WORK-BASEDLEARNING

A BRIEF GUIDE FOR LOUISIANA EMPLOYERS

JUNE 2018

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INTRODUCTION

This guide provides an overview of work-based

learning (WBL), one of the proven strategies for

helping students and out-of-school youth to acquire

the skills and knowledge they need to be successful

in the workplace. The guide is designed specifically

for Louisiana employers -- to encourage and assist

their adoption and expansion of work-based expe-

riences as an effective workforce building strategy.

The guide defines the various types of work-based

learning practices, provides a general framework

of how many schools, businesses, and community

partners are building comprehensive work-based

learning programs, and discusses various ways in

which WBL practices are taking place in Louisiana.

Lastly, the brief suggests steps that employers can

take to initiate or expand work-based learning in

their communities.

LOUISIANA’S MIDDLE SKILLS CHALLENGEMiddle-skill jobs, which require education beyond

high school but not a four-year degree, currently

account for 57 percent of Louisiana’s labor market,

but only 46 percent of the state’s workers are

trained to the middle-skill level. Between 2014 and

2024, 54 percent of job openings in Louisiana will be

middle-skill.1 According to the Georgetown Uni-

versity Center on Education and the Workforce, by

2020, 55.6 percent of all job openings in Louisiana

will require some form of postsecondary education.2

The “skills gap” makes it increasingly difficult for

businesses to find qualified workers and remain

economically competitive. This is especially true for

high-demand occupational groups such as informa-

tion technology and health services. Skilled craft

occupations continue to experience acute labor

shortages, partly as a result of the lack of emphasis

on middle skills career education in past years

and partly due to the ongoing boom in industrial

construction, particularly along the 1-10/I-12

corridor.

According to the Education Commission of the

States, “business leaders in Louisiana cannot

find the science, technology, engineering and

mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay

competitive.” In Louisiana, between 2017 and

2027, STEM jobs are projected to grow by 10% as

compared to the 5% growth of non-STEM jobs.3

WORK-BASED LEARNING (WBL)

One of the more effective strategies for helping

in-school students and out-of-school Opportunity

Youth to better prepare for careers and post-sec-

ondary opportunities is work-based learning.

WBL programs are designed to provide real-life

experiences and opportunities for youth and young

adults to achieve employment-related competencies

in the workplace. WBL could include paid or unpaid

internships, mentorships, on-the-job training pro-

grams, apprenticeships, micro-industry engagement,

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and virtual externships. Work-based learning could

also be career awareness activities such as career

fairs, company tours, job shadowing, and company

classroom visits.

• Employer-Based Internships, paid or unpaid, take

place while the youth or young adult is working

directly with an employer and receiving classroom

instruction, mentor guidance, or training in order

to gain skills that would lead to certification or

permanent employment.

• Apprenticeships provide paid, relevant workplace

experiences and opportunities to develop skills

that employers value. By engaging students in

extensive training and actual work experience,

apprenticeships provide affordable paths to good

jobs and, ultimately, careers. According to the

Urban Institute, more than 80 percent of U.S. com-

panies that utilize registered apprenticeship say

it is an effective strategy for helping them meet

their demand for skilled labor, and 94 percent of

employers would recommend registered appren-

ticeship as a strategy to other employers.4

In Louisiana, any apprenticeship sponsor who pays

the wages of an apprentice that is registered with

the Louisiana Workforce Commission Apprentice-

ship Division may receive a tax credit equal to $1/

hour worked per calendar year, with a maximum

allowable amount for each apprentice of $1,000

/year. Guidelines for the tax credit program are

available at: http://www.laworks.net/Downloads/App/RegisteredApprenticeshipTaxCreditGuide.pdf.

• Micro-Industry Engagement involves a series

of structured exercises that enable students to

master increasingly sophisticated workplace skills

while learning about the true universe of career

opportunities available to them. These exercises

enable students to virtually engage with work-

place experts in every industry sector that they

want to explore.

• Virtual Externships offer educators (both career

and technical education (CTE) and academ-

ic-subjects) a unique professional development

opportunity connecting the classroom to the

workplace. Externships enable teachers and coun-

selors to spend time in one or more work sites.

