The objectives of WBL involve fostering students' understanding of potential professional paths, enabling them to explore various career options, and initiating the process of equipping students for their future careers. These pursuits involving awareness, exploration, and preparation aid students in making well-informed choices regarding their high school courses and program preferences, as well as their decisions pertaining to further education and training beyond secondary schooling.

The Benefits of WBL: 

Student outcomes are improved through a successful Work-Based Learning or Career and Technical education program in several ways. These include:

Skill Development:

One of the primary benefits of WBL is the enhancement of students' skill sets. By exposing students to real-world challenges and responsibilities, they acquire practical job skills that cannot be fully replicated in the classroom:

• Job Skills: Students learn basic but very important job skills and expectations to set them up for success in the real world. They can also gain skill proficiency in fields they are interested in.
• Soft Skills: Interpersonal communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management are just a few examples of soft skills that students develop through interactions in professional settings that will be necessary for future employment.

Career Exploration:

Work-Based Learning programs provide a unique opportunity for students to explore potential career paths. Through hands-on experiences in different industries, students can:

• Identify Interests: Working in a professional setting allows students to assess their interests and passions, helping them make more informed career decisions or be exposed to careers they don’t want to pursue.
• Build Networks: Networking with professionals in their field of interest exposes students to potential mentors and future job opportunities.
• Refine Career Goals: Early exposure to different career options helps students set realistic and achievable career goals. In addition, they can make informed choices about what post high school education is suitable for their desired career. 

Personal Growth and Confidence:

Being immersed in a professional environment empowers students to become more confident and independent individuals. They learn to:

• Take Initiative: By actively participating in real work scenarios, students gain the confidence to take initiative and showcase their leadership.
• Overcome Challenges: Dealing with real-world challenges helps students build resilience and problem-solving capabilities.
• Personal Growth: Exposure to different work cultures and expectations fosters personal growth and maturity in students.
• Finding Belonging: When students discover meaning behind their work or see the impact of their time and effort, they develop a sense of belonging. Whether it’s through volunteering or through their job, students can see the direct impact of their skills increasing a sense of personal meaning and belonging. 

     Bonus Content: Finding Belonging Through Service

Why Students Should Participate in WBL or Service

Community service and Work-based learning/internship programs often go hand in hand and are sometimes under the same umbrella in many schools and districts. While these programs or classes can have different criteria, they both have one thing in common: improved student outcomes.

In a work-based learning program students will:

• Learn leadership skills and gain personal responsibility and accountability 
• Gain deeper knowledge around finances and the value of hard work
• Learn basic skills that will serve them in future jobs 
• Explore various career paths that might have interest in
  
  

In school community service or service learning programs students will:

• See the direct personal impact of service to others 
• Discover new skills and talents through diverse service experiences 
• Learn vital leadership and communication skills
• Widen their world-view and become more well rounded individuals

Students emerge from these programs with a greater sense of self, valuable skills and tools, and experiences they can leverage on college, scholarship, and job applications.

Bonus Content: Why Students Should Participate in WBL or Service

While these programs are important offerings for students, managing the student data, hours, progress, etc. can be overwhelming and cumbersome. It's important for students to have an easy way to log their service and work experience, see their progress toward goals, and have a location to write reflections about their experiences so they can leverage them in the future. 

It's also necessary for educators to have a streamlined way of managing these programs without adding to their daily burdens and tasks. An online tracking and reporting solution makes this easier on the student and educator. 

Districts that implement work-based learning programs also have a need to report on student success. Through reports and data, district leaders are able to see where students are at, how these programs benefit students, see where to make adjustments, and report back to stakeholders. 

x2VOL comes in to meet these needs at the student, educator, and district level to support all parties in executing a successful work-based learning program.

If you'd like to learn more about x2VOL and how we can support you and your students you can watch our demo here or download our free e-guide - Supporting College & Career Readiness: The simple way to manage service, work-based learning, internships and more. 

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