Work-Based Learning

Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an educational strategy that provides students with real-life work experiences where they can apply academic and technical skills and develop their employability.

CSM is committed to expanding education and employment opportunities for students because we know that connecting students to early work experiences can have a positive impact on students’ interest in continuing their education, employment, and future earning potential.

Through collaboration and the implementation of WBL, employers can help shape their future workforce by employing today’s students. Work-Based Learning helps students develop the skills they need to enter and succeed in today’s fast-paced world.

Benefits

Benefits for Students

  • Earn an income and gain work experience
  • Opportunity to practice skills in real-world scenarios
  • Work experience in specific occupations
  • Experience that reinforces academic instruction
  • Develop work skills to increase employability
  • Network with potential employers

Info for Students

Benefits for Employers

  • Grow your own talent with a quick and reliable source of skilled labor
  • Evaluate potential employees in work settings prior to hiring
  • Diversify the workforce and reduce recruiting costs
  • Ensure seasoned experts pass on knowledge
  • Influence curriculum development to meet industry requirements

Info for employers

Student Testimonials

danielle barber
I enjoyed my work-based learning internship with the Nonprofit Institute! My colleagues were friendly and always willing to help. My work assignments were simple introductions to those found in the workplace, and I could finish them at any time since I worked online. The internship was my first instance of job experience involving communications, which is my chosen career field. It let me acquire related skills such as writing social media posts and editing content. I also learned how to take initiative by asking for details about weekly assignments and finishing them on time. Additionally, I participated in teamwork by attending weekly meetings and assisting my colleagues with their assignments. Overall, I'm really glad that I pursued a work-based internship and recommend other students to take advantage of the opportunity!
Danielle Barber '22
Arts and Sciences and
General Studies: Communication
thanya gonzalez
Being able to participate in WBL has been wonderful. I have been able to develop my skills and have my first job as an international student without affecting my studies. My supervisor was always willing to answer my questions and put my school commitments first. It has certainly been a favorable experience.
Thanya Gonzalez
Current Student,
Electrical Engineering
Courtney Pelkey
My experience at the WBL has helped me so much with learning into the IT field. I have learned what it takes to be an IT support technician, building computers, software, identifying different hardware, customer service. I have also made tons of friends from faculty to students. WBL has helped me improve my resume as putting my foot in the door with getting to know my field as a computer science major. I am hoping to be able to get the position again at WBL in the fall.
Courtney Pelkey
Current Student,
Computer Science
Breanna
I've been working for CSM for about a year, and working here as a student employee has been amazing! I am a pre-professional health major with a nursing concentration and also hold an active CNA and CCMA license. I feel that working for the college, especially in the department I’ve been working with, has helped me develop a good bedside manner and overall helped me build skills working with people. I work in STE (student engagement), so I come into contact with a lot of students, both over the phone and in person, and for a lot of people am the first point of contact. When I started working here, I was pretty introverted, and this experience has definitely helped me come out of my shell a little bit. I feel as if my social skills are better after working for CSM, and that it will be an asset on my resume when looking for jobs in the future. This was my first job, and it’s been a great experience that will be something I remember for the rest of my life.
Breanna Kekesi
Current Student,
Pre-Professional Health

 Employer Testimonials

I am a huge supporter of the program.  The program allowed us to have outreach to local students and potential job candidates that we may not have reached otherwise.  With being in Southern Maryland, recruiting is very important and hard to do.  The program connected us with students looking for experience in the accounting field and transitions from a flexible internship with minimum hours to full-time offers.  We work with 4-year universities for internships and recruiting all the time, but for the Southern Maryland area, this is a hard sell.  I believe the key to making this work is to be flexible with the student and to stress the importance that the education is still to be the priority. 

 

Denise Lumpkins
CPA
Lombardo Ayers & Company, LLC

T12 Technologies, “T12”, is an Information Technology (IT) company providing IT Managed services to diverse small- and medium-size companies by hosting their IT infrastructure on cloud-based platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Our unique service offerings call for a unique mix of employees. This is where the College of Southern Maryland’s Work-Based Learning program (WBL) became a staple in helping our business grow.

As the Founder & CEO for T12, I felt it was important to not only have the right staff imbedded into my company but also bridge the gap between students’ working knowledge and real-world working experiences. Due to the variety of opportunities I have within my company, I was able to utilize two students, so far, from the College of Southern Maryland Work-Based Learning Program (CSM WBLP) to help kick-off important contracts and assist with external security assessments.

I was able to quickly sign a contract requiring technology to generate business leads for a contracting company. LeNisha Chance joined our team from the CSM WBL, and she has performed outstandingly. We provided her with her first job, provided training, and all the success was due to her tenacity, skills, and drive to accomplish the tasks. She is currently generating over 100 outbound calls a day with a 20% rate of business lead returns. Very impressive!

Sekethia Bowser was another outstanding student we received from CSM WBL. During the months of January 2023 – May 2023, T12 was going through a security audit and required the creation of several security documentations to meet audit requirements. Sekethia used her knowledge of cybersecurity protocols and processes to develop a security incident response plan and contributed to our disaster preparedness training exercise plan which helped T12 close out deficiencies found in pre-audit security reviews.

The two students reflect the talent the Work-Based Learning program (WBL) brought to my organization.

Tamika Chance
Founder and CEO
T12 Technologies

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