n 2023, an estimated 8.2 million learners sought internships, yet only 44 percentof them found one. Even fewer — just 30 percent — had work-based learning experiences marked byclarity, supervision, and skill development.2
We know that experience applying learning is key to learners unlocking salaries commiserate with their credential attainment. (See Talent Disrupted, and No Country for Young Grads) Add it up: * Employers want people with application experience * There are 8M seeking internships and fewer than 4M accessing them * Calling an experience in the workplace an "internship" or "work-based learning", etc does not make it so. That takes intentionality and the competency to implement the intentions. * There's a deficit of such intentionality and competency. So, in addition to getting as many people as possible to think about every experience possible as a potential opportunity for experience and skill-building to support workforce readiness, we also urgently need to build up capacity nationwide to support employers and learners with scaffolding these experiences.