Beyond Internships: Expanding Access to Work-Based Learning for All Students

🔍 Expanding Access to Work-Based Learning for All Students

Internships and apprenticeships are often seen as the gold standard of work-based learning (WBL). Yet for many students—especially those enrolled in community colleges and public universities—these opportunities remain out of reach due to structural, financial, and equity barriers.

In this panel discussion, moderated by Dr. David Palter, experts from higher education, workforce development, and industry will explore both the challenges and the solutions. The conversation will begin with the “why,” examining the data behind participation and equity gaps in traditional internship models. The panel will then turn to the “how,” highlighting innovative, forward-looking strategies for expanding access to meaningful career-connected experiences. Panelists will share examples of how employers, colleges, and universities are partnering to design new forms of work-based learning—such as project-based collaborations, micro-internships, and employer-embedded coursework—that provide real-world training beyond the traditional internship framework.

Speaker Holly Fosher will lead participants through…