Riipen launches Career Connected Campus, a new solution designed to help colleges and universities scale work-based learning

VANCOUVER, BC, June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Riipen—developer of the popular work-based learning platform that enables students to work on authentic projects from employers—today announced the launch of Career Connected Campus, the first enterprise-wide solution that gives colleges the centralized infrastructure to integrate work-based learning into every major, course and student population a college or university serves.

“Students are demanding clearer pathways to careers, and employers are calling for academic programs more tightly aligned with the world of work. Policymakers are increasingly focused on measurable workforce outcomes and ROI. Meanwhile, the supply of traditional internships continues to shrink as the labor market tightens,” said Dana Stephenson, co-founder and CEO of Riipen. “Meeting those expectations means embedding career-connected learning into every course and every part of the student experience — opening new pathways to economic mobility for every student.”

Against the backdrop of one of the most dynamic and unpredictable labor markets in U.S. history, the early career landscape for recent graduates continues to shift, with employers automating tasks once assigned to interns and entry-level hires. Recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that as of March 2026, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates has climbed to 5.6%, well above pre-pandemic levels. However, 42.5% of recent graduates are underemployed, and internship postings now draw more than 100 applicants on average, a sharp increase year over year.

Student demand for early career experience has never been higher, and colleges and universities are increasingly rethinking how career-connected learning is embedded throughout the student experience. For decades, career-connected learning at most colleges and universities has rested on a limited number of internships and a senior capstone, typically available only to students who actively seek them out. While these experiences benefit the students who access them, they reach only a fraction of students—and sometimes arrive too late in the college experience to shape decisions about majors, networks, and post-graduation pathways.

Career Connected Campus addresses this gap. The solution provides institutions with the infrastructure to deliver a stacked progression of employer-connected experiences across every major and every year of study—from early exposure for first- and second-year students to independent, pre-professional work by the time they graduate.

Unlike traditional curricula built around case studies or training simulations, Riipen embeds real employer projects directly into existing courses and academic programs, transforming them into work-based learning experiences where students apply classroom learning and build professional networks along the way. Students tackle real-world projects where they can build durable skills consistently sought after by employers — from communication and critical thinking, to teamwork, creativity and professionalism.

“The university leaders I talk with aren’t looking for another course or bolt-on program — they need an institution-wide system that can deliver career-aligned experiential learning to every student in every year and every major,” said Dr. Kemi Jona, vice provost for online education and digital innovation at the University of Virginia. “The Career Connected Campus supports the full spectrum of student experiences — credit and non-credit, academic year and break, curricular and co-curricular. Critically, it expands access to experiential learning to students who have long faced barriers to traditional internships, whether financial, geographic, or tied to work, family, or other responsibilities.”

By offering the full spectrum of experiential learning opportunities powered by a single underlying platform, institutions can expand access to professional project-based experiences across majors, strengthen employer engagement, and generate data and insights to support recruitment, curriculum development, fundraising and strategic planning.

“Adult learners require a higher education model that recognizes the complexity of balancing work, family, and learning. They want work experience and career relevance built into the core of their education and job skills experience,” said Ajita Talwalker Menon, President and CEO of Calbright College. “Embedding employer-connected learning across the entire institution ensures that students are not just earning credentials but also accruing demonstrable skills that translate directly into opportunity and economic mobility.”

Riipen’s platform connects more than 760 educational partners, including Arizona State University, National University, Western Governors University, York University and Seneca Polytechnic, with a network of more than 53,000 employers globally — including small- and medium-sized businesses across a range of industries and nonprofits. To date, the company has connected students to more than 318,000 work experiences and facilitated more than 20.9 million hours of hands-on, applied learning.

Institutions can begin implementing the Career Connected Campus model within existing governance and academic planning cycles, which enables phased adoption aligned with campus priorities and long-term strategy.

To learn more, visit www.riipen.com.

About Riipen: Riipen is the world’s leading work-integrated learning platform, focused on closing the skills gap and eliminating underemployment. Riipen partners with higher education and workforce development partners to embed authentic employer projects directly into academic programs. Through scalable infrastructure and a global employer network, Riipen enables institutions to deliver career-connected learning across programs, years, and learner populations. To date, Riipen has supported more than 318,000 learner experiences with over 53,000 employers and 760 academic partners across nine countries.

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