As a CTE teacher or administrator, you might be considering incorporating work-based learning (WBL) into your CTE program. You may have heard of the benefits of work-based learning, or your state department of education may consider it an important measure of CTE program success.
But you may be wondering if WBL is worth the time and effort it takes to get started. The short answer is yes! Work-based learning can be an excellent addition to any CTE program and prove that your students are mastering critical skills that will help them in their careers.
In fact, there are a number of benefits for your students, your CTE program, and your local employers just from implementing WBL!
In this post, we’ll highlight the 13 biggest benefits of work-based learning, starting with the benefits for your students.
After reading, you should have a full picture of the value of work-based learning so you can incorporate and track it in your CTE program!
5 Benefits of Work-Based Learning for Your CTE Students
Educators in CTE programs must consider the impact on students when looking to add a new element to a CTE program. After all, their experience in your courses can pave the way for their future careers!
When it comes to work-based learning, students in these programs can experience multiple lasting benefits from learning in a workplace environment.
Overall, we’ve found five major benefits that any student will get from work-based learning experiences:
- WBL connects classroom learning to the real world
- WBL gives students opportunities to practice skills in real-world scenarios
- WBL helps students develop soft skills
- WBL gives students a chance to observe professionals in action
- WBL helps students network with potential employers
First, WBL programs unite the concepts students learn in the classroom with real-world application and practice. This makes it easier for students to see the connection between what you’re teaching in the classroom and their future careers.
Second, WBL gives students a chance to practice their skills in real-world scenarios. This is especially important for students who may go onto careers that involve life-or-death situations, like healthcare.
As noted by one CTE administrator from Neosho County Community College, “You really can’t test critical thinking skills in real life very well because you’re talking about a human being and you’re not going to let them screw up… But in a simulator, that’s where it shines… because they can make a mistake and not hurt anybody.”
In addition to honing their technical and critical thinking skills, students in work-based learning programs develop crucial career readiness skills like professionalism, teamwork, communication, and initiative.
It’s much easier to learn these skills in a WBL setting than in a traditional classroom setting since they rely so heavily on scenarios and real-world practice!
On top of all this, students in internships, clinicals, and job shadowing get the chance to observe professionals working in their future careers. This gives students a much better understanding of how things work in the industry.
Finally, students in WBL experiences can connect and network with professionals in the industry today, including potential employers. These relationships set them up for success when it comes time to start their careers!
So now you know how work-based learning can benefit students — but what about your CTE program?
4 Benefits of Work-Based Learning for Your CTE Program
When administrators and teachers consider implementing WBL, they need to know how it’ll improve their current CTE program. Especially, because when budgets are tight trying something new can have costly effects when it doesn’t work out.
We’ve honed in on four specific benefits that work-based learning can have on any CTE program:
- WBL leads to increased student enrollment
- WBL increases student motivation
- WBL provides opportunities for individualized instruction
- WBL gets your community involved
First and foremost, CTE programs that implement work-based learning see an increase in student enrollment. If you’re trying to grow your program, adding WBL options can be a great way to do so. Students often become excited about the prospect of working with a potential employer while in high school, and are more likely to choose CTE programs that give them these opportunities.
Second, students involved in CTE programs that include WBL have higher motivation and better class attendance. This is because WBL opportunities provide relevant experience that can have direct implications on a student's future career.
As a bonus, when you measure your data around work-based learning with a CTE-specific data management system, you can prove that WBL makes a difference to your students so you can better plan for future opportunities.
Next, work-based learning empowers teachers to deliver more personalized instruction in CTE settings. If one group of students is at clinicals, the teacher can focus on a separate group in class and vice versa.
Finally, WBL involves your local community in the success of your CTE program. If your students complete service-learning projects, you’re using their education as an opportunity to improve their town and connect them with other residents. Meanwhile, when your students spend time at local businesses, you’re showing employers a fresh pool of new potential employees every year.
This leads us to the last group that benefits from work-based learning -- local employers.
4 Benefits of Work-Based Learning for Local Employers
When adding WBL to your program, you’ll need to get local employers onboard to make it success. While people have good intentions to help local schools improve their programs, it often comes down to how it helps them in the end.
Fortunately, there’s four substantial benefits local employers can get when schools implement WBL:
- WBL lets local employers have a say
- WBL builds a pool of skilled workers
- WBL teaches soft skills (so employers don’t have to)
- WBL lowers recruitment costs for employers
To start, work-based learning gives local employers opportunities to be involved in CTE programs. With WBL, teachers can work alongside employers to align their classes with the needs of the community. This ensures that graduates of a CTE program have the best opportunity to secure jobs in the community, because the program has specifically prepared them for careers that have the highest need in the surrounding region.
In addition, WBL programs create a larger pool of skilled workers. This lowers training costs and provides more quality candidates for employers. Instead of having to look outside the local area, employers can be confident they can choose qualified high school graduates from their own community.
Next, students in work-based learning environments gain crucial soft skills desired by many employers, such as communication and professionalism. Ultimately, employers would much rather spend time getting new hires up to speed with the specifics of their company than training them on how to be professional, and prior experience in employment settings helps prepare learners for success.
Finally, WBL ultimately lowers recruitment costs when employers are hiring new people. When schools and employers team up with work-based experiences (WBE), such as in-classroom speakers and on-site student visits, learners receive early exposure to what it's like to work for a particular organization. If students go on to partake in internships, clinicals, or apprenticeship opportunities, they can build upon these relationships and the reputation of their program with local employers.
That means when it comes time to hire new employees, businesses don’t have to use a pool of candidates they’ve never met before. They may even have already spent time at the company!
Where to Go from Here with Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning in CTE programs ultimately provides tremendous opportunities to everyone. When you consider the benefits of WBL to your students, your CTE program, and local employers in your community, it's easy to understand why so many schools are ensuring these opportunities are available to every student.
When you prove your program is successful in using work-based learning, you can use this data to help maximize funding for your CTE program.
But did you know you actually have three options when it comes to adding WBL to your program?
Traditional work-based learning is what most people think of when they hear WBL. It involves students spending time both in the classroom and in the workplace.
Simulated work-based learning gives students the experience and feeling of being in a workplace without actually leaving the school. These work-based experiences (WBE) may involve simulated tools, simulated workplaces, and even school-based enterprises.
Community-based learning (sometimes called service learning) is another form of work-based experience that combines CTE programs with community service projects. It’s less focused on interactions with specific employers, and instead connects your classroom to the community in ways that relate to what you’re teaching.
Each of these options has its pros and cons, but in general benefits you, your students, and your local community in many ways.
Want to learn more? Click below to read our in-depth overview of each WBL option! You'll be able to learn about all three to choose which is best for your program:
