Pathful in Practice #5: Jackie Gilbert – Local Mentors + Weekly Live WBL

Jackie Gilbert of Virtual Learning Academy, pairs a steady cadence of private Live Work-Based Learning (WBL) sessions with a local mentor pipeline so students meet professionals live and keep learning through virtual job shadows and micro-internships.

“We offer 2–3 private sessions for our school each week. We have found success in recruiting presenters local to our school and partnering with them through a mentorship program. Professionals present through Pathful about their careers, and then mentor student via virtual job shadows and micro-internships.”

Why it works: Local presenters boost relevance and access; a built-in mentorship path turns a single live session into sustained, skills-based practice. When local capacity is limited, Industry-Led Projects provide a turnkey, mentor-designed alternative with a similar “learn → do → reflect” structure.

How to try it:

• Start local: if you are still building your network we will find the professionals for you, but you can also recruit nearby professionals (alumni, employers, workforce partners) aligned to your pathways. 
  
  
• Set a cadence: aim for one private Live WBL session every week or two to start; rotate industries so every pathway gets airtime.
  
  
• Add continuity: after each session, assign a virtual job shadow and, where available, a micro-internship–style mini project with a short mentor check-in.
  
  
• Scale with Industry-Led Projects: choose an Industry-Led Project that matches your pathway to deliver a ready-made, real-world brief with clear deliverables.
  
  
• Show progress with Experience Tracker: log sessions, hours, competencies, artifacts, and reflections in Pathful’s Experience Tracker to build verified records and exportable reports for portfolios/CTE documentation.

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🤝 Want to help fellow educators? Share your go-to Pathful strategy for a chance to be featured in Pathful in Practice. Email impact@pathful.com.