Economic Opportunity for All: How Online Work-Based Learning Marketplaces Connect Education and Work to Expand Equity and Career Readiness at Scale

September 28, 2021

Click here to access the webinar recording.

Work and education are often disconnected. Many learners finish college or other programs with a skillset that no longer matches market demands and unprepared for the world of work. Colleges and universities are expected to be engines of economic mobility. And yet, postsecondary education doesn’t always deliver on its promise of a good job and rewarding career. Work-based learning, such as internships, apprenticeships, and employer projects, solves for that by helping students to develop career-relevant skills and apply their education in real work settings—before they graduate. 

Online work-based learning (WBL) marketplaces are a novel approach to expanding equity and opportunity within higher education, but how do they contribute to creating regional ecosystems of industry and academic collaboration? Learn how renowned WBL experts are bridging this gap with a digital, inclusive model.

Join Riipen and a panel of WBL experts to hear practical examples and how their results are advancing the world of education and training.

Presenters: Iris Palmer, Senior Advisor, Higher Education and Workforce, New America; Dr. Rufus Glasper, President and CEO, League for Innovation in the Community College; Dr. Karen Bakker, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Riipen; Dr. Michael Bednar, Director, Experiential Learning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign