Internships & Apprenticeships
Solving Today’s Workforce Challenges
Expanding work-based learning, apprenticeship degrees, and short-term credentials can better align college with opportunity BY LUKE RHINE
FOR MANY OF TODAY’S YOUNG PEOPLE, breaking into the workforce is getting harder, not easier. Recent high school and college graduates are feeling that reality firsthand. Young workers face higher unemployment rates than older workers, and nearly half of recent college graduates are underemployed — working in roles that do not match their level of skill. At the same time, many entry-level jobs that once served as stepping stones are evolving, as employers raise experience requirements and technologies like artificial intelligence reshape early-career work. The result is a growing disconnect: younger workers are often more educated than previous generations but lack the work experience needed to launch their careers with confidence. Higher education remains one of the most powerful drivers of economic 34
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mobility in our country. But the question is no longer whether it matters — it does. The question is whether it is designed for a labor market that is harder to enter and changing in real time. At its best, higher education builds knowledge, critical thinking, and opportunity. But for too many students, the connection between education and employment is still unclear, too slow, or too disconnected from real-world demand. At a time when the first rung of the career ladder is becoming less accessible, this gap has real consequences. Closing this gap requires a fundamental shift: students must be able to build both education and experience at the same time — not one after the other. One of the most immediate ways to do this is by scaling postsecondary work-based learning, including cooperative education and apprenticeships. Colleges should not treat work experience as an add-on — it should be a May/June 2026
| DELAWARE BUSINESS
4/28/26 2:34 PM