New research, practical resources, and insights to help institutions strengthen career-connected learning.

Leading institutions are building the infrastructure for career readiness. Is yours ready?

Higher education has made a broad commitment to career-connected learning. But strong programs alone aren’t always scalable systems.

Drawing on independent research with senior academic leaders across 12 U.S. institutions, Closing the Capacity Gap examines what it takes to move from high-impact programs that serve some students to sustainable infrastructure that can serve students at scale.

Explore the four structural barriers standing in the way and five practical steps institutions can take toward broader, earlier, and more equitable access.

The issue isn’t commitment.

It’s capacity.

Making career-connected learning accessible at scale requires more than adding another initiative. It means examining the structures behind how these experiences are delivered.

Join us later today for a research-informed conversation with Emily Barrett, Riipen’s Director of Partnerships, about what’s getting in the way of scale and what institutions can do next.

Turn research into action.

Hear what senior academic leaders are saying, explore the structural barriers they’re encountering, and consider five questions your institution can use to examine its own approach to career-connected learning.

Building capacity isn’t a conversation for one department.

It’s an institutional one.

Shaping futures: Work-based learning news & insights.

Curating the latest research and insights shaping career-connected learning and higher education.

From learning to earning.

What does it take to make the connection between higher education and career opportunities more visible to students? ETS explores the need for a stronger learning-to-earning infrastructure, including broader, earlier access to work-based learning and better ways for students to demonstrate the skills they develop.

Explore the perspective.

Employer perspectives on WIL in Canada.

What motivates employers to participate in work-integrated learning, and what gets in the way? Research from CEWIL Canada and Academica Group examines the benefits, barriers, and supports shaping employer participation in WIL across Canada.

Explore the research.

The state of post-secondary education in Canada, 2026.

Higher Education Strategy Associates’ annual report brings together the latest data on Canada’s post-secondary system, from enrolment and institutional finances to funding and graduate outcomes, offering a broader look at the forces shaping the sector.

Explore the report.

How ready is your institution to scale career-connected learning?

Take a closer look at the structures supporting career-connected learning at your institution and identify opportunities to strengthen your approach.

Get a clearer picture of your institution’s current capacity and a practical starting point for the conversations that can move your approach forward.

Career-ready resources to share with your students.

Help students recognize the skills they’re developing and understand how they translate to the workplace.

Collaboration.

Before the group projects begin, help students understand what effective collaboration actually looks like and how to build habits that carry into the workplace.

Share with your students.

Communication.

Help students move beyond “good communicator” and recognize the specific communication habits they can practice now and eventually demonstrate to employers.

Share with your students.

Critical thinking.

Give students a practical framework for making stronger decisions, asking better questions, and showing how they think, not just what they know.

Share with your students.

Enhancing your experience:
Platform updates.

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

Make grading data easier to work with.

Export gradebook data to CSV, including learner, team, match, and scoring information. Bring assessment data into the academic workflows and systems you already use, making experiential learning results easier to organize, manage, and use beyond Riipen.

Spend less time rebuilding recurring experiences.

When duplicating an experience, educators can now copy existing update posts as editable drafts. Reuse communications that already work, adjust the timing and details for each course or cohort, and spend less time rebuilding recurring experiences from scratch.

Keep match request reviews organized.

Educators can now shortlist pending match requests for easier review and coordination. Filter shortlisted requests for better visibility while employers continue to see them as pending, keeping your internal review organized without changing their experience.

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work-based learning experiences

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vetted network of employers

760+

postsecondary institutions

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hours of applied learning