Strada Education Foundation – PHENND

New Report: Maximizing the Value of Internships: Advice From Employers

hillarya — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:20:00 +0000

While the benefits of internships for students are well-known, many organizations struggle to measure their true impact as a strategic business investment. To bridge this gap, Strada and UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute interviewed 40 diverse employers to uncover how internships solve persistent challenges.

This report, “Maximizing the Value of Internships: Advice From Employers,” translates these insights into actionable guidance for leaders in human resources, talent acquisition, and workforce strategy. It moves beyond isolated metrics to provide a clear framework for aligning internship programs with core business priorities.

The report also highlights four employers that share lessons learned about how to increase the value of their investment in internships.

Read the full report.

New Report: Internships and Beyond: Strengthening Career Value Across Diverse Models of Work-Based Learning

hillarya — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:12:00 +0000

Colleges and universities recognize that students are looking to them as a launching pad for their future. Eighty percent of freshmen say that “getting a better job” is a very important reason for attending, and 74 percent say “gaining training for a specific career” is very important in their decision to go to college. To better meet the needs and goals of their students, colleges and universities increasingly are focused on strategies that help their students connect their education to career opportunities.

One of the most promising strategies for making this connection is giving students the opportunity to participate in off-campus learning experiences that are aligned with their field of study. Unfortunately, these kinds of work-based learning experiences remain too scarce, so only a limited number of students reap the benefits.

This report is based on students’ responses to the National Survey of Work-based Learning, a 15-minute online survey fielded to a nationally representative sample of seniors enrolled at public four-year universities and colleges, which was completed by more than 2,000 individuals between October and December 2024. The report explores students’ responses to questions about seven different experiences that blend academic learning and authentic or work-based experiences, including paid and unpaid internships, practica (such as supervised clinical experiences in health professions or student teaching), project-based learning, undergraduate research with a faculty member, on-campus jobs, and off-campus jobs.

Mentors Ease Path to Students’ First Jobs

hillarya — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 17:46:11 +0000

Highly coveted internships at prominent tech companies can be hard to come by, with more than 100,000 students nationwide vying for just thousands of positions.

The recruitment process, as The New York Times reported last year, can favor students at top universities and those who have industry connections.

A partnership between a Seattle nonprofit and a local community college aims to improve opportunities for students who live in a region with a robust tech industry that can be difficult to access.

Mentors in Tech recruits tech professionals to mentor students at Green River College, which equips the students with classroom projects based on real-world technology problems they solve with the help of the experienced mentors.

The relationships typically move beyond the classroom, giving students access to an industry veteran who can help them navigate their job search. “Working with mentors,” one Green River software development instructor says, “students have a direct connection to someone who’s actively in the industry right now.”

New Report: Talent Disrupted – College Graduates, Underemployment, and the Way Forward

hillarya — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 18:52:50 +0000

Most people enroll in college because they believe it will provide the knowledge and skills they need to secure a good job and join or remain in the middle class.

However, college is not a guarantee of success in the labor market and some students face a risk that their degree will not provide access to a college-level job. While typical college graduates fare substantially better in the labor market than workers with only a high school education, half are underemployed. Even 10 years after graduation, the majority of those who were initially underemployed still have not secured a college-level job.

New research from Strada Institute for the Future of Work and The Burning Glass Institute reaffirms that a bachelor’s degree is not a guarantee of labor market success. But it also offers promising solutions that are emerging — solutions that can build a better future and strengthen the link between education and opportunity.