The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), Center for Policy and Practice invites you to submit an application to participate in the Workforce Futures Accelerator project, launched with support from Google.org, and in partnership with Riipen and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
The focus on short-term credential programs designed to quickly equip individuals with the skills needed for the workforce has accelerated. Yet, while these programs are growing, they still face significant challenges, particularly in integrating work-based learning (WBL) opportunities that not only validate skills but also increase employability. This three-year initiative seeks to address this gap by embedding project-based, virtual work-based learning experiences within short-term workforce programs. This initiative will equip instructors with the tools, support, and expertise to integrate experiential learning that meets both the needs of students and the demands of employers. By offering a flexible, scalable solution, this project aims to enhance career outcomes, particularly for underserved student populations, while ensuring that participating colleges can sustain these programs long after the initiative concludes.
Download the Project Overview and Application Questions
The application deadline is Tuesday April 1 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
EXPECTED PROJECT TIMELINE
Informational webinar for potential applicants: March 18th, 2026 at 1pm EST – REGISTER HERE!
Deadline for colleges to complete application of interest: April 1, 2026 at COB Pacific Time
Expected date for applicants to receive notification regarding cohort decisions: April 10, 2026
Cohort Onboarding: April 17, 2026 – Time TBD
Cohort launch/Training modules begin: May 2026
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This is a three-year work-based learning cohort project for 20 community colleges to embed experiential learning within their workforce programming. The goal will be for each college to train instructors and/or program administrators to build in a project-based component that will enhance the quality of work-based learning programs and outcomes for students in up to eight different programs at each college over the course of the project. ACCT will partner with Riipen, an experiential learning technology and services platform to facilitate scaling this project to quickly meet the needs of community colleges and their learners. Instructors will receive technical assistance from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to help with adoption of experiential learning principles into the curriculum. Participating institutions will facilitate an opportunity to showcase the projects as part of a larger instructor development event on campus where students and instructors can showcase their project work and course model to other instructors, staff, and potentially students to create campus-wide buy-in with both students and instructors to grow the programming.
PROJECT GOALS
- Strengthen post-completion career outcomes for participating community college students, particularly those from underserved minority populations.
- Train instructors at participating community colleges to integrate customized, work-integrated learning projects into their curricula that create positive impact for learner workforce outcomes through increased skill mastery and social capital, and greater understanding of how academic preparation aligns with career goals.
- Create an institutional network of subject matter experts that can train additional staff and scale the incorporation of project-based learning into other courses and programs.
- Formalize an operational process for the development of sustainable and effective work-based learning programs to generate best practices and resources for additional instructors and institutions to develop future experiential learning programs.
Create a library of resources to facilitate the ability of other institutions across the country to incorporate virtual experiential learning opportunities into their programs.
PROJECT DESIGN
Each participating institution will assemble a team composed of a senior academic or workforce administrator, a staff member based in career services who will serve as liaison, the institution’s teaching and learning center if applicable, an IT department representative, and two instructional champions from each of the two participating programs.
ACCT and its partners will deliver technical assistance through a series of facilitated instructional sessions and operational planning guides that will be leveraged to help facilitate internal planning sessions. The cohort will then participate in topic-specific peer learning community sessions, where they will have the opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions.
- Some of the topics that will be covered are:
- Identifying which course elements need to change
- What aspects of the course work will be adjusted to make space for the new work
- Assessing student work processes in addition to their products
- Determining individual grades on the basis of the team’s work
- Supporting student teams in equitable and effective teamwork
Additional resources will be created to develop individualized operational processes that will create an effective and sustainable experiential learning program.
In the first year, each instructional champion will commit to embedding a virtual, work-based learning project into at least one of their short-term programs beginning in the Fall 2026 semester and to offering these new programs each year during the project, making revisions each time the program is offered based on students’ performance and course feedback. To support participation, colleges will receive $3,000 for faculty stipends and $5,000 to support the showcase event if accepted into the cohort.
In each subsequent year of the program, institutions will add 2-4 new instructors who will receive the same professional development. Additional stipends for faculty and colleges will be available for continued participation.
At the end of the project, institutions will have a significant cohort of experienced instructors who can not only support each other but also serve as resources and local experts as the institutions continue to grow their use of this valuable experiential learning. Colleges will also come away with resources and processes to scale these additional programs within the institution.
PROCESS TO APPLY
The participating institutions will be chosen for the program by ACCT through an application process based on their ability to commit resources to be successful. Selection criteria for participating institutions will include:
- Institutional capacity to devote resources and staffing to the project, as well as a commitment to continue work-based learning programs beyond the funded project term.
- Identification of short-term workforce programs that have alignment to high demand occupations in the region.
- Existing relationships with employers for target programs
- Systems in place to track student progress and completion for workforce programs.
- Potential alignment with the new Workforce Pell requirements.
- Executive Leadership support.
Strong project leadership. Instructors/Program Administrators should be strong teachers or experienced coordinators, while the career services staff member should hold a senior role and have extensive experience in student career preparation.
APPLICATION STEPS
- Learn more about the project and goals: Please review the Workforce Training Accelerator homepage for more project details. Learn more about Riipen and the Center for Project Based Learning at WPI.
- Identify programs and employer partners: Identify your short-term workforce programs that have alignment to high demand occupations in the region along with at least one existing, strong relationship with an employer partner. There is a strong preference for non-credit and/or credit certificate workforce programs, but associate degree programs will be considered.
Identify your team: Selected colleges should convene a project team that includes, at least:
• A member of the academic/program office overseeing the instructional components for the program;
• A decision-level academic or workforce administrator;
• A senior representative of the career services office;
• A representative of the Teaching and Learning Center (if applicable)
• A representative of the IT Department
• Two instructional champions who will be implementing the project-based learning opportunities through this project.You do not have to provide the final list of each team member in this application, but please indicate that you have identified potential representatives and have begun discussions about this work.
- Submit your application: Review and submit the application of interest using the link below. The primary selection criteria for the cohort will be:
○ Institutional capacity for participation and strong project leadership
○ Existing relationships with employers for target programs
○ Systems in place to track student progress and completion for workforce programs
○ Executive Leadership support