In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Jim Holm, an education technology expert with nearly 30 years of experience who now works at Stukent. They discuss:
- How simternships provide students with practical, hands-on experience that bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world job skills

- The impressive results of simternships in reducing drop-out rates and increasing student engagement

- The future of performance-based assessment in the age of AI
Jim Holm explains how Stukent's simternships offer technology-based internships that complement traditional coursework. These simulated experiences help students understand what their first job experiences will be like, focussing on practical skills rather than just theoretical knowledge. Simternships teach students the tools they'll need, how to communicate effectively in a workplace, and how to identify and work toward professional objectives.
Using the example of an accounting simternship, Jim describes how students might spend 24-40 hours working through realistic scenarios where they make journal entries, track products, and coordinate communication between different teams—all in a low-stress environment that makes learning engaging. Unlike many business simulations that focus on high-level executive decision-making, simternships prepare students for entry-level positions they're likely to encounter after graduation.

Currently, Stukent offers around 40 different simternships primarily focussed on business topics, from digital marketing to social media and accounting. While the technology could potentially expand to other fields like chemical engineering or nursing, the company currently concentrates on business-related courses.

Looking to the future, Jim believes that as AI continues to advance, proving what you can do rather than just what you know will become increasingly important in education and assessment. He envisions simternships evolving beyond learning tools to become sophisticated measurement instruments that evaluate how well individuals can synthesise information, communicate effectively, and make business decisions.

Stukent currently serves over 1,000 universities worldwide, with about 80% based in the US and the remainder in English-speaking countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia. While they're primarily focussed on higher education, they're expanding into high school-level career and technical education programmes.
Connect with Jim Holm on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimholm/
Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/

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