Study shows that ‘Experiential Learning’ positively impacts early career success
College students who take part in internships and other experiential learning opportunities enjoy greater success in the early part of their career, according to a new study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
“We’ve found that Gen Z professionals who took part in experiential learning while in college have higher salaries on average, are more likely to say their career has progressed faster than they expected, and are more satisfied overall with their careers than those who didn’t,” says Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and chief executive officer.
Note: “Experiential” knowledge comes from learning or doing (not to be confused with “Experimental.”)
Overall, the average salary reported for Gen Z experiential learners in this study is $59,059, compared to $44,048 for those who didn’t participate in internships or similar experiences.
The advantage holds up, even when salary data are compared across industries with large enough sample sizes to report, says VanDerziel. “We found that experiential learners came out on top salary-wise in four out of the five industries we looked at.”
Experiential learners also outpaced their counterparts when it came to better-than-expected career progress (9.5% versus 6.7%) and general career satisfaction (81.3% versus 72.6%).
Both groups said they were sold on the value of higher education, but experiential learners more so: Nearly 80% of experiential learners said they would pursue college again, compared to 72% of those who didn’t engage in such experiences.
“Those who took part in internships and similar experiences were also happier with their college or university—more than three-quarters said they would choose the same school, compared to 68% of the nonexperiential learners,” explains VanDerziel.
The latest study adds to NACE’s research into the effects of experiential learning on college graduates. According to VanDerziel, previous studies focused on the effects on the graduate’s immediate career prospects.
“We have consistently found that new college graduates who take part in paid internships get more job offers and higher starting salaries than their peers,” he notes. “With this new research, we can see that experiential learning benefits graduates not only when entering the workforce but also in the early part of their career.”
For more details and additional results, see “Impacts of Experiential Learning on the Gen Z Early Career Experience.”
About the Early Career Talent Survey: NACE conducted a survey of early career professionals who graduated with an undergraduate degree from 2014 through 2023. Data was collected from August 21, 2024, through December 1, 2024. The data in this study reflects responses from 1,298 Gen Z professionals who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Among those respondents, 1,060 had taken part in an internship, co-op, clinical experience, or other experiential learning opportunity; 237 had not.
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(Source: NACE)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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