Experiential learning programs are ubiquitous in post-secondary education. Formalized in the mid-20th century, experiential learning is defined by the Association for Experiential Education as a teaching philosophy that engages learners in direct experience and focused reflection.

My research has looked at the changing ways that universities and others have spoken about the purposes of experiential learning in Canada. I have noted that, over the past decade or so, there has been a movement from community service-learning, and community-based research, to a newer and overarching term of “work-integrated learning.” This suggests the purposes of experiential learning have been reconfigured. The shift in the language from “community” to “work” has not been accidental.

Through this research, and as a director of a community service-learning program in a faculty of arts in a research-intensive university, I am concerned that across higher education, experiential learning is often being reduced to align with short-term labour market outcomes.

In doing so, policymakers and higher education institutions risk reducing the quality of our students’ education.

Job training has been shifted onto education

Canada boasts a highly accessible system where nearly two-thirds of adults hold a post-secondary credential.

The expansion of experiential learning responds to this reality. Researchers still point to a “graduate premium” in lifetime earnings for people who completed post-secondary education, particularly a university education. Yet some have noted that this premium is diminishing. Post-secondary education has become a basic criterion for future work rather than a lucrative advantage.

Governments and families tend to view experiential learning as a way to align qualifications with employers’ needs through internships and co-ops. Simultaneously, corporate Canada has shifted the responsibility and costs of on-the-job training onto post-secondary institutions and........

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