For Work-Based Learning to Take Root, Communities Need the Right Partners

Indiana is entering a new era in how we prepare young people for life after high school.

Beginning with the Class of 2029, Indiana's redesigned high school diploma will place greater emphasis on career-connected learning, including meaningful work-based learning experiences that help students understand what it takes to succeed in the workplace.

This is more than an education policy change. It is an opportunity to strengthen Indiana's workforce, region by region and community by community.

Work-based learning can take many forms, from internships and apprenticeships to career exploration, job shadows and student-led businesses. When done well, these experiences give students an opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom, develop workplace skills and make more informed decisions about their futures.

For employers, work-based learning offers an early opportunity to introduce young people to their industries and help shape the talent pipeline they will rely on tomorrow.

But schools and employers can't create enough of these experiences on their own. Ascend's research suggests that the number of opportunities needed could more than double the current levels, creating both opportunities and challenges.

Intermediaries Advancing Work-Based Learning in Indiana, a new case study by nationally recognized American Institutes for Research (AIR), underscores the importance of a critical, but often overlooked, part of the equation: the regional organizations that bring schools and employers together to make work-based learning possible.

These organizations - which Ascend Indiana and AIR have identified as work-based learning intermediaries - provide the expertise and support to help build schools' capacity, coordinate opportunities and support employers, creating the systems needed to make work-based learning accessible to more students.

The outcome is straightforward: Indiana's success will depend not only on creating more work-based learning opportunities, but on building the infrastructure to make those opportunities high-quality, accessible and sustainable.

A regional challenge requires a regional solution

For many communities, the challenge is not a lack of interest.

Schools want students to gain meaningful exposure to careers. Employers want to develop their future workforce. Community leaders want young people to see a future for themselves close to home.

But these groups often operate with different priorities, systems and resources.

A school counselor may not have the capacity to develop relationships with dozens of local employers. A small business may want to host students but lacks the time or expertise to navigate the process. An employer may have a strong relationship with one school but no practical way to expand that relationship to reach more students.

Regional intermediaries help close those gaps.

AIR's study identified several critical functions intermediaries perform, including building employer relationships, supporting educators, coordinating work-based learning experiences and helping communities translate state priorities into practical action.

Building Employer Engagement in Southern Indiana

The AIR case study features Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI), an intermediary serving the 11-county Uplands region. ROI makes it easier for businesses to participate in work-based learning by meeting employers where they are. ROI recognizes that employers have different capacities and needs, so it provides flexible ways to engage.

ROI also coordinates outreach among workforce, education and economic development partners, reducing the burden on employers. ROI helps businesses and schools work together, making it easier for employers to see that work-based learning isn't just community service; it builds their future workforce.

Turning ambition into impact

Indiana has set a clear vision for career-connected learning. Now we need to focus on turning that vision into reality.

Career-connected learning is more than an education initiative or graduation requirement. It is an investment in Indiana's future workforce and regional economies.

Indiana has set the direction. Now communities can build the connections and capacity to turn that vision into lasting impact.