WACE

What WACE does

WACE (World Association for Cooperative Education), legally registered as the Global Association for Co-operative and Work-Integrated Education (GACWIE) in Ontario, Canada, is the only international professional organization dedicated to developing, expanding, branding, and advocating for cooperative and work-integrated education (CWIE) globally. Founded in 1983 and renamed WACE in 1991, the organization serves tertiary higher education institutions, employers, WIL national associations, and individual practitioners across 40+ countries. WACE operates a network-of-networks model, partnering with 12+ national WIL associations (including CEWIL Canada, ASET UK, KACE Korea, TACE Thailand, JFWIL Japan, WILNZ, WIL Australia, SASCE Southern Africa, CEIA USA) and maintaining regional offices in Thailand, Europe, Africa, and Japan. Its Secretariat is hosted by the University of Waterloo, Canada.

WACE's core product portfolio includes the biennial World Conference (300+ delegates from 24 countries at Waterloo 2023; next: Bangkok, June 2027), the annual International Research Symposium (IRS), the award-winning Global Challenge student program (delivered via partnership with Practera, scaled to 500+ students from 34 institutions across 18 countries), the Global Quality WIL Framework (launched April 2024, world's first), the WIL Around the World webinar series, the Global WIL Charter (signed by 50+ institutions), annual WACE Awards, a research grant program, and a digital resource library. Underlying technology consists of standard digital platforms including member portals, webinar systems, and a content resource library hosted via Wild Apricot membership infrastructure.

Revenue is generated primarily through tiered membership fees denominated in Canadian Dollars: Global Partner Membership ($10,000 CAD OECD), Full Institutional ($4,000 CAD OECD / $500 CAD Non-OECD), Limited Institutional ($1,000 CAD OECD / $250 CAD Non-OECD), National Association, Individual, and free Affiliate tiers, with all memberships expiring annually on June 30. Supplemental revenue comes from event registration fees (World Conferences, IRS, webinars) and professional development programs, with member discounts applied across tiers. The organization is governed by a 12-member elected Executive Council with no external shareholders, funded entirely through membership and program fees, and is operated by a small staff of 1-10 employees.

Name

WACE

Legal name

Global Association for Co-operative and Work-Integrated Education (GACWIE)

Website

https://waceinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WACE (World Association for Cooperative Education) is the only international professional organization dedicated to cooperative and work-integrated education, serving tertiary institutions, employers, and national WIL associations across 40+ countries through tiered membership, biennial conferences, research symposia, and programs like the Global Challenge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: WACE generates primary revenue through tiered membership fees including Global Partner Membership ($10,000 CAD for OECD countries), Full Institutional Membership ($4,000 CAD OECD / $500 CAD Non-OECD), Limited Institutional Membership ($1,000 CAD OECD / $250 CAD Non-OECD), Individual Membership, National Association Membership, and free Affiliate Membership. All fees are in Canadian Dollars.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from WACE World Conferences, International Research Symposia, and professional development events. Full discounts provided to Global Partner Members, partial discounts to other tiers.
3. Professional Development Programs: Partial discounts on virtual professional development seminars and training programs available to members.
4. Global Challenge Fees: Global Challenge program with full discounts for Global Partner Members on fees. The award-winning Global Challenge enables students from across the globe to connect in multidisciplinary, transnational teams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WACE (World Association for Cooperative Education) operates as an international non-profit membership organization that advances cooperative and work-integrated education (CWIE) globally. It delivers tiered membership programs, biennial world conferences, annual international research symposia, the Global Challenge student program, webinars, awards, and research grants, connecting higher education institutions, employers, and national WIL associations through a network-of-networks model.

