November 25, 2025
Virtual platform will help Pell-eligible and first-generation students gain real-world work experience without leaving campus
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) today announced it has received grants of $435,000 from Trellis Foundation and $300,000 from Greater Texas Foundation to launch the Texas Work-Based Learning Consortium, a three-year initiative designed to expand equitable access to career-building experiences for students at independent colleges and universities across Texas.
The Consortium will train 30 faculty members at ten Texas institutions to integrate work-based learning opportunities into their courses, transforming up to 60 courses and reaching up to 1,200 students by December 2028. The initiative places special emphasis on serving Pell-eligible and first-generation students, who often face barriers to traditional work-based learning opportunities due to family obligations, transportation challenges, lack of social capital, or existing job commitments.
“This partnership represents a significant investment in the future of Texas students,” said CIC President Marjorie Hass. “By embedding work-based learning directly into the curriculum, we’re ensuring that all students—regardless of their background or circumstances—can gain the real-world experience and professional connections that lead to successful careers after graduation.”
The Consortium will partner with Riipen, an online experiential learning platform and marketplace, to offer students real-world, employer-designed projects that are embedded into the curriculum. This approach allows students to gain valuable workplace skills and build professional networks without leaving campus, making these high-impact experiences accessible to students who might otherwise be unable to participate in traditional work-based learning experiences.
Support from the Trellis and Greater Texas Foundations will allow CIC to offer two rounds of revised courses through the Riipen platform in 2026–27 and 2027–28, a convening for all ten institutional teams on creating work-based learning opportunities that serve all students, a community of practice to share successes and lessons learned, and subgrants to embed work-based learning into institutional frameworks. Participants will be selected through a competitive application process, and the pilot cohort will launch in Spring 2026.
“In our pursuit of a talent-strong Texas, it’s crucial that students have opportunities to connect learning with competencies that will serve them well in employment after graduation,” said Kristin Boyer, president and CEO of Trellis Foundation. “The Texas Work-Based Learning Consortium is part of a proven approach that ensures more students can develop the skills that Texas employers value.”
“We are excited to partner in the launch of the Texas Work-Based Learning Consortium through our partnership with CIC. Bringing work-based learning like this to Texas and its independent colleges is a promising strategy to keep learners engaged through a degree as well as position them to be more competitive career seekers,” said Sue McMillin, president and CEO of Greater Texas Foundation.
The Texas Work-Based Learning Consortium builds on CIC’s successful nationwide model and represents the first statewide implementation of virtual work-based learning experiences at this scale, with potential to provide valuable lessons for other states seeking to expand equitable access to career preparation.
About CIC
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges, and other higher education affiliates, that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. Founded in 1956, CIC is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.
About Trellis Foundation
Trellis Foundation advances equitable educational opportunities in Texas by supporting postsecondary programs, practices and systems that reduce disparities and lead to success for low-income students and students of color. More information is available at www.trellisfoundation.org.
About Greater Texas Foundation
Greater Texas Foundation is a private foundation based in Bryan, Texas that supports efforts to ensure all Texas students are prepared for, have access to, persist in, and complete a postsecondary education. Since its 2001 inception, the foundation has approved more than $150 million in grants to support Texas students. For more information, visit www.greatertexasfoundation.org.