P R E S E N T E D B Y

WORK-BASED LEARNING 101What Makes It Meaningful, What Supports It at Scale, and Why We Think It Matters

Ankita Jhaveri, Senior Program Manager, JFF

Julia di Bonaventura, Senior Program Manager, JFF

WHAT: Designing High Quality WBL Experiences

HOW: From Check-List to Continuum to Career

• Foundational career exposure

• Continuous meaning making

• Iterative experiences through post-secondary

THE IMPERATIVES OF WORK-BASED LEARNINGWhy does it matter?

WHAT WE HEAR

Why can’t I find

candidates with the skills I need?

EMPLOYERS

Can I ensure students have the skills they need for success

beyond just a degree?

HIGHER EDUCATION

What do my students

need to be prepared for success in their next

steps?

K-12 EDUCATORS

Why is there such a skills gap? Why are jobs left unfilled?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

How do I decide if I

need a degree or if I’m ready to

work?

STUDENTS/

POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES

FUTURE OF WORK: NEW FINDINGS WHAT WE KNOW

THIS IS ABOUT EQUITYA lack of access to work-based learning limits the career prospects and economic mobility of millions of youth and adults and prevents them from becoming part of the talent pipeline employers need to spur economic growth.

70% of employers offer some form of WBL to employees

$177 Billion spent by employers on training annually

58% spent on employees with a BA or higher

25% spent on employees with some college (sub-BA)

17% spent on employees with a HS diploma or less

SOCIAL CAPITAL AND STUDENT OUTCOMES

Earnings outcomes differ between graduates of color and their white counterparts, even when they have the same credentials.

Empirical evidence shows that implicit bias plays a significant role in how people enter and advance in the labor market

Certain workplaces and professions can be easier to navigate if your background and experiences mirror those of the people in power.

ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

YES, AND…

Almost everyone has social capital.

But not all kinds of social capital are equally useful for entering and navigating the labor market, which is full of systemic and institutional barriers and inequities.

THE IMPERATIVES OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

DEVELOP CORE TECHNICAL

AND EMPLOYABILITY COMPETENCIES

EXPLORE NEW CAREER AND EDUCATION

OPTIONS

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND

FUTURE WORKFORCE

SO…WHAT IS IT?!

WHAT IS WORK-BASED LEARNING?Work-based learning is defined by activities and experiences when a student or worker:

• Goes to a workplace or works with an employer

• Does meaningful job tasks that (a) develop his or her skills, knowledge, and readiness for work and (b) support entry or advancement in a particular career field.

CORE PURPOSES OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

Workplace norms

Employers’ expectations

EXPOSURE TO THE WORLD OF

WORK

Understanding of relevance of

classroom learning

Application of classroom learning

in real-world situations

STRENGTHENED ACADEMIC LEARNING

Understanding of a particular career or

industry

Interaction with professionals in the

field

EXPOSURE TO A CAREER FIELD

Employability skills

Technical skills

DEVELOPMENT OF

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Recognition of contributions

Developing social capital

TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT JOB

https://center4apprenticeship.jff.org/work-based-learning/what-work-based-learning/

Career Fairs; Industry Projects

Job Shadows; Company Tours

Internships;Youth Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship; On-the-job TrainingWORK-BASED LEARNINGFRAMEWORK

Exposure, Engagement, and Experience all require preparation, knowledge, and support for students, educators, and employers

FOUNDATIONAL EXPLORATION AND PREPARATION

Opportunities for reflection on learning, articulation of skills developed, and impact for next steps

CONTINOUS MEANING-MAKING

Not a simple sequence but an opportunity to circle-back for new learning

ITERATIVE PROCESS BEYOND A CHECK LIST

THREE CORE CHARACTERISTICS OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

WORK-BASED LEARNING AT SCALE

SUPPORTING MECHANISMSWBL AT SCALE

WBLINTERMEDIARIES TECHNOLOGY

COMMON LANGUAGE

AND EXPECTATIONS

INTERMEDIARY FUNCTIONS IN A WBL DELIVERY SYSTEM

Strategic plan for the long-term strategic vision, direction, goals, and objectives of the system

Establishing a staffing and organizational plan that outlines key roles and responsibilities and accountability/ communication structures

