New report: "The Temp Trap" by Beyond the Bars on temp agencies and justice-impacted workers

“If it doesn’t support enrollment, retention, or outcomes, don't come knocking." That’s the reality Dr. Josh Domitrovich and his team faced at Pennsylvania Western University as they worked to launch their new Experiential Learning Center (ELC) this year. Knowing those three metrics drive revenue and are top-of-mind for senior leaders, here's how the PennWest team positioned their ELC initiative and got buy-in 👇 🔷 Enrollment: The ELC gives PennWest a clear, centralized way to showcase real student experiences, like internships, on-campus jobs, fieldwork, research, service learning, and more. This directly addresses the growing focus on ROI and career readiness from prospective students and families during the admissions process. 🔷 Retention: By tracking and assessing participation across defined experiential learning pathways, the ELC helps PennWest connect engagement to persistence—identifying how hands-on learning supports students staying, progressing, and feeling confident in their direction. 🔷 Outcomes: With centralized data, competency assessment, and storytelling, the ELC helps PennWest clearly demonstrate how experiential learning contributes to career outcomes, including long-term success and earning potential—an area that’s only becoming more important as external accountability measures evolve. The takeaway? Career services can’t just do the work. We also have to measure it, connect it, and communicate it in ways that align with institutional priorities. 🎧 Watch the clip below, and catch the full conversation with the PennWest team wherever you listen to podcasts. #CareerEverywhere #CareerServices #HigherEd #StudentSuccess #ExperientialLearning

Graduated, now what? 5 Tips to go from new grad to rising star 👇 Full story in the comments 👇 You’ve doffed your cap, celebrated your achievements, so what next? Graduation is a huge milestone, but figuring out your next steps can feel daunting. Whether you’re searching for your first graduate role, seeking networking opportunities, or working out what success looks like to you, you’re not alone. We spoke to some of our fantastic alumni for their top tips on how to go from fresh graduate to rising star. 👉 Find your own path 👉 Think you’ve chosen your career path? Discover the reality of the industry before you commit 👉 Don’t forget about Cardiff! 👉 Stay resilient 👉 Persistence is key #CardiffUniversity #PrifysgolCaerdydd

🌟 Careers Information & Advice – Spreading the word about a funded qualification! 🌟 I had the pleasure of catching up with my colleague Andrew Jones warmly known as Andy by colleagues in Gower College Swansea, and his passion for developing Careers Advisors, Coaches and fellow practitioners was so refreshing! We talked about the impact these professionals have on our diverse communities—helping people navigate their career journeys with confidence. It struck me that every practitioner should see this *funded qualification as an opportunity to invest in, and enrich their own professional growth. After all, it’s a privileged position to guide someone’s future! So here’s my advice: meet with Andy and learn more about this fully funded opportunity in Wales. If this triggers an interest I've also included some helpful intel below... ✅ Level 4 Careers Information & Advice qualification Designed for practitioners providing impartial guidance to people, their networks, and communities. Knowledge and skills you’ll gain: • Advanced skills in employability support • How to interact with clients and assess their career needs • Techniques for sourcing and using Labour Market Information (LMI) • Understanding career choice theories and concepts • Skills to plan and deliver career-related learning in groups • Ability to reflect on practice and continuous professional development • Managing a personal caseload and providing ongoing client support • Using digital technology in career development • Negotiating on behalf of clients and enabling them to evidence employment-related skills 💡 Why choose this route? This is your chance to make a real difference—supporting individuals to achieve their career goals while advancing your own professional practice. 📩 Interested? Then let’s connect so I can put you in touch with Andy and explore this qualification. 📧 Email: training@gcs.ac.uk or send me a DM #CareersAdvice #CPD #Apprenticeships #LearningAndDevelopment #SkillsForLife #Wales Crispin Seabrook Susan James Paul Rogers Stuart Davies Medi - Bethan Williams fCMgr, BA (Hons) 1st,, MInstLM

