Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning (WBL) gives students the chance to learn job skills through real-world experiences with Kansas businesses or industries. This can include internships, job shadowing, school-based enterprises, or working with local employers. Students connect what they learn in class to real careers, build confidence, and explore their interests while preparing for life after high school.
Personalized Learning Plan
Before completing the Kansas Work-Based Learning: Personalized Learning Plan (WB: PLP), students, families and educators should decide which WBL experience best fits the student’s goals. WBL in Kansas is organized as a series of experiences that move from career awareness to career exploration and hands-on job preparation.
Teacher Resources
Individual Plan of Study Electronic Portfolio
The Individual Plan of Study Electronic Portfolio guide explains how students can use digital portfolios to show what they’ve learned over time. It describes how students collect their work, explore their interests, plan for future careers, and reflect on their progress. The document also gives tips for teachers on how to score portfolios, use assessments, and improve the process so students better understand their strengths, goals, and growth.
Elementary Career Awareness
The Kansas Elementary Career Awareness Resource is a guide that helps young students learn about different kinds of jobs and careers. It explains how elementary students begin exploring career ideas through simple activities in the classroom, supported by their families and teachers. The resource introduces seven major career fields in Kansas and shows how early career awareness fits into long‑term planning, including Individual Plans of Study (IPS). It also provides examples of activities, tools, and information to help students understand their interests, learn basic career skills, and start thinking about their future in a fun and age‑appropriate way.
Kansas Work-Based Learning Personalized Learning
The Kansas Work-Based Learning: Personalized Learning Plan is a guide that helps students connect what they learn in school with real workplace experiences. It explains how students, teachers, and worksite mentors work together to create a plan that matches each student’s career interests. The document includes steps for setting up a work experience, agreements for students and employers, and tools for students to reflect on their skills, safety training, and growth on the job. Overall, it helps students learn important employability and technical skills while gaining real‑world experience that can prepare them for future careers.
- Kansas Work-Based Learning Personalized Learning Plan - updated Feb. 2021 (PDF)
Middle School Career Exploration
The Kansas Middle School Career Exploration Resource helps students learn about different types of jobs and start planning for their futures. It shows them how to explore career clusters, understand their interests, and begin building their Individual Plan of Study (IPS) through simple activities and family involvement.
Postsecondary Readiness Digital Reference
The Postsecondary Readiness Digital Reference Guide helps students plan what they want to do after high school, whether that means going to college, joining the workforce, entering the military, or earning a technical certification. It shows students how to build their Individual Plan of Study (IPS) by choosing classes, exploring careers, and tracking their goals. The guide also encourages students to learn about their strengths and interests so they can create a clear road map for their future.