INTERMEDIARY DESIGN

Developing a process for managing relationships and making joint decisionsbetween education, employers, and workforce systems

INTERMEDIARY FUNCTIONS IN A WBL DELIVERY SYSTEM

Develop and facilitate strategic partnerships between education, nonprofit, and employers and industry

Serve as the convener, broker, and technical assistance provider to schools and employers engaged in building and sustaining the WBL delivery system

Identify, monitor, and report on key metrics (baselines and targets) to measure and evaluate progress and improve outcomes

CURRICULUM RESOURCES

CAREER AND/OR COLLEGE PLANNING

INTERNSHIP/WBL WORK-FLOW MANAGEMENT

SIMULATIONS AND GAME-BASED SOLUTIONS

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT WBL

Illinois PaCE: Postsecondary and Career Expectations Each student should have an individualized learning plan to help make decisions on careers and post-secondary (PS) education or training, plan a course of study, and make financial aid assessments with family members.

e By 12/31 of 12th grade A student should have:

completed 3 or more admission applications to PS

institutionsmet with a school counselor to ensure all steps in the PS

admission process are completed on time

attended a FAFSA completion workshop

completed the FAFSABy the end of 12th grade a

student should be supported to:

address any remedial needs in Math/ELA

obtain an internship opportunity relating to CP

if applicable, receive industry-based

certification(s) relating to CPcomplete one or more team-based challenges or projects

relating to CPattend a financial aid award

letter workshopA student should know:

how CP courses and experiences articulate to

degree programs at PS options

estimated cost of each PS option

affordability of PS options in relation to expected entry-

level career salary and anticipated debt

terms and conditions of any scholarship or loan

By the end of 12th grade

A student should be supported to:

revisit the career surveyparticipate in a mock job

interviewcreate a resume and personal

statementidentify an internship

opportunity related to CPdetermine readiness for

college-level coursework in Math/ELA and enrolled in

either "catch up" or "speed up" course

complete or enroll in at least one early college credit

opportunityattend a college fair

visit at least 3 PS insitutionstake at least one college

entrance examA student should know:

app deadlines, test timing, cost, and prep for industry-

based certification for CPcareer attributes related to

career interestsentrance requirements,

including app deadlines, for expected PS program of

study3-5 match schools, one

safety, and one reach school for PS program of study

negative impact of remediation on PS goals

financial aid deadlines for chosen PS options

By the end of 11th grade

A student should be supported to:

visit at least one workplace aligned to career interests

complete an orientation course to a particular career

cluster or cluster groupingselect a career pathway (CP)

within a career cluster of interest

begin determining eligibility for AP courses

identify 2-3 adults to support him/her through the PS and

career selection processcompare current cumulative

GPA, academic, and career indicators to ISBE College and Career Readiness Framework

(every year)attend a PS affordability workshop with an adult

family memberA student should know:

educational requirements, cost, expected entry level,

and midpoint salary for occupations in selected CP

different types of PS credentials and institutions

general timing of PS entrance exams and apps

benefit of early college credit opportunities to PS access

and completion

By the end of 10th grade

A student should be supported to:

revisit career cluster survey and take a career interest

surveycomplete an orientation to

career clustersattend a PS options workshop

meet with a counselor to discuss coursework and

PS/career plans with the ISBE College and Career Readiness

Frameworkbegin determining eligibility

for AP coursesoutline a plan for community

service and extracurricular activities related to PS plans

complete a financial aid assessment with a family

memberA student should know:

one or two career clusters for further exploration and

developmentthe relationship between HS

coursework, attendance, and grades to PS plans

importance of community service and extracurricular activities to PS and career

plansgeneral cost ranges of various

PS options

By the end of 9th grade

A student should be supported to:

complete a career cluster survey

attend a career exploration day

complete a unit on education planning

Be exposed to a finance literacy unit in a course or

workshopA student should know:

the concept of career clusters for further

explorationpossible career clusters of

interestrelationship between

community service/ extracurricular activities and

postsecondary (PS)/career goals

By the end of 8th grade

Career Exploration and Development

Post-Secondary Education

Exploration, Preparation, and Selection

Financial Aid and Literacy

V I S I T U S T O D A Y A T J F F. O R G

THANK YOU!