Beyond Internships: Alternative Hands-On Learning Opportunities for Career-Ready Students

Undergraduate students choose to pursue post-secondary education with the goal of gaining the skills and expertise needed to land an entry-level position. But today, according to 69% of recent graduates, institutions are missing the mark on employability and struggling to connect students to employers and hands-on experience needed for employment. 

Internships have long closed these skills gaps and provided undergraduates an opportunity to gain needed on-the-job experience and skills. And while internships are still an important option for connecting learners directly to their field of work, they’re becoming harder to secure. Early career networking platform Handshake found that internship postings have gone down by 15% over the past two years.   

 

Despite the decline in internship opportunities, hands-on learning remains essential for undergraduate students before entering the workforce. Fortunately, there are several learning internship alternatives available for undergraduates to explore, including: 

Apprenticeships, which allow students to gain industry-specific skills in various trade occupations. From manufacturing to healthcare, employers in many fields offer apprenticeship programs in hopes of training (and hiring) those who choose to learn alongside them. These programs often lead to full-time careers and provide individuals with essential knowledge and skills needed on day 1 of the job. Linking this type of on-the-job-education directly to employment is also an enticing recruitment tool, especially appealing to the new generation of workers. According to a recent report from Ready to Hire (part of Cengage Group), nearly 3 in 4 (70%) Gen Zers indicated they’re “extremely likely” to move forward with programs that offer paid training that leads directly to employment.  

Cooperative education (“Co-ops") programs that offer undergraduate students the chance to work a full-time position in their field for course credit and compensation. These programs give participants a solid understanding of what their future career entails, the ability to network with professionals in their field, and a chance to build real workforce skills outside of the classroom.  

However, not all learners are able to spend months in apprenticeships or co-op programs. In those instances, there are several types of one-off experiences that will still provide clarity about how they’re able to use their skills and knowledge directly in the field. A few alternative learning options include: 

Volunteer work: Volunteers are needed across nearly every industry to help with individual events and projects. By engaging in volunteer work, undergraduate students can practice some of the skills and activities related to their career paths, without the commitment of pursuing a full-time program or partnership.  

Courses that utilize immersive technology: Thanks to new digital tools, like 3D technology and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), today’s coursework steps far outside traditional confinements. Technology is giving students a more realistic view of the on-the-job situations they may encounter and skills they’ll need to solve them. These immersive experiences allow students to develop a stronger sense of how it feels to work in different environments or on specific kinds of tasks. 

• Cengage Group is powering this type of learning through its investment in Dreamscape Learn and its acquisition of Visible Body. Dreamscape Learn leans on VR technology to create immersive, highly engaging learning experiences. Meanwhile, Visible Body’s technology allows students to study interactive materials, like biomedical illustrations, so they can better understand the parts of the human body and how everything connects. Through state-of-the-art imagery, anatomy can be brought to life – without having to step foot in a medical center or laboratory. By making science education more interactive, Visible Body is encouraging more students to explore courses and careers in scientific fields. 

While internship opportunities remain competitive, other hands-on learning opportunities exist for undergraduate students looking to enhance their career-readiness and skillset. Whether students are looking for programs that will foster their career development over a long period of time, or they need quick, one-off opportunities to test their skills, an array of opportunities are ready to be explored.