Elms College Receives Work-Based Learning Grant from Council of Independent Colleges

The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) has selected the College of Our Lady of the Elms to participate in the inaugural cohort of the CIC’s Work-Based Learning (WBL) Consortium. 

Elms College is one of 25 member colleges from across the country to participate in the first-ever WBL Consortium. For its participation, Elms has been awarded a three-year grant of approximately $65,000 from CIC, which will be effective starting spring 2024.

The WBL Consortium will provide a national community of practice to support WBL Consortium institutions in easing student barriers to internship access and job market preparation, particularly for students from under-represented groups. This experiential learning platform, in partnership with Riipen, will integrate real-world, employer-designed projects into existing courses to equip students with skills, real-world experiences, and professional connections to support their future careers. 

“Elms is honored to be a part of CIC’s WBL Consortium which will provide our students an enhanced learning experience since the internships will be integrated within their course curricula,” said Jennifer Granger L. Sullivan, Ed.D., director of Experiential Learning at Elms. 

CIC and Riipen will work with a team of seven faculty and staff members at Elms to update curricula and integrate experiential learning into course materials starting with the spring 2024 semester.  

This CIC initiative is made possible thanks to funding from Ascendium Education Group and Strada Education Foundation.