Hi YouthForesight community! 👋
My name is Jiner, and together with my research partner Xingxuan, we are two young researchers who have lived the very experience we study. Like many of you, we navigated the jump from education into the labor market through internships and work placements and figuring it out as we went, sometimes thriving, sometimes just surviving. That personal experience is a big part of what drew us to this research.
Our community in China was at the heart of this work. Through interviews with young people there, three concerns kept coming up, almost without fail:
"Will AI or technology replace me before I even get started?"
"The playing field isn't equal, especially for young women at the point of being hired."
"My internship didn't actually lead to a real job. Why?"
These weren't abstract policy concerns. They were real anxieties from real young people trying to find their footing. So our research asked: what does the current work-based learning (WBL) system actually look like, and more importantly, is it genuinely moving young people into stable, quality employment? What we found is that most systems are designed to maximize placements, not outcomes. Getting young people into a program is treated as the finish line, when really it should be the starting line.
To address this, we developed the Work-Based Learning Quality Maturity Model, a three-level framework that shifts the central question from "was the young person placed?" to "did they actually grow?" It moves from basic access (Level 1: Survival), to intentional skill-building (Level 2: Skills), to long-term career resilience (Level 3: Resilience). We believe this is the kind of diagnostic that governments, employers, and training providers can practically use to upgrade programs, not just count numbers.
One thing you can do right now: Think about a work placement or internship you've had (or heard about). Where would it sit on that scale: Survival, Skills, or Resilience? We'd love to hear in the comments.
We'd also love to open this up to you:
From your own experience or context, what do you think is the biggest barrier stopping work-based learning from turning into actual, lasting employment for young people?
Gender came up repeatedly in our research as a conversion-stage problem, with women being filtered out at the hiring decision rather than the training stage. Does that match what you've seen in your community or country?
If you could change one thing about how internships or apprenticeships are designed, what would it be?
On a personal note, this research means a great deal to both of us. As young people ourselves, we know how fast this landscape is shifting. Being able to amplify the voices and concerns of young people through this platform, and as part of the Generation Unlimited initiative, is something we don't take lightly. We're genuinely grateful for the opportunity, and we are very much still learning too.
Looking forward to the conversation, and to the webinar! 🙌