The class of 2026 faces challenging job prospects. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, this is the toughest hiring climate since the pandemic began. Increasingly, graduates accept unpaid internships as entry-level opportunities dwindle. Companies are reducing early-career hires, with AI contributing to the elimination of traditional entry-level roles.
The conversion of internships to full-time roles is at its lowest in five years. While encouraging more internships seems sensible, internships alone do not solve the broader job market problem. Many internships remain unpaid, are located in costly cities, and accessible only to those with social connections. Consequently, the students who most need these opportunities are often least able to afford them.
Educational institutions should integrate practical work into the college experience. Over a century ago, medicine recognized this need. In 1889, William Osler established a structured training program at Johns Hopkins Hospital for doctors-in-training, which proved successful due to comprehensive support, including licensing standards and immersive training. The model spread, albeit slowly, beyond medicine.
“Internships should not be exclusive to those with means,” remarks Dana Stephenson, CEO of work-based learning platform Riipen.
Post-1947, unpaid internships surged after a legal ruling exempted companies from paying trainees. The 1970s saw heightened competition for jobs amid increased college enrollments and credential inflation. Lacking licensing boards like medicine, most industries faced significant disparities in internship quality and access. Today, over 40% of internships remain unpaid, and less than half of college students complete a meaningful internship before graduating. This creates an imbalanced job market favoring those with financial or social capital.
Fostering more internship listings won’t bridge this gap. The disparities begin long before job recruitment, affecting students unable to afford unpaid work or relocation. The stakes have grown, with employers prioritizing internship experience in hiring decisions. A degree no longer guarantees a job as it once did.
To address this, colleges must incorporate work experience into academics. By embedding real-world projects into coursework, students gain professional exposure while studying. Work-integrated learning should be a core component of education, not an optional activity. Employers can partner with colleges to infuse industry projects into the classroom. This approach, championed by Osler in medicine, should extend across disciplines.
Work must become an integral aspect of higher education, accessible to all students, irrespective of financial or social standing. Higher education should ensure work experience is a standard, integral part of the curriculum, reducing reliance on luck.