Experiential Learning Is No Longer Optional - It’s Essential.

Higher education is facing growing pressure to provide students with real-world, experiential learning opportunities, as students face increasing pressure to graduate with stacked portfolios and resumes. Most colleges don’t mandate internships as a graduation requirement, and the latest research shows that roughly only 41% undergrads complete an internship before entering the workforce.  This number is even lower at public colleges and universities, where only 36% of students receive internship experience before graduation.

The biggest barriers students identified to obtaining internships are a lack of opportunities and the inability to afford one. Often, internship opportunities are unpaid, low-paid, require students to forgo other jobs and sources of income, or take on additional expenses for things like transportation. As a result, experiential learning opportunities disproportionately favor students with the financial means to pursue them leaving many others locked out of experiences that employers frequently use as a baseline qualification.

Experiential learning embedded directly in the classroom is critical for closing the internship gap because it ensures all students have the opportunity to gain real-world experience without the barriers that often make it inaccessible. Experiential learning integrates work into courses students are already enrolled in and paying for, rather than asking them to take on additional expenses or workload outside of school. By bringing real projects, clients, and problem-solving into the classroom, colleges can guarantee access to experience, helping students graduate confident and career ready. The opportunity to participate in multiple experiential learning projects over the course of their education also provides a diversification of skills and portfolio work students can take with them on that first interview.

As the expectations placed on higher education continue to evolve, experiential learning is no longer supplemental. It is essential to preparing students for complex, real-world environments and providing them with the skills to succeed.