Albion College is one of only 24 schools in the nation to be selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Work-Based Learning Consortium by the Council of Independent Colleges, or CIC.

“We are very excited to be part of this group,” said Interim Provost Dr. Lisa Lewis. “At Albion, we have a long history of providing experiential learning opportunities through our institutes, Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity and many other initiatives. Our Albion College Community Collaborative program provides students with the opportunity to address unscripted, real-world problems in service to our local community.

“Participation in this CIC community of practice will provide even more opportunity for our students by incorporating employer-designed projects into existing Albion courses.”

The WBL Consortium will provide a national community of practice to support institutions in easing student barriers to internship access and job market preparation, particularly for students from underrepresented groups. This experiential learning platform, in partnership with Riipen, will integrate real-world, employer-designed projects into existing courses to equip students with skills, experiences and professional connections to support their future careers.

This multi-year program is expected to reach more than 11,000 students at CIC member institutions. It has an estimated value of more than $65,000 per institution and will be administered free of charge to the selected colleges and universities.

CIC and Riipen will work with a team of five faculty members, one career services administrator and the chief academic officer on each campus to update curricula and integrate experiential learning into course materials beginning spring 2024. Throughout the duration of the program, CIC will also collect data and report on the work-based learning landscape at the participating institutions and the impact of the projects on students, faculty members and employers. The results will demonstrate the value and impact of this network to CIC colleges and universities.