These site-based experiences enable educators

to learn through direct experience about trends,

skill requirements and opportunities in industries,

enriching their teaching and bringing greater

relevance to student learning. Externships range

from a day of job shadowing to longer externships

that are usually project-based and can last as

long as a full summer. Teacher externships offer a

professional development experience that is often

transformative for educators and their students. 

• Virtual Mentoring refers to any mentoring activity

that does not take place face-to-face. With today’s

technology there is a suite of communication tools

open to this style of mentoring, including Skype,

telephone, email and messaging.

BENEFITS OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

Work-based learning programs provide benefits to

businesses and to students or young adult workers:

Benefits to Employers

• Provide an opportunity to nurture student inter-

est in jobs and careers with their company.

• Help future workers understand what is needed to

grow and be successful in their company.

• Reduced training costs and turnover.

• Improved employee retention and morale.

Benefits to Students

Work-based learning provides two primary benefits

for students: (1) connects classroom learning to

the skills (including “soft skills”) needed for success

in the workplace, and (2) increases awareness of

career options, particularly for jobs that are in high

demand.

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According to Jobs for the Future, work-based

learning offers the following additional benefits to

students:5

• Help students put into practice their classroom

learning, while crystallizing their education and

career goals and improving their immediate and

longer-term employment prospects.

• Foster academic success for individuals—includ-

ing low-skilled workers and opportunity youth,

who may have low levels of formal education,

limited English proficiency, negative experiences

with school, or long gaps in direct educational

experiences.

• Can potentially provide a critical source of income

that is linked to a student’s program of study and

supports progress toward career goals.

WORK-BASED LEARNING FRAMEWORK

Many schools, businesses, and community partners

across the country are taking a comprehensive

approach to building work-based learning programs.

The non-profit group, Change the Equation,

suggests the framework below as components for

an effective, comprehensive work-based learning

program.6 The extent to which these components

will exist or be adopted as policies can and will vary

depending upon the location. They are merely pre-

sented here as a model of what components might

be included in a comprehensive WBL program.

Alignment of Classroom and Workplace Learning

• Help meet industry demands for a more skilled

workforce by providing opportunities for students

to receive training, learn skills, and gain experience

in all aspects of an industry.

• Map academic content to authentic workplace

tasks and integrate workplace tasks and classroom

instruction.

• Allow students to reflect on their learning process

and experience.

• Require training for instructors on how to

integrate WBL experiences into curriculum and

instruction.

Application of Academic, Technical, and Employability Skills

• Rigorous academic and employability skill

requirements.

• In-depth and hands on work experiences (either

on site or through simulated/virtual methods),

with activities ranging from career awareness and

exploration to career preparation and training.

Support from a Classroom or from Workplace Mentors

• Promote student engagement through men-

torship from supervisors, instructors, and WBL

coordinators.

• Allow students to develop relationships with

industry and community professionals.

• Monitor and evaluate progress.

• Provide training for mentors on providing stu-

dents with industry-specific support, career and

education guidance, personal and professional

growth, and a caring connection.

JUMP START

Louisiana’s Jump Start initiative, designed to help

high school students earn an industry-based certi-

fication in high-demand industry sectors, offers a

number of opportunities for employers to engage in

work-based learning activities.7

Program Components

• Developed by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber

of Commerce, the Micro-Enterprise Credential incorporates mentor engagement (i.e. micro-in-

dustry engagement) as a required component.

• Louisiana has launched the concept of Jump Start Summers, where students:  (a) earn indus-

try-based credentials, (b) earn academic credits,

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(c) participate in WBL, and (d) earn a summer

wage.  

• Virtual Workplace Experience (VWE) II Course

has embedded in its curriculum a series of exer-

cises (mentor engagement, team problem-solving,

workplace communication skills) in each of

Louisiana’s high-demand industry sectors.  This

WBL opportunity enables employers to support

student career development, which is especially

relevant for students who don’t have access to

workplace-based leaning. It also saves valuable

employer time by enabling business personnel to

spend time mentoring students without any travel

time, and with minimal disruption to an employee’s

work day.

• The Louisiana Council for Economic Education

(LCEE) is enlisting employers to serve as virtual mentors, with a special focus on recruiting individ-

uals dedicated to serving students with disabilities.  

