By Nisa Gül • Co-Author: Kimba Rund
Work-based learning (WBL) has become an essential part of preparing students for life after high school. As schools expand career pathways and strengthen connections with local employers, more students are gaining opportunities to explore careers before graduation.
Many people associate work-based learning with internships or apprenticeships. While those experiences certainly qualify, they represent only one part of a much broader continuum. Students can begin engaging with employers years before they enter the workforce through experiences that build career awareness, confidence, and workplace skills over time.
Understanding what counts as work-based includes can help schools create intentional career pathways that meet students where they are and prepare them for what’s next.
What Is Work-Based Learning?
For Indiana’s new high school diploma requirements, the Indiana State Board of Education defines work-based learning (WBL) as sustained interaction between participants and industry professionals in real or simulated workplace settings. These experiences develop knowledge, skills, and competencies while supporting career exploration and readiness. Work-based learning experiences are intentionally aligned with course or training competencies and evaluated as part of the learning process .
The emphasis is on intentional learning .
Rather than simply exposing students to careers, work-based learning helps them understand how classroom learning connects to real occupations while developing technical skills, employability skills, and professional confidence.
Work-based learning is most effective when students participate in multiple experiences over time rather than a single event during their senior year.
Work-Based Learning Happens Along a Continuum
Students don’t need to jump directly into an internship to benefit from work-based learning. Instead, schools can gradually introduce students to careers through increasingly immersive experiences.
Career Awareness
At this stage, students are introduced to a variety of careers and industries they may not have previously considered.
Examples include:
- Career fairs
- Employer guest speakers
- Industry panels
- Classroom career presentations
These experiences help students begin connecting their interests with potential career opportunities.
Career Exploration
As students begin identifying careers that interest them, they can interact more directly with employers.
Examples include:
- Employer chats
- Workplace tours
- Job shadowing
- Informational interviews
- Career mentoring
Students gain a clearer understanding of workplace expectations, required skills, and day-to-day responsibilities while asking questions directly to industry professionals.
Career Preparation
Career preparation allows students to apply what they’ve learned through authentic experiences connected to employers.
Examples include:
- Industry-Developed Team Challenges
- Microinternships
- School-based enterprises
- Simulated workplace experiences
- Clinical experiences
Rather than simply learning about careers, students begin practicing professional skills while solving real problems.
Career Training
Career training provides students with substantial workplace experience before graduation.
Examples include:
- Internships
- Apprenticeships
- Youth apprenticeships
- Cooperative education
- Structured work-based learning placements
These experiences allow students to build technical skills, strengthen professional habits, and gain experience in authentic work environments.
What Makes a Work-Based Learning Experience Count?
Not every employer-connected activity automatically qualifies as work-based learning under Indiana’s high school diploma requirements. While activities like workplace tours, job shadowing, internships, and employer-led projects are all valuable, they must meet specific criteria to count toward the state’s definition of work-based learning.
High-quality work-based learning experiences should include:
Sustained interaction
Students should participate in meaningful experiences over time rather than one-time visits. The learning should be substantial enough to develop skills, build relationships with industry professionals, and provide authentic workplace exposure.
Engagement with industry professionals
Students should interact directly with individuals who are currently working in the industry. These professionals provide mentorship, feedback, and insight into workplace expectations while helping students connect classroom learning to real careers.
Real or simulated workplace settings
Learning should take place in authentic workplace environments or realistic simulations that reflect industry practices, tools, technology, and expectations.
Authentic work
Students should complete meaningful tasks that go beyond observation. Whether working on an Industry-Developed Team Challenge, a microinternship, or another employer-connected experience, students should actively contribute and apply their learning.
Alignment with learning goals
Work-based learning should be intentionally connected to course competencies or career pathway objectives. Students should receive feedback and have opportunities to demonstrate what they’ve learned.
Structured partnerships
Successful work-based learning depends on collaboration between schools, employers, students, and families. Clear expectations and intentional planning help ensure experiences support meaningful learning.
Why Every Experience Matters
One of the biggest misconceptions about work-based learning is that every student should complete an internship.
Internships are valuable, but they’re not the only meaningful experience.
A ninth-grade student might attend a career fair or participate in an employer chat.
A tenth-grade student may visit a local manufacturer during a workplace tour.
An eleventh-grade student might complete an employer-sponsored project.
A senior may finish an internship or apprenticeship before graduation.
Each experience builds knowledge, confidence, and career readiness. Together, they create a progression that helps students make informed decisions about education, training, and employment after high school.
Bringing Work-Based Learning Together
Creating meaningful work-based learning opportunities isn’t just about organizing individual events. Schools also need a way to connect experiences, document participation, and help students reflect on what they’ve learned.
When employer engagement, career exploration, workplace experiences, and student reflection are connected over multiple years, students can better understand how each opportunity contributes to their long-term goals.
This comprehensive approach also helps educators provide students with a broader range of experiences rather than relying on a single internship or job shadow to prepare them for the future.
Looking Beyond Internships
Work-based learning isn’t defined by one program or one experience. It’s a progression of meaningful opportunities that connect students with employers and help them apply classroom learning in real-world settings.
Whether students begin with a career speaker, participate in an employer chat, tour a local business, complete an industry project, or finish an internship, every experience can help them build the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed for future success.
When schools recognize work-based learning as a continuum instead of a destination, they create more opportunities for every student to explore careers and prepare for life beyond graduation.
In other words, what makes an experience count isn’t simply the activity itself. It’s the structure behind it. A workplace tour, employer chat, or internship can all become meaningful work-based learning experiences when they’re intentionally designed to build knowledge, develop skills, and connect students with authentic workplace learning.
Bio
Nisa Gül is a Social Media Manager and Virtual Assistant at Skyepack, where she supports content creation, blog writing, and digital engagement for the Career+ Pathways™ program. She works closely with the team to transform ideas into polished, audience-ready pieces. Outside of work, she enjoys designing, painting, and spending time with friends in cozy, creative settings.
Kimba Rund is a workforce training and career development specialist with a background in psychology and a focus on helping students connect education to real career opportunities. She holds a master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, which informs her work designing programs that support student growth, skill development, and long-term success. Outside of work, she enjoys yoga, reading, and spending time with her family, husband, and two dogs.
