Today’s students want to do more in college than just explore their interests, according to new Strada research released today.
In the new report, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of students said their primary purpose in participating in work-based learning experiences was to gain experiences or skills in a specific career that they plan on pursuing, and another 8 percent said they were looking to secure a permanent full-time job. Only 13 percent said their goal was to explore different career options.
The report is based on students’ responses to the National Survey of Work-Based Learning, fielded to a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 seniors enrolled at public four-year colleges and universities. Among the report’s key findings:
Students are focused on leveraging work-based learning to help them on their path to a planned career. They seek work-based learning experiences not primarily to explore careers, but rather to gain experience and skills for a specific career.
Most students who participate in a work-based learning experience feel it has made them a better job candidate for the kind of career they want.
Students’ perceptions of the career value of on-campus and off-campus jobs are not as strong as the perceived value of other work-based learning experiences.
For students, the most powerful work-based learning experiences are those that help them expand their professional network and build their technical skills.
As Strada senior vice president, work-based learning, Laura Love works to improve access to paid internships and apprenticeships that help students connect their education to their career aspirations.
But when Love was a recent college graduate seeking to break into her desired career field, she was struck by the difference her internship made in her life. The successful summer internship built the cornerstones of her professional network and led to her first job after college.
“All these years later, it’s my mission to make work-based learning integral,” Love said. “As opposed to it being in the margins and something you find if you’re lucky, it should be built into any postsecondary path we have.”