• Preventive Associates, a consulting firm, is leading

the effort to train teachers and industry stake-

holders in using Nepris, a web-based system used

to coordinate structured micro-industry engage-

ment interactions between students, teachers, and

industry experts.

• Working with workforce development boards

(WDBs) across the state, Education Subcommit-tees of the boards have been created to establish

Jump Start implementation goals for districts and

charter schools.  

• The Louisiana Department of Education and LCEE

are working with Bossier Parish to create a local

initiative to increase the number of hands-on WBL opportunities for students with disabili-ties, including more counseling and support.  

USE OF INTERMEDIARIES

Many successful work-based learning programs

are operated by an intermediary, an entity that

functions as the employer of record – hiring the

youth and assuming all responsibility for insurance

and workers’ compensation. The intermediary also

brings all key stakeholders together to plan the

startup and operation of the WBL program. Several

intermediary models are producing strong results:

YouthForce NOLA is an education, business, and civic

collaborative that prepares New Orleans public

school students for successful pursuit of high-wage,

high-demand career pathways. The YouthForce

NOLA Internship program (YFI) provides a paid

internship experience and exposure to the soft

skills needed for success in high school, college, and

the world of work. YFI is open to rising seniors at

YouthForce NOLA partner schools, all of which are

open enrollment Orleans Parish public high schools.

YFI focuses on career pathways in three high-wage,

high-demand regional industry clusters:

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• Bio & health sciences (including bio-innovation

and medical professions)

• Digital media/IT (including programming and

development, networking, and visual design)

• Skilled crafts (including architecture, construction,

water management, and engineering)

Students participate in 60 hours of paid training,

followed by their 90 hour placement with an em-

ployer in targeted industries.

Manufacturing Careers Internship Program (MCIP)

is operated by Business and Career Services, Inc.

in Northeast Illinois. At MCIP, youth participate in

a four-week boot camp session, where they learn

soft skills and job preparation training and receive

OSHA-10 and forklift credentials. After boot camp,

participants enter and eight-week paid internship

program with an employer.8 A video of the MCIP

program can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue6NBCeNZxw.

OPPORTUNITY YOUTH

In Louisiana, an estimated 19.8 percent of 16-24

year olds are Opportunity Youth, young adults who

are neither connected to school nor work. This com-

pares to 13.8 percent in the nation. A recent study

by the Cowen Institute noted that Opportunity

Youth cost Louisiana taxpayers $1.7 billion each

year in the form of increased government spending

on crime, healthcare, and welfare.9 In the case of

New Orleans, which had an estimated 6,820 Op-

portunity Youth in 2014, a majority of these youth

had at least a high school credential, which would

suggest that disconnection for many of them could

be occurring after graduation. Cowen suggests that

ensuring students leave high school with career

plans and links to additional education and training

should be a priority.10

Opportunity Youth are a potential source of skilled

workers. Work-based learning experiences in the

form of paid internships, on-the-job training, and

apprenticeships help to reconnect Opportunity

Youth with school and work.

Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Op-

portunity Act (WIOA) requires that workforce

development boards spend at least 20 percent

of youth funds to support “work experiences” for

out-of-school youth 16-24 years old.11

STEPS TO EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

Work-based learning programs rely on partnerships

between businesses, community-based organiza-

tions, local workforce development boards, and

secondary / postsecondary schools.12 Whether the

WBL program is provided by an intermediary, vir-

tually, or directly by an employer, the success of the

program requires employer engagement. Employers

wanting to start or participate in a work-based

learning program can take the following steps:

• Contact the Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Supervisor at your local school district to explore

engagement with Work-Based Learning part-

nerships with schools in your area. For In-Person

Mentoring and/or to help facilitate specific Work

Based Learning partnerships with schools, contact

Laura Smith at LCEE: Laura@Lcee.org, (225)

241-1524.

• Become part of the Regional Communities of

Practice through the Career and Technical Edu-

cation (CTE) Leadership Academy https://www.lacteleaders.com.

• Engage directly with Transition students and/or

contribute resource videos, known as 5 Minute

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Films, for use in Transition classrooms. 5 Minute

Films are available at www.Nepris.com, made

possible through LCEE. Interested parties should

contact Laura Smith at Laura@Lcee.org, (225)

241-1524.

