The 2025 Annual Impact Report is here. Explore the latest news and insights shaping experiential learning, along with platform updates.

Riipen's 2025 Annual Impact Report is here.

2025 made one thing clear: the pressure on education to prove its value is no longer avoidable. Learners are choosing based on outcomes, employers are demanding clearer signals of capability, and AI is reshaping entry-level work faster than institutions can adapt.

It was not just a year of growth, but a year of building a better model.

The future of education is work.

The traditional model is no longer enough to meet today’s expectations. Institutions are being asked to connect learning more directly to real-world outcomes.

Riipen enables that shift through scalable, work-based learning experiences that connect students with real employers and real project work.

From momentum to

measurable impact.

In 2025, Riipen delivered thousands of real-world learning experiences, expanding access for institutions and supporting employers with meaningful project work.

A snapshot of the data, insights, and progress shaping a more connected approach to education and employment.

Shaping futures: Work-based learning news & insights.

Exploring the latest stories, trends, and ideas

shaping the future of experiential learning.

Preparing students for today’s workforce requires more than job readiness alone. In a recent episode of the Job Ready Podcast, Riipen’s Director, Strategic Partnerships, Dr. Mara Woody, explores why a shift toward world readiness better equips learners for an increasingly complex and interconnected world. The conversation highlights how experiential learning, real-world problem solving, and cross-sector collaboration help students build the confidence, adaptability, and capabilities needed to navigate what comes next.

Listen to the episode

Internships remain one of the most valuable pathways to career readiness, yet access continues to fall short for millions of students. In a recent op-ed published in University Business, Riipen Co-Founder and CEO Dana Stephenson and higher education advisor and author Elliot Felix explore how project-based learning can help ease the internship bottleneck by making it easier for employers to get started. The piece highlights how real-world projects embedded into coursework can expand access to experience and strengthen pathways from education to work.

Read the article

Higher education is being reshaped by AI, shifting workforce expectations, and growing pressure to better connect learning with career outcomes. In this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, Dr. Nicole Crevar brings together Dana Stephenson, Jason Blackstock, and Jeffrey Moss for a founders roundtable exploring how experiential learning is moving from the margins to the center of higher education. The conversation examines workforce readiness, the changing value of credentials, and how institutions can scale hands-on learning to better support students and employers.

Listen to the episode

Advancing recruitment, retention, and career readiness.

Expectations across recruitment, retention, and employment are rising. The RISE 40 report highlights scalable models for learning.

Journeys in motion.

Stories from across the ecosystem, shaped by real-world

experience and applied learning.

Riipen connects students with real employers to build in-demand skills through hands-on projects. Start with Riipen Labs, gain confidence, and continue your journey with more advanced experiences. Discover how Riipen supports learners every step of the way and hear directly from students about their experience.

Read the article

Build a career-connected

campus at scale.

A seamless progression of experiential learning across the student journey, enabling career-connected learning at scale.

Enhancing your experience:
Platform updates.

Discover some of our latest improvements and enhancements designed to help you get the most out of Riipen.

Clearer experience pages with AI-powered summaries.

Experience pages now feature improved headers and AI-generated summaries, giving students, educators, and employers a quick, at-a-glance understanding of each opportunity to support faster, more informed decisions.

Stay on track with team activity digest emails.

Educators can now receive automated summaries of team progress, including milestones, deadlines, and feedback status, making it easier to monitor activity and support learners at scale. An employer version is coming soon.

More accurate payments for team-based projects.

Updated payment and invoicing workflows now reflect total team activity, with per-learner invoices and improved automation, ensuring a more reliable and scalable process for managing project payments.

318K+

work-based learning experiences

53K+

vetted network of employers

760+

 postsecondary institutions

20.9M+

hours of applied learning