It takes an ecosystem: Why U.S. States must lead in experiential learning.

This article was written by Riipen's Director, Strategic Partnerships, Dr. Mara Woody.

By 2031, nearly three out of four jobs in the U.S. will require postsecondary education or training.  Yet, every year, hundreds of thousands of graduates enter the labor market without the hands-on experience they need to succeed. They may have the degree. But they often lack the applied skills, employer exposure, and confidence that only real-world learning can offer.

So where do we go from here?

That’s one of the questions that brought me to the SHEEO Policy Conference this year and one that keeps me up at night. Because the answer is not as simple as “more internships.” It’s more complex, more structural, and frankly, more urgent than that.

Experiential learning isn’t just a program. It’s a strategy.

If we want to prepare learners for the future of work, we have to move beyond treating experiential learning as a “nice-to-have.” Internships, co-ops, and project-based experiences are often isolated, available only to specific majors, reserved for a select group of students, or reliant on the efforts of a single advocate within a department.

But, when done well, experiential learning is more than a checkbox or pilot. It’s a strategy for readiness. A way to level the playing field. And an opportunity to design learning and world-readiness around the demands of the modern economy — not the other way around.

But building real infrastructure is hard. Really hard.

The challenges aren’t theoretical — they’re lived.

At the learner level: Barries like transportation, scheduling, and financial need can make traditional internships inaccessible. Students juggling coursework, jobs, and caregiving responsibilities often don’t have the luxury of participating in unpaid (or even underpaid) placements.

At the program level: Supply rarely meets demand. Many institutions simply don’t have enough employer partners to scale access. Others struggle with defining what quality experiential learning actually looks like. Coaching and mentoring are inconsistently available. Plus, tracking outcomes becomes even harder.

At the State level: Coordinating across geographies, sectors, and systems adds even more complexity. 

That’s why ecosystems matter.

The truth is, no single institution or employer can fix this alone. It takes an ecosystem — one that brings together public and private partners along with entire communities, aligns incentives, pools resources, and centers the needs of both learners and employers.

Some States are already embracing this approach.

In Virginia, the V-TOP program provides a model for statewide coordination. The State is building capacity for quality internships at scale through regional collaboratives, employer toolkits, and grants to institutions. The result? A more inclusive, structured pathway to work-based learning that meets local workforce needs.

In Missouri, WIOA funding is leveraged to actively engage employers in shaping and supporting internship and apprenticeship opportunities. The state isn’t just waiting for employer interest; — they’re structuring outreach and embedding WBL in workforce strategy.

And increasingly, thought leaders are calling attention to this “bridgeable divide” between higher education and work — one that demands urgent alignment between institutions and employers, especially in an economy where “skills gaps have become opportunity gaps.”

So what role should U.S. States play?

States are uniquely positioned to do what no single institution can:

• Define what quality experiential learning looks like — and make that definition consistent across systems.
• Measure the impact of experiential learning to determine best practices in world-readiness preparation, develop the highest quality standards, and iterate programs to continuously adapt to changing societal needs.
• Scale access by convening stakeholders and investing in resources, partnerships, and regional coordination.
• Fund participation, especially for learners who can’t afford to take unpaid roles or for small employers who need support.
• Align experiential learning with economic development priorities to ensure talent pipelines are built where they’re needed most.

Perhaps most importantly, different States can create the space for shared vision and cross-sector collaboration.

Building powerful ecosystems for scalable experiential learning.

At Riipen, we believe that experiential learning is a right, not a privilege. And we’ve seen firsthand how powerful ecosystems can be when States step in to lead — not by doing the work alone, but by setting the conditions for it to thrive.

We work with individual States, higher education systems, community partners, employers, and workforce programs to make experiential learning scalable and inclusive, — especially in regions where employer engagement or infrastructure is limited. Through our support, institutions match learners with real employer projects, support virtual and hybrid models, and collect data to measure outcomes; all in one place.

But we’re just one piece of the puzzle. True change comes when ecosystems align around a common goal: ensuring every learner, regardless of background or ZIP code, can gain the experience they need to succeed in the workforce.

There’s no doubt that this work is hard. But it is possible — and necessary.

We need bold state leadership, innovative programs, aligned incentives, and a stop to asking learners to navigate a system that was never designed to center their success.

It’s time to think bigger and build together.

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