Product overview

WACE (World Association for Cooperative Education) is the only international professional organization dedicated to developing, expanding, branding, and advocating for cooperative and work-integrated education (CWIE) programs. The organization operates a portfolio of interconnected programs including the biennial World Conference and annual International Research Symposium for knowledge exchange; the Global Challenge program enabling transnational student teams to work on real SDG-linked projects; the Global Quality WIL Framework providing quality guidance; the WIL Around the World webinar series for regional updates; the Global WIL Charter formalizing international commitments; plus membership programs, awards, research grants, and a resource library supporting the global WIL community of over 4,000 WIL colleagues worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Challenge: An award-winning global student program enabling students from across the globe to connect in multidisciplinary, transnational teams working on real projects with clients linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Won the 2022 PIEoneer Real Life Learning Award.
• WACE International Research Symposium

Products and services

• WACE World Conference Biennial international conference bringing together higher education institutions, employers, and WIL practitioners to share research, best practices, and build global networks in cooperative and work-integrated education.
• WACE International Research Symposium (IRS) Annual research symposium focused on advancing work-integrated learning scholarship, featuring refereed papers, poster presentations, and networking among WIL researchers and practitioners.
• Global Challenge Program Award-winning global program enabling students from multiple countries to work in multidisciplinary, transnational teams on real-world projects with clients linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, facilitated through partnership with Practera.
• WIL Around the World Webinar Series Continuation of WACE Conversations featuring leaders from national associations providing updates on developments and achievements in work-integrated learning from their regions of the world.
• Global Quality WIL Framework First-ever global quality framework providing guidance to tertiary institutions, industry partners, community organizations, and students on quality work-integrated learning practices, developed collaboratively with WACE's international network.
• Global WIL Charter International charter formalizing commitment by world leaders in cooperative and work-integrated education to unite globally and provide access for all post-secondary students to workplace-based experiences.
• WACE Membership Programs Multiple membership tiers including Global Partner ($10,000 CAD OECD), Full Institutional ($4,000 CAD OECD / $500 CAD Non-OECD), Limited Institutional ($1,000 CAD OECD / $250 CAD Non-OECD), Individual, National Association, and Affiliate memberships providing access to global networks, events, professional development, and research resources.
• WACE Research Grant Research grant program supporting scholarly work in cooperative and work-integrated education, awarded annually to advance the field globally.
• WACE Awards Recognition awards including Leadership and Innovation Award, Outstanding Professional Contribution Award, Research Award, Employer/Partner Contribution Award, Graduate Student and Emerging Researcher Best Poster Awards, and IRS Best Paper Award.
• Resource Library Digital repository of WIL resources including research proceedings, policy documents, teaching and learning materials, industry partnerships resources, and international case studies.
• Professional Development Programs Training and development opportunities including workshops, webinars, leadership development programs, and access to exclusive training sessions for WIL professionals and practitioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 delegates from 24 countries participated in WACE World Conference 2023 with 100 workshops and presentations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2028WACE announced partnership with JITRI to host the International Research Symposium 2028 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. JITRI is a top applied research organization in China with 80 specialized research institutes and 12,000+ R&D staff. JITRI Co-op is JITRI's work-integrated learning initiative combining academic study with structured industry placements.
• WILNZ (Work-Integrated Learning New Zealand)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026WACE partnered with WILNZ to host the International Research Symposium 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand. The Symposium was hosted by Auckland University of Technology with 140+ researchers and practitioners from 14+ countries.
• University of WaterloocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023University of Waterloo served as host for WACE World Conference 2023 in Waterloo, Canada. Dr. Norah McRae, Associate Provost for Cooperative and Experiential Education, serves as Co-Chair of WACE Executive Council and head of the WACE Secretariat located at the university.
• Suranaree University of Technology (SUT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2023WACE entered into an MOU with Suranaree University of Technology to create a WACE Regional Office in Thailand. SUT agrees to promote WACE membership and CWIE throughout Thailand and Asia, particularly ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam).
• PracteracoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020WACE partnered with Practera to deliver the Global Challenge program. Started as a small pilot in 2020, the program grew to involve 500+ students from 34 institutions across 18 countries working on real projects with UNSDG-linked clients.
• ASET (Work Based Learning and Placement Learning Association UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASET is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner and National Association Member. ASET represents the UK in WACE's global network. Francesca Walker-Martin from ASET received the 2025 WACE Leadership and Innovation Award.
• CEWIL Canada (Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEWIL Canada is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing the national Canadian WIL association. Charlene Marion, Executive Director of CEWIL Canada, has been featured in WACE webinars on Canadian co-op developments.
