Action Learning
For host organizations
Benefits of becoming a host
Action Learning hosts are integral members of a two-way educational journey; students gain real-world experiences while hosts gain sophisticated insights, custom-tailored to their unique business challenges. By guiding students through a well-scoped project, hosts receive access to motivated, hard-working future leaders eager to make their mark on your company, and the world.
Interested in becoming a host? click here
Learn from the best
hosts have worked on projects with our students since 1999.
Over a thousand organizations, ranging from startups and to nonprofits to Fortune 500 businesses and industry leaders, have served as hosts for MIT Sloan Action Learning projects. Recognizing the unique value proposition this program provides in both MIT’s pool of exceptional students and the guidance of MIT’s world-renowned faculty, our host companies receive holistic and actionable recommendations from their student teams.
See why hosts return year after year
Explore critical business concerns
MIT Sloan Action Learning labs prepare students to take on a wide range of challenges, including strategy, marketing, growth, operations, social responsibility, and more. Hosts can choose among labs grounded in specific geographies (such as Israel or China), functional areas (including finance or analytics), or interdisciplinary subjects (such as health or sustainability).
Explore our labs and find the right fit
Gain perspective
Professional, grounded, and inventive, MIT Sloan Action Learning students objectively assess the challenges hosts present and provide specific, actionable solutions. Hosts report gaining value both from specific projects and from the connections they make, to MIT’s cutting-edge business community.
Take action
Interested hosts should have a commitment to mentoring students. Companies are expected to scope a project with both business impact and learning potential—supported by top executives—and to designate a project leader to guide the student team. Past hosts have effusively confirmed that the benefits are well worth the investment.
For more information, please contact actionlearning@mit.edu - we would love to talk to you.
Guidelines for host organizations
Action Learning projects are not consulting projects, and they are not internships. At their core, these opportunities provide students with an experiential learning opportunity; a chance to put into practice what they’ve learned in their professional lives and through their MIT Sloan coursework. The hosts gain valuable insights and often, an actionable recommendation.
Hosts are expected to:
- Provide project sponsorship at the executive level; involvement from senior leadership is required
- Develop a project tailored to the area of study, scope and time constraints of the class
- Ensure the participation of sponsors and stakeholders in project milestone events, such as team presentations
- Select a project lead who is invested in the success of the project; this person should:
- Engage with student teams on a regular basis
- Facilitate introductions to key internal and external stakeholders
- Provide relevant data, documents, and information
- Deliver timely feedback to student teams
To get started:
- Identify what business challenge you would like MIT students to address
- Review the portfolio of Action Learning labs and identify the ones that seem most relevant
- Contact actionlearning@mit.edu to learn more
We look forward to working with you!
Frequently asked questions
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Host companies pay for team members' airfare and lodging. Students are required to pay for all other expenses they incur, including food, transportation, evening and weekend tourism, visas, vaccinations, and immunizations, and communication expenses, such as phone calls and FedEx before, during, and after the trip.
NOTE: In a small number of cases, the Action Learning program may agree to subsidize some travel costs. If this is the case for your team, we will discuss it with you directly.
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This depends on the lab. Those who work with Greater Boston area host companies expect students to work for several hours a week remotely and/or in-person throughout the semester. Labs that involve domestic and international travel require students to work several hours a week remotely with the host company throughout the semester, then full time (40 hours a week) on site either in January or March. Please see individual lab pages for more information.
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Company recruiting takes place through multiple channels, including faculty networks, the Endeavor Global entrepreneur network, and connections with MIT Sloan and MIT alumni. The strong relationships built with former host companies and repeat clients - as well as positive word-of-mouth- are also important resources.
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Recruiting for fall labs begins in June. Spring lab recruiting begins in October.