By Contributor Jean Eddy
Bellwether and American Student Assistance’s (ASA) report, Making It Work: Ten Stories of Promise and Progress in High School Work-Based Learning, identifies nine key themes around state efforts to expand work-based learning (WBL) programs. The report is a follow-up to a 2021 study of WBL programs in all 50 states and DC, and profiles 10 states which are making progress with their efforts.
In this third and final article on the report, we’ll highlight some challenges that states face when implementing WBL programs at scale and how states are addressing them.
Expanding business partnerships
A major barrier to bringing WBL programs to scale is the lack of participating employers; there simply aren’t enough work opportunities to meet demand. All 10 of the states profiled in this report expressed a desire to develop more and deeper relationships with local businesses interested in participating in work-based learning programs. In fact, many states use the number of partnerships as a metric to track WBL progress. But finding the time and resources to expand and nurture relationships is a common pain point.
Some states who have succeeded in these efforts include:
Connecticut – In 2020, the Governor’s Workforce Council developed a strategic plan that included the creating of Regional Sector Partnerships (RSPs) to serve as work-based learning intermediaries. Since that time, the state has successfully developed 14 RSPs, such as The New Haven Regional Bioscience Collaboration and The Eastern Connecticut Manufacturing Partnership, to help students explore careers through WBL and other career readiness opportunities.
Kansas – Like Connecticut, Kansas took a regional approach to expanding work-based learning. It piloted a regional support structure in five areas to help school districts develop WBL opportunities with local businesses. The effort has been successful — the number of participating school districts has grown from six to 160 in just four years.
Washington – To reach employers in high-demand industries, the state’s Career Connect Washington task force identified 10 “sector leaders” to build awareness and engagement with employers within their industries. This strategy has resulted in new relationships between education institutions and local businesses. For example, the finance sector leader Washington Bankers Association (WBA) historically worked with third parties to provide training for entry-level finance positions. Through the state’s initiative, WBA brought the training in-house and made it available to Washington students interested in finance careers.
Building a data system
High-quality data and a strong data infrastructure are key components for bringing a successful work-based learning program to scale. But due to limited funding and disparate systems, data collection and analysis remain a challenge for most states. Here’s how some of them are addressing this issue:
Connecticut – The state is currently developing a framework for a statewide, integrated data system. Through consultation with nonprofit Jobs for the Future and support from The Connecticut Project, the new system will improve data collection, analysis, and reporting across the state’s workforce development efforts.
Louisiana – Building on its robust student transcript system, Louisiana is now working to add new data elements that will allow them to better track students’ work-based learning experiences and outcomes.
West Virginia – To enhance its data systems by capturing more data around WBL, the state has implemented a “timecard” approach. It allows students to enter their hours and earnings for each WBL activity and state leaders to develop customized, filtered reports on the total and average number of hours worked, business partners, wages, and more.
Evaluating the impact through formal assessments
Without a robust data system, it’s challenging to measure the impact of work-based learning initiatives or identify areas for improvement. Two states have found ways to implement formal assessments using partnerships and federal grants.
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In Maine, the Department of Education, site-based Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) staff, and researchers from the University of Southern Maine are working together to collect and analyze WBL data. Over the past two years, they found that 3,374 students completed a total of 1,861 paid work experiences, that they had 6,667 engagements with business partners, and that ELO programs developed 1,992 new community and business partnerships.
And in Maryland a formal evaluation of Way2Work, a federally funded work-based learning support services for students with disabilities, uncovered successes and gaps in the state’s WBL program. Participating students engaged more with the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services and were more likely to complete high school within two years of enrolling in the program.
Tackling transportation challenges
Like most states, the 10 profiled in this report include urban, suburban, and rural areas. Students living in cities have access to public transportation, making it easier for them to get to WBL job sites. But students in other areas of the state have limited transportation options.
To address this, Maine considered providing school bus transportation but struggled with a shortage of bus drivers. It also experimented with grant funding to pay for driver’s education classes but was unable to solve the larger challenge of how to provide vehicles for students to drive.
Maryland, too, cited transportation as a challenge. Many students don’t have access to vehicles and for those that do, their parents expressed concern about their kids driving long distances to get to a job site. And while public transportation systems are available in urban areas like Baltimore and Metro D.C., many students live in remote areas of the state where trains and buses aren’t an option.
Virtual work-based learning programs can help, but many have difficulty replicating hands-on activities, team meetings, or networking opportunities. To extend high-quality work-based learning experiences to all students, including those in rural areas, states will need to find a way to solve the transportation issue.
Making WBL work
Based on the progress of the 10 states profiled in the report, the future is bright for work-based learning. These states have found ways to get stakeholders on the same page, grow WBL programs despite limited resources, and scale promising initiatives. And while every state is unique, this report provides valuable insights that can help bring high-quality work-based learning experiences to more students across the country.
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