More than a third of today’s working college students identify themselves as “a worker that goes to school” rather than “a student with a job.” That makes their experience of the higher education system – and what they need to succeed – significantly different than traditional colleges accounts for.
That observation comes from a new report by the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice (CHEPP) at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) which calls out the growing need for higher education to connect its students to work-based learning and career pathways. And it cites Calbright as a significant leader in developing fresh approaches that establish new best practices for adult learners.
Jamie Fasteau, Vice President for Policy and Advocacy and the Executive Director of CHEPP, said “Calbright serves learners who are often overlooked, adult learners, parents, and caregivers, and it aligns every part of its model to real workforce needs. That combination of flexibility, skill validation, and employer connection made Calbright a standout example in our report.”
Work-Based Learning is Essential But Hard to Find
The report, Online by Design: Improving Career Connection Opportunities for Today’s Learners, highlights the need for more students to have opportunities to learn by doing in real-world situations.
“Opportunities like paid internships, apprenticeships, and co-ops have been found to improve performance in college, employment opportunities, salaries, and career satisfaction,” the CHEPP report said. “While learners recognize the value of these opportunities, they may lack access to them. At four-year institutions, while 70% of first-year learners expressed interest in a paid internship, only 25% of seniors reported completing one. At community colleges, over two-thirds of learners said they wished to participate in work-based learning, while only 14% of learners actually participated in work experience as part of their education program.”
This is especially true for the often overlooked adult learners who are seeking to return to higher education, or to access it for the first time, to improve or change their careers.
“Flexible, career-aligned pathways have become increasingly essential as more adult, returning, and working learners are now pursuing postsecondary education and seeking to advance their careers,” the CHEPP report notes. “The population of adults with some college but no credential has grown steadily year over year, reaching 43.1 million today—a key group to re-engage to meet institutional enrollment goals and national attainment goals.”
The Calbright Model Reimagines College for Working-Age Adult
Calbright’s approach to career-aligned and paid work opportunities is core to its education model, and work-base learning is embedded in everything we do. Its approach to supporting non-traditional students, particularly adults with jobs or caregiving responsibilities, reimagines how both traditional and online colleges function.
“Experiential learning isn’t optional. At Calbright, student feedback revealed a strong desire for hands-on, real-world experience,” Dr. Shannon McCarty, Calbright College’s Vice President of Learning & Instruction, told The Evolllution in a podcast interview. “Learners want to practice what they’re learning and prove their skills before hitting the job market, and they want to do so in real workplace settings. They’re not just looking for knowledge. They want confidence and job readiness from day one.”
Calbright’s Career Bridge Program with partner Riipen gives students access to paid “micro-internships” with real employers across the state, doing real work as part of a team – but that can be completed remotely and on a flexible schedule.
Calbright’s partnership with TechSF – a nationally recognized and registered apprenticeship program – creates opportunities for Calbright students to find paid apprenticeships at Bay Area tech companies. By co-founding the California Workforce Accelerator, Calbright connects students directly to the standards that businesses are looking for in new hires, and also gives students access to paid micro-internships doing hands-on projects for businesses.
Calbright also works directly with workforce development organizations across California – like the Rural County Representatives of California, the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, and Governor Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development – to make sure that students in underserved areas have access to the skills and opportunities they need to find upwardly mobile careers.
Calbright also integrates the “durable skills” businesses and employees both say are essential for career success – like technological fluency and the ability to work on a team – into its programs.
“Programs like Calbright’s are so important as they connect education directly to jobs,” Fasteau said. “For adult learners, that connection isn’t just helpful, it’s the difference between completing a course and advancing a career and creating a better life for themselves and their family.