• KACE (Korea Association for Co-operative & Work-Integrated Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKACE is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing Korea in the global WIL network. KACE promotes cooperative and work-integrated education in South Korea.
• TACE (Thai Association for Cooperative Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTACE is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing Thailand. TACE was established by Professor Wichit Srisa-an (deceased 2023), who was instrumental in developing CWIE in Thailand.
• JFWIL (Japan Forum for Work-Integrated Learning)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJFWIL is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing Japan. Keiko Saito-Miyakawa, President of JFWIL, received the 2025 WACE Outstanding Professional Contribution Award.
• WIL Australia (formerly ACEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIL Australia is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing the Australian collaborative education network. Co-founded by Ms. Judie Kay, WACE Vice Chair Programs & Partnerships.
• WILNZ (Work-Integrated Learning New Zealand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWILNZ is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing New Zealand. Dr. Jenny Fleming serves on the WACE International Research Committee as Co-chair Grants and Awards.
• SASCE (Southern African Society for Cooperative Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSASCE is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing Southern Africa. Dr. Roelien Brink serves as Director of Cooperative Education at Tshwane University of Technology and represents WACE South Africa.
• THENSA (Technological Higher Education Network South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHENSA is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing technological higher education institutions in South Africa. Partnered on environmental scan research of WIL landscape in SA.
• CEIA (Cooperative Education and Internship Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIA is a WACE Limited Institutional Partner representing the USA. CEIA is one of the signatories of the Global CWIE Charter.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AIESEC: AIESEC is a global youth-led network operating international work-integrated exchange and leadership development programs across more than 100 countries. It is directly comparable to WACE in operating international work-based learning platforms, though with a more youth-volunteer/leadership orientation rather than cooperative education at the tertiary-institution level.
• IAESTE (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience): IAESTE operates a global network facilitating paid, technical work-integrated placements for students across 80+ countries. It is directly comparable to WACE as an international work-based learning exchange organization, with similar functions of cross-border placement, employer engagement, and national-association partnerships.
• CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning): CAEL is a U.S.-focused nonprofit advancing experiential and work-integrated learning through research, policy, and institutional support. It is directly comparable to WACE in mission (advancing WIL) and in operating as a membership/policy organization linking institutions and employers, though its geographic scope is primarily North American.
• NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers): NACE is the leading U.S. professional association connecting colleges, employers, and career services, with deep focus on internships, co-ops, and work-integrated learning outcomes. It is directly comparable to WACE in serving as a tertiary-institution/employer membership body for cooperative education and work-based learning, though U.S.-centric rather than international.
• ACEN / WIL Australia: ACEN (now WIL Australia) is the Australian Collaborative Education Network, a national association for work-integrated learning that is itself a WACE National Association Member. It is directly comparable to WACE in promoting WIL research, networking, and quality, though at a national rather than international level.
• Society for Experiential Education (SEE): SEE is a North American professional association dedicated to advancing experiential and work-integrated learning through publications, conferences, and member services. It is directly comparable to WACE in mission and membership model (institutions and individuals supporting WIL), though with primarily U.S./Canadian geographic scope rather than global.

Broad incumbents

• NAFSA: Association of International Educators: NAFSA is the largest U.S.-based professional association for international educators, with members in more than 3,500 institutions globally. It is broadly comparable to WACE in operating an international membership body linking institutions around cross-border education, though its primary focus is study abroad and international student services rather than cooperative/work-integrated learning.
• Institute of International Education (IIE): IIE is a longstanding international education organization managing exchange programs, scholarship administration, and research on global academic mobility. It is broadly comparable to WACE in operating global education networks and programs, though its portfolio is broader (scholarships, Fulbright, crisis response) rather than focused on work-integrated education.
• AACSB International: AACSB International is the global accreditation body for business schools with900+ member institutions across 60+ countries. It is broadly comparable to WACE as an international professional membership organization focused on advancing educational quality, though specialized to business/management education rather than cooperative education.
• EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development): EFMD is a global management development network with 900+ member institutions and companies across 90+ countries, operating EQUIS and other quality programs. It is broadly comparable to WACE in operating a global institutional membership/quality framework for education, though focused on management education rather than work-integrated learning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wace-world-association-for-co-operative-and-work-integrated-education
• Xx.com/WACE_INC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about WACE