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WBL Experiences
Before enrolling in a transfer school or YABC, many students feel invisible, unsupported in various life challenges, or unsafe. When they take on an LTW work-based learning experience, they find themselves on new terrain. Within work-based learning, students are known, they are met with attainable challenges, and they have another supportive adult - their WBL Coordinator - checking in with them along the way. Work-based learning, therefore, provides more than just a line on the resume, but ways to engage students in school and the futures they envision.
The NYC Office of Student Pathways (2022) broadly defines WBL as: “an authentic learning experience that allows students to explore their career goals, abilities, and interests while applying their academic and technical knowledge and skills in a real-world context. These experiences are planned and supervised by instructional staff in collaboration with business, industry, or community partners.”
Through this research, we found that at its best, WBL helps students build skills, explore their interests, receive compensation, and gain valuable experience - all within a supportive environment. We found seven qualities that underpin these experiences:
1
Opportunities for students to develop skills. At its best, this means the benefits of core skills are clear to students and employers, and systems are in place for monitoring and celebrating students’ progress in developing those skills. Likewise, coaching, workshops, and seminars are designed to help students reflect on the workplace and cultivate needed skills, such as:
Career access skills: interviewing, resumes and cover letters, career pathways exploration
Employability skills: workplace navigation, interpersonal skills, self-awareness, problem-solving, focus on growth, digital literacy, financial literacy
Career-aligned skills: identifying the target skills in a career field and how they appear in different WBL experiences
“I learned how to make schedules and have specific times when I should get up for work, get ready, so I won't be late. And I, that actually works for school too… I learned how to talk to adults better." — Transfer School student
2
Experiences that align with students’ interests. At its best, this means LTW staff makes efforts to understand student interests and match them with related placements that put them on their desired career track. Even when students can’t pinpoint a specific interest initially, WBL experiences help them discover what they like and don’t like to do. Students will identify and refine their postsecondary goals based on self-assessment, researching careers, evolving interests, and personal experiences.
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Inclusive and responsive environments. At its best, this means WBL Coordinators take into consideration transportation, time available, and student obligations outside of school. Remote and asynchronous options can give access to students with limited availability.
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Scaffolded challenges. At its best, this means Advocate Counselors and WBL Coordinators consider what students are ready for, and offer opportunities for advancement. Students are effectively onboarded before WBL placements. Seminars and individual check-ins support development along the way.
5
Supportive and culturally competent employers. At its best, this means employers who understand the program’s purpose and population. They are eager to mentor them and provide timely feedback, support, and safe work sites.
"Who is the adult this kid is going to be connected to?....that's the nice thing about the internship is you have another adult in the student's life who's also kind of emphasizing the importance of school and who could be a future reference for another job.” — CBO Supervisor
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High expectations that are set clearly and upheld consistently. At its best, this means high expectations are regularly communicated to students and caregivers. Students maintain good school attendance and strong academic behaviors while participating in WBL opportunities.
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Compensation for work. While monetary compensation is built into the LTW internship model, WBL at its best also promotes other forms of compensation – such as attaining professional credentials and other certifications crucial for attaining higher-paying employment later in a student’s career. While WBL opportunities do not need to end in employment, LTW staff open conversations with employers about students continuing to advance in part-time or full-time positions.
What makes a meaningful internship? Consider two students ready to set off on their first internship. For one, the experience is disengaging, boring, or embittering even. The other has a life-changing experience. What was the difference? Why did one internship flop and the other shine? Which parts are under our control as educators – and how can we design our programs to ensure success? Principal Martin Smallhorne and Program Director, Natalia Alverez-Plaud, at Lehman YABC have thought a lot about these questions. Lehman YABC runs a highly successful internship program, repeatedly identified by LTW stakeholders as impactful. To learn from these two educational leaders, Eskolta met with a focus group of ten students to talk about their experiences. Almost before we could begin students were buzzing with answers: Lehman offered work-based learning that was personally meaningful, provided internships with avenues for growth as individuals, and above all, set clear expectations about how to thrive in one…. Learn more
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