National Work-Integrated Learning Accelerator (NWILA)

Overview

The National Work-Integrated Learning Accelerator (NWILA) is a national initiative designed to expand and scale work-integrated learning opportunities that connect academic experiences with career pathways. As one of eight institutions selected for the inaugural cohort, UCF is piloting and implementing new models that integrate workforce-aligned experiences into the student journey.

This work focuses on creating structured, scalable approaches to work-integrated learning that improve student career readiness while strengthening connections between higher education and the workforce.

The Challenge

Many students graduate without meaningful work experience connected to their academic programs, limiting their ability to transition successfully into the workforce. At the same time, institutions often struggle to scale high-quality experiential learning opportunities due to coordination challenges, limited employer partnerships, and resource constraints.

As a result, institutions face difficulty:

• embedding work-integrated learning into academic pathways
• ensuring equitable access to career-relevant experiences
• aligning academic programs with workforce needs
• scaling experiential learning models across large student populations

Without intentional design and coordination, work-integrated learning opportunities remain limited in reach and impact.

What We Do

• Design and pilot scalable models of work-integrated learning aligned with academic programs
• Partner with national organizations and peer institutions to develop and refine approaches
• Integrate career-aligned experiences into the student journey
• Coordinate across academic and support units to support implementation
• Evaluate program effectiveness and student outcomes
• Identify pathways to scale successful models across the institution

How This Work Is Different

NWILA focuses on building work-integrated learning models that are designed for scale from the outset. Rather than relying on isolated programs or limited pilot experiences, this work emphasizes structured approaches that can be embedded into institutional systems and academic pathways.

The initiative also brings together national partners and peer institutions to share learning, test approaches, and accelerate progress. This collaborative model strengthens both the design and implementation of work-integrated learning.

By grounding the work in real institutional contexts and constraints, NWILA ensures that models are practical, sustainable, and adaptable across different environments.

Impact

• Expands access to work-integrated learning opportunities
• Strengthens alignment between academic programs and workforce needs
• Improves student career readiness and post-graduation outcomes
• Builds scalable models for experiential learning
• Advances national collaboration on workforce-aligned education

Partners

Arizona State University – University College

NWILA Inaugural Cohort Institutions

Forage

Mathematica

UCF Dixon Career Development Center

UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science