Written By: Ginger Ontiveros, President/Chief Executive Officer
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Why Work-Based Learning Matters More Than Ever in 2025

Today’s students are growing up in a world unlike any before it. Many of Gen Z spent their childhoods online, interacting through screens rather than in person—and Gen Alpha is following suit. Between pandemic lockdowns, digital classrooms, video game chats, and smartphone-first communication, their socialization with each other and connection to the adult world of work has been filtered and, in many cases, delayed.

This isn’t anyone’s fault—but it is the reality workplaces are inheriting.

The world is simply different and that impacts how parents have raised their children. Many of today’s young people grew up in homes where their schedules were curated, their time highly supervised, and their discomforts quickly solved. As parents, we’ve entertained and accommodated our children in ways previous generations never did—sometimes without even realizing it. While this kind of care is rooted in love, it can unintentionally delay the development of resilience, adaptability, work ethic, and independent problem-solving.

It’s no surprise, then, that employers – who also parented this generation – are concerned. According to a recent survey by Intelligent, 75% of employers say Gen Z hires are underperforming, citing lack of initiative, difficulty communicating, and an aversion to feedback as key challenges.

While today’s youth are highly connected digitally and more supported than ever, they’re often disconnected from the lived experiences of work. Many have never stepped foot inside a professional workplace, let alone interacted with working adults outside their own families. As a result, their understanding of what a job looks like—or feels like—is limited.

Worse still, some young professionals invest years earning a college degree for a career they’ve never experienced—only to find out it’s not what they expected. As one recent graduate put it, “I got my degree in marketing, but once I started working in a big agency, I realized I hated the constant deadlines and client pressure. No one talks about that part in school, and even if they had, I may not have understood how it would affect me. Some things just have to be experienced.”

Schools are doing more than ever to prepare students academically and emotionally, building career pathways and offering skills-based instruction that wasn’t even imagined a generation ago. But classroom learning—no matter how strong—can’t fully replace the power of real-world experience.

Work-based learning—like internships, apprenticeships, job shadows, and industry tours—fills that gap. It gives students the exposure they need to connect classroom learning to real careers, build confidence, and imagine a future that feels tangible.

That’s where Tomorrow’s Talent comes in. We help schools and forward-thinking employers bring work-based learning to life by connecting them with each other, coordinating workplace experiences, and embedding on-the-ground support to ensure things run smoothly for teachers, students, and businesses alike. We understand that readiness isn’t just about what students know—it’s about what they’ve done, who they’ve met, and what they believe is possible.

If we want to prepare the next generation for success, we have to meet them where they are—and take them where they’ve never been.