The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) has selected Concordia College as one of 25 institutions to be in the inaugural cohort of the Work-Based Learning Consortium, enhancing the college’s commitment for graduates to be job ready.
The goal of the consortium is to make it easier for students to gain internship experience and prepare for the job market, particularly for students from under-represented groups. To do this, Concordia College, in partnership with Riipen, will use an experiential learning platform that provides access to thousands of reputable organizations with company projects that students can work on. This will equip students with skills, real-world experiences, and professional connections that support their future careers.
Concordia College associate provost Dr. Stephanie Ahlfeldt says that this model provides internship-type learning and experience within the classroom. She adds it will offer an advantage with collaboration between company contacts, professors, and students.
CIC and Riipen will work with Ahlfeldt; Kris Olson, director of Concordia’s Career Center; and the following five faculty members to integrate experiential learning into course materials beginning Spring 2024:
- Erin Hemme Froslie, instructor of English and multimedia journalism
- Dr. Shelly Gompf, assistant professor of healthcare and director of the healthcare leadership program
- Dr. Mona Ibrahim, professor of psychology
- Dr. Ahmed Kamel, professor of computer science and management information systems
- Dr. Gay Rawson, professor of French and chair of the world languages and cultures department
This multi-year program has an estimated value of over $65,000 for each institution. This CIC initiative is made possible thanks to funding from Ascendium Education Group and Strada Education Foundation.
“We are honored to have been selected for this prestigious consortium with CIC,” Ahlfeldt said. “In addition to the opportunities for our students, we are proud to be on the front end of work-based learning in this way.”