From college to career: Connecting student participation in work-integrated learning with employment outcomes (Kepple, 2023)

Study Profile What's in a study profile?
Causal Study Rating:
Low Causal Evidence
Study Type:
Causal Impact Analysis
Outcome Findings:
Employment: Low-Unfavorable impacts
Citation
Kepple, C. R. (2023). From college to career: Connecting student participation in work-integrated learning with employment outcomes. [Doctoral Dissertation, The Florida State University].

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Absence of conflict of interest. 

Highlights

  • The study's objective was to examine the impact of work-integrated learning (WIL) on employment. 
  • The study used a nonexperimental design to determine whether participation in WIL predicted employment outcomes. The author conducted statistical models using survey and administrative data. 
  • The study found that WIL was significantly associated with lower odds of securing a job offer at graduation. 
  • This study receives a low evidence rating. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to work-integrated learning (WIL); other factors are likely to have contributed. 

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Intervention Examined

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)

Features of the Intervention

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is the practice of connecting activities of higher learning with the activities and expectations of industry. WIL is designed to assist students with securing employment post-graduation. Activities include practicum, apprenticeships, internships, fieldwork, cooperative education, clinical experiences, and student teaching. 

Features of the Study

The study used a nonexperimental design to determine whether participation in WIL predicted employment outcomes. The sample included students in two graduation years at a university in a southern state. The sample excluded transfer students, survey non-responders, and students who stated they were not seeking employment after graduation. The analysis sample consisted of 5,417 students. Over half of the study sample participated in WIL (58%) and were female (59%), while over one quarter were under-represented minorities (29%). Almost a quarter of the sample were first-generation college students (23%) and received Pell grants (20%). Additionally, the majority of students were employed during their schooling (75%). Data sources included a survey that collected information on WIL experiences and employment status at the time of graduation and university administrative data that provided information on GPA, study term length, and demographics. The author used statistical models to estimate the impact of WIL on employment.  

Findings

Employment

  • The study found that there was a significant negative relationship between participation in WIL and employment, where students in the WIL group were less likely to have a job offer at graduation. 

Considerations for Interpreting the Findings

The author used regression models to determine whether participation in WIL predicted employment outcomes. The regressions controlled for several variables including sex, race, and in-college employment history. However, the author did not control for age as required by the protocol. Differences in participants’ age—and not WIL—could explain the observed differences in outcomes. Therefore, the study is not eligible for a moderate causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for nonexperimental designs. 

Causal Evidence Rating

The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the author did not include sufficient controls in the analysis. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to work-integrated learning; other factors are likely to have contributed.

Reviewed by CLEAR: June 2024

Topic Area

Registered Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning

Research Guidelines

Review Protocol: Employment and Training Review Protocol

Review Guidelines: Causal Evidence Guidelines