Understand the Work+ Philosophy
Learn how redesigning student employment drives equity and career success.
Why It Matters
Student employment is more than a paycheck—it’s one of the most powerful, scalable, and equitable learning experiences your campus can offer. The Work+ philosophy challenges institutions to see every student job as a potential classroom, every supervisor as a mentor, and every work experience as a high-impact practice that can shape lifelong career outcomes.
For decades, higher education has treated student employment as operational support rather than educational opportunity. Yet research shows that how students work matters as much as whether they work. On-campus roles—when designed intentionally—help students connect coursework to real-world contexts, develop transferable skills, and build the confidence and networks that propel them into meaningful careers.
Work+ repositions student employment as a strategic driver of equity and career readiness, not a side program. It invites institutions to redesign systems and structures around the lived experiences of “working learners,” many of whom are low-income, first-generation, or students of color who rely on their jobs to stay enrolled.
Core Beliefs of the Work+ Philosophy
Work Is Learning.
Every student job is a learning experience with potential for skill-building, reflection, and mentorship.
Supervisors Are Educators.
Student supervisors are central to the learning process—they need tools, training, and recognition to mentor effectively.
Equity Is Foundational.
Working learners disproportionately come from historically marginalized groups. Redesigning student employment is an act of equity and inclusion.
Institutions Shape the System.
Barriers students face are rarely personal—they’re structural. Policy, funding, classification, and communication systems must evolve to support meaningful work.
Change Requires Co-Creation.
Solutions emerge from partnership—between students, supervisors, administrators, and peers across departments. Work+ is collaborative by design.
How to Begin
Step 1: Ground Your Team in the Why
Start by reviewing national data on working learners and career outcomes. The “Working Learner Dilemma” highlights how the traditional promise of higher education—study hard, graduate, get a good job—no longer holds evenly true. Facilitate a team discussion around these guiding questions:
- What does student employment currently mean on our campus?
- Who benefits most—and who benefits least—from the current system?
- How could employment better serve as a learning experience for all students?