Balancing college options and work-based learning

What if the most important shift in education isn’t more degrees — but earlier, real-world experience? In this conversation, Jason sits down with Alexandra Levit, renowned futurist and author, and Stephanie Loeck, VP of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners, to discuss their groundbreaking new book, Make School Work. From redefining what “success” looks like to bridging the broken signal between schools and employers, this conversation uncovers why the traditional college-or-bust mindset is becoming obsolete, how students can build confidence and agency through real-world experiences, and what needs to change—urgently—to prepare the next generation for the world ahead.

Guest Bios:

Alexandra Levit

Alexandra Levit is the founder & CEO of Inspiration at Work, a woman-owned futurist consulting firm focused on preparing organizations and their people for the future of work. A globally recognized voice on workforce trends, she specializes in helping companies redesign their workforces for the effective integration of AI.

A former nationally syndicated Wall Street Journal columnist, Alexandra is the bestselling author of They Don’t Teach Corporate in College, Humanity Works, Deep Talent, and the newly released Make School Work. She also holds a certificate in Strategic Foresight from the University of Houston. Her consulting, research, and speaking engagements span Fortune 500 clients including Deloitte, Intuit, American Express, and Adecco, and she has advised U.S. government organizations ranging from the Department of Labor to the Department of Defense. Alexandra’s insights have been featured across NPR, CNN, The Atlantic, Fortune, and more. She is a Thinkers50 Radar honoree and an Emerging Leader Award recipient from Northwestern University.

Stephanie Loeck

Stephanie Loeck is the Vice President of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners (GPS Ed), where she leads national efforts to expand access to high-quality work-based learning. She focuses on driving systems change through program innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and policy advocacy.

She is co-author of Make School Work, created with Alexandra Levit, Stephanie Reisner, and the GPS Ed team—a practical, learner-centered guide that helps communities design and scale sustainable work-based learning programs. The book draws on GPS Ed’s 25 years of experience building successful education-to-industry pipelines.

Stephanie’s background spans education-to-workforce strategy, economic development, and policy. Prior to GPS Ed, she served as VP of Partnerships at America Succeeds, leading national initiatives such as Durable Skills and Age of Agility. Her work centers on a core belief: every young person deserves a meaningful, prosperous future—and our education systems must evolve to make that possible.

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Follow Guests:

Alexandra Levit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandralevit/ Stephanie Loeck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieloeck/ Learn more about the book: makeschoolwork.org

(0:00) Introduction (3:51) Importance of work-based learning and challenges in education (8:16) Defining high-quality work-based learning and its place in schools (15:08) Structural changes needed in education systems (19:59) The purpose and goals of "Make School Work" book (26:31) The signal problem in education and workforce alignment (29:38) Target audience for the book and the future of education (37:44) Benefits of the shift towards work-based learning (41:23) Evolution of higher education and employer expectations (47:00) Closing remarks