expand internships, apprenticeships and other career-related activities to non-traditional students.
Adults, working students and online learners now account for at least a third of total college enrollment. Internships, apprenticeships and other career explorations have long been unavailable to these students.
Meanwhile, only 16% of all undergraduate students surveyed by Strada Education last year found career services helpful.
The Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice has designed a framework for career-connected learning across the student lifecycle.
“Career-connected programming should be tailored to the variety of learner needs and circumstances to assist all learners, whether they are attending full-time or part-time, starting a career, changing careers, or advancing in their current career path,” the report reads.
- Workforce-aligned curriculum: Covering workforce competencies makes academic programming more relevant. One report found that industry-aligned class assignments improved satisfaction and engagement with curriculum by at least 30%.
- Skills assessment and mapping: Assess students’ prior skills and experiences to steer them to the most relevant programs and services.
- Career services: Collaborate with employers to upgrade programming with the latest job market intel.
- Career coaching can help institutions craft their education around career goals and better navigate the job market, according to the report. It’s also associated with higher completion rates.
- Work-based learning: Programs include apprenticeships, internships, project-based learning, co-ops and job simulations.
Southern New Hampshire University has embedded career development resources into its curriculum to ensure working students with limited availability can benefit. At Calbright College, each student is assigned a student success counselor who serves as both an academic advisor and career coach. Counselors assist with accessing basic needs and academic success strategies, while also helping students with job searching.
Institutions can make career programming more accessible by:
- Embedding technical and soft skills within coursework.
- Identifying adult learners’ prior employment skills that transfer to their new career paths.
- Offering paid opportunities that allow more students to participate.
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