• Sign up as an Industry Professional at Louisiana Nepris Mentors (https://www.nepris.com/go/la)

and begin engaging with high school students to

share information about preferential skills for

job-seekers, employment opportunities/outlook

and specific industry sector needs.

• Serve on a local Workforce Development Board

(WDB) in your area. Contact your local chief

elected official or the WDB Development Coor-

dinator, Deidra Jackson, Opus Capitol Strategies,

deidra@ocs-us.com, (832) 545-5506, to express

your interest in serving.

• For out-of-school Opportunity Youth, contact the

Workforce Development Board or boards in your

area to explore opportunities for internships or

apprenticeships. A list of local board contacts can

be obtained at: https://www.laworks.net/Downloads/PR/Local_Workforce_Contacts.pdf.

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL RESOURCES

All Things Jump Start, the official portal of the

Louisiana Department of Education for the Jump

Start Program. https://www.louisianabelieves.com/courses/all-things-jump-start.

A detailed, step-by-step guidebook for starting,

joining, or operating a Jump Start Regional Team is

available at: https://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/jumpstart/jump-start-regional-team-guidebook.pdf?sfvrsn=7.

A list of Registered Apprenticeship Programs

and contact information for each program can be

obtained at: http://www.laworks.net/apprenticeship/

app_info.asp. To obtain information about the steps

involved in developing a registered apprenticeship

program in Louisiana, submit a formal request to

Apprenticeships@lwc.la.gov.

YouthForce Nola, an education, business, and civic

collaborative that prepares New Orleans public

school students for successful pursuit of high-wage,

high-demand career pathways. https://youthforceno-la.org/

GNO, Inc. Headed2, and online career assessment

and planning tool for New Orleans-area students.

https://gno.headed2.com/index

Nepris, an online tool that matches employee skills

to classroom and curriculum needs to create mean-

ingful virtual interactions with the next generation

of workers, anywhere, anytime.

https://www.nepris.com/

Local Workforce Development Board Contacts:

https://www.laworks.net/Downloads/PR/Local_Work-force_Contacts.pdf

National Skills Coalition, Work-Based Learning Policy Toolkit https://m.nationalskillscoalition.org/resources/publica-tions/file/NSC-WBL_PolicyToolkit.pdf

National Skill Coalition, Promising Practices in Work-Based Learning https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/resources/publi-cations/file/10-4-NSC-YouthWorkBasedLearning _v4.pdf

Jobs for the Future, Making Work-Based Learning Work https://www.jff.org/resources/making-work-based- learning-work/

1 National Skills Coalition, Louisiana’s Forgotten Middle.2 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. “Recovery: Job Growth and Educational Requirements through 2010.”3 Education Commission of the States, http://vitalsigns.ecs.org/.4 Robert Lerman, Lauren Eyster and Kate Chambers, The Benefits and Challenges of Registered Apprenticeship: the Sponsors’ Perspective (2009) http://www.

urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/411907-The-Benefits-and-Challenges-of-Registered-Apprenticeship-The-Sponsors-Perspective.PDF.5 Jobs for the Future, http://www.jff.org/sites/default/files/publications/materials/WBL%20Principles%20Paper%20062416.pdf.6 Change the Equation, “Work-Based Learning, An Employer’s Guide,” https://cte.ed.gov/wbltoolkit/engaging.html.7 Louisiana Department of Education. 8 National Skills Coalition, “Promising Practices in Work-Based Learning for Youth.”9 The Cowen Institute, http://www.speno2014.com/oydataguide/.10 Ibid.11 National Skills Coalition, Work-Based Learning Policy, 50 State Scan.12 National Skills Coalition, “Promising Practices in Work-Based Learning for Youth.”

Funding for Work-Based Learning: A Brief Guide for Louisiana Employers was provided by:

EDUCATION’S NEXT HORIZON

412 N. Fourth Street, Suite 104A | Baton Rouge, LA 70802

225.383.3844 | www.ednexthorizon.org

John Warner Smith, CEO | jsmith@lanexthorizon.org

Education’s Next Horizon is a convener, advocate and honest broker – a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to framing the debate on top education issues and connecting Louisiana’s education, government and business leadership as a

force supporting school improvement. Since its inception in 2007, the organization has been a leading policy advocate for high-quality early childhood education,

increasing high school graduation rates, and better preparing students for careers and post-secondary education.