A sector-focused report argues that the internship model is increasingly failing to bridge the “work experience Catch-22” for college students, even as internships remain a key hiring signal. The analysis notes that more than eight million American students seek internships each year, but only 3.6 million secure them. The coverage connects this gap to broader labor-market outcomes, citing underemployment patterns among bachelor’s degree graduates and emphasizing that students often need work experience to access jobs that require it. It also flags that internship scarcity disproportionately affects students without time, connections, or structured employer support. The proposed solution reframes career readiness as an embedded capability within the curriculum and student experience, rather than an employer-attachment event. The piece argues institutions should build sustained experiential learning pathways to close access divides, including for first-generation students. For administrators, career-service leaders, and faculty, the reporting centers on a practical redesign problem: scaling structured work-integrated learning without relying on informal networks.