We’re turning responsibility into action with our new social value initiative, Plan Thrive. Our bold new vision to uplift a million lives and support 1,000 places to succeed.  Listen to Keeley Hutching, Employability Worker for Care Leavers from Essex County Council, who shares how our partnership is making a real difference for those facing some of life’s toughest challenges. Through paid traineeships, we’re helping people to build confidence, gain experience, and most importantly, see a future full of possibilities. So we can tackle inequality, support local economies, and build trust with the communities we serve. Because everyone deserves the chance to thrive. Discover more > https://hubs.ly/Q03zJn5d0 #PlanThrive I #ESG I #HighPerformingPlaces

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐛 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 WRTP | BIG STEP President & CEO Lindsay Blumer and Wisconsin Policy Forum’s Jason Stein explore a critical question facing Wisconsin employers: 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝, 𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠? Their discussion sheds light on the pressures employers face, the post-pandemic workforce realities shaping hiring decisions, and why “grow-your-own” talent strategies are becoming essential; particularly for rural schools, healthcare providers, and manufacturers that struggle to recruit from outside their communities. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 🔹 How workforce shortages can lead to harmful cycles of burnout and turnover 🔹 Why apprenticeship can stabilize both staffing and service delivery 🔹 The role apprenticeship plays in protecting existing workers and expanding opportunity 🔹 Why some employers may find apprenticeship not optional, but necessary 📖🎙️🎥 https://lnkd.in/gSVtfWUV More insights from this series are coming soon. Stay tuned as we continue to explore the future of Wisconsin’s workforce and the strategies that will shape it. #MilwaukeeWorkforceHub #Apprenticeships #WisconsinWorkforce #WRTPBIGSTEP #WisconsinPolicyForum #FutureOfWork #TalentPipeline #WorkforceDevelopment

Why do we rarely talk about mature graduates? There’s a lot of conversation about how tough it is for graduates to land roles, but very little about those who chose to study later in life. The ones who worked full time, studied at night, sacrificed family time, and pushed through years of pressure to earn their degree… only to find themselves overlooked for entry-level roles. We’re told to “get experience,” but how do we do that without opportunity? We’re told to do pro bono work, but without guidance or supervision, where do we start? And how do we learn without the risk of making mistakes that follow us? We’re not waiting for opportunities to magically appear. We’re applying. Repeatedly. To firms big and small. We just need someone to take a chance. So I’m genuinely asking: Are apprenticeships and graduate pathways open to mature graduates? And what more can the industry do to support them?

We're partnering with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, Gaffney, SC, to help drive future workforce development for its member businesses while also providing opportunities for area high school students. Cherokee County School District joined the Golden Path Solutions community earlier this year. The district is using Compass to support career exploration and work-based learning opportunities, like internships, for students at its three high schools: Blacksburg High School, Gaffney High School, and the Institute of Innovation. Golden Path and the Chamber are working together to engage employers within Compass to highlight their companies, careers, and work-based learning experiences. Read more about our work with the Cherokee County Chamber, school district, and employers in South Carolina! https://lnkd.in/gE3djvbn

Interesting insights into #CareerReadiness and #EducationInnovation: Where is the market going, how is the workforce evolving, and how do students feel in the mix? This ties closely to the discussion in the upcoming #2026Convening of Greater Newark STEM Ecosystem Join the conversation: https://lnkd.in/g4g2aAiB Have a program that advances STEM Education / STEM Career Readiness? Present at the convening Exhibition Session: https://lnkd.in/ge7_yrtj #highered #studentsuccess #experientiallearning #workbasedlearning #workintegratedlearning #STEMInnovation #CareersInSTEM Rutgers University–Newark New Jersey Institute of Technology

This is another great piece on the importance of integrating career readiness, experiential learning and high impact practices into students’ learning while in college. The data shows that students value paid internships, exposure to employers, and building job relevent skills. Proud to work at the Starr Career Developmemt Center at Baruch College, CUNY where we work with a vast ecosystem of campus partners, employers, alumni, volunteers, and donors to help students become career ready.

A powerful graphic. Students want (and need) work-based learning experiences, industry mentors, career-connected relevance, and community-based experiential learning. 1) Change your metrics. Your dashboard should include the # and % of students graduating with a (micro)internship or employer-guided project. 2) Change your mindsets. All your teachers/faculty, staff, and administrators need to be upskilled re: career-connected learning. You could send 3 people to a conference, or invest your entire org chart for the same budget (without travel) with Catapult's professional development series. CatapultMasterclass.com