What is the name of your organization?
Work-Based Learning Alliance Inc
What is the name of your solution?
Work-Based Learning Alliance
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Expanding equitable access to high-quality STEAM internships that prepare every high school student for the future of work.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Delaware, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
In the United States, nearly 16 million high school students are navigating their futures yet fewer than 2% (about 320,000) participate in internships, even though almost 80% (over 12 million) say they want them. This staggering gap leaves millions of young people without access to hands-on, career-connected learning that builds employability skills and opens pathways into high-demand industries.
The problem is especially acute in fields like automotive, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, where rapid advances such as electric vehicles and automation are reshaping workforce needs. Without early exposure, students in under-resourced and underrepresented communities risk being excluded from these opportunities, perpetuating cycles of inequity and leaving industries with widening skills gaps.
The Work-Based Learning Alliance (WBLA) solves this challenge by delivering a scalable, virtual, project-based internship model that removes barriers like geography, transportation and limited employer capacity. Students complete authentic industry projects in teams, receive structured mentor feedback, and build both technical and professional skills. By partnering with schools, employers and states, WBLA makes high-quality STEAM internships accessible to all students, creating equitable pathways to economic mobility while strengthening the talent pipelines that power America’s future workforce.
What is your solution?
WBLA delivers a unique scalable, virtual, project-based internships that expand equitable access to career-connected learning for high school students across the United States. Our model eliminates barriers such as geography, transportation, and limited employer capacity by giving schools and districts a turnkey way to provide consistent, measurable, high-quality experiences.
At the core is a structured, research-backed design that integrates authentic industry projects with scaffolded milestones. Students work in teams on projects scoped by employer partners and receive weekly feedback from mentors, advisors, and peers. Each internship builds durable employability skills alongside technical skills tied to high-demand industries such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and automotive.
Technology underpins the model: WBLA uses a digital experiential learning platform to manage collaboration, host industry interactions, and provide real-time reporting. This ensures quality assurance and transparency, with dashboards that track student engagement, skill growth, and deliverables across thousands of participants.
By embedding employability skills training, industry exposure, and project-based learning, WBLA uniquely equips students with both the confidence and competencies to thrive beyond high school, while giving schools, districts and states a proven mechanism to scale equitable work-based learning.
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Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
WBLA serves high school students across the United States particularly those from under-resourced, underrepresented, and historically marginalized communities who have limited access to high-quality STEAM career exploration and work-based learning opportunities. Fewer than 2% of U.S. high school students participate in internships before graduation, despite nearly 80% expressing interest. With roughly 16 million students nationwide, fewer than 500,000 gain career-connected experience each year, leaving millions unprepared to make informed choices about their futures.
Our students reflect the diversity of the communities we serve: 24% identify as Hispanic/Latino, 24% as Asian, 19% as Black, and 11% as two or more races. WBLA’s program model is intentionally inclusive - accommodations often provided through IEPs and 504 plans, such as flexible timing and individualized support, are built in to ensure accessibility for students with disabilities.
By addressing barriers such as limited employer capacity, transportation challenges, and the lack of scalable programming, WBLA connects students with industry mentors through structured, project-based internships that build both employability and technical skills. Through partnerships with schools, employers and states, WBLA delivers equitable, scalable, and sustainable STEAM experiences that prepare students for high-demand careers while helping industry cultivate a diverse, future-ready workforce.
