Social Enterprise Model
WES is a unique social enterprise. We have an almost 50-year history of delivering a core product, our credential evaluation report, that benefits people from around the globe. We also have a long history of mission-driven initiatives – including policy, programmatic, and philanthropic work – that is supported by reliable income from our core products. Unlike non-profit organizations that rely entirely on charitable donations or government funding to support their social impact budgets, WES has a proven, self-sustaining model that ensures that our social impact work – and the benefits for international students, immigrants, and refugees – can scale over time.
Credential Evaluations
WES’s universally trusted credential evaluation services are at the heart of our social enterprise model. Employers, higher education institutions, licensing bodies, and governments all recognize that a WES credential evaluation report attests to the quality of the credentials claimed by an applicant. They trust our evaluations for their admission and hiring decisions, and we work to renew that trust every day through research, the use of standardized policies, and ongoing environmental scanning to monitor and respond to developments in the field. More than 45 years of expertise and rigor in our credential reporting has allowed WES to build relationships with partners in more than 200 countries.
Social Impact Programming
Through our social impact programming – including initiatives like WES Global Talent Bridge (GTB); the WES Gateway Program (assisting refugees and displaced persons with lost and missing credentials); data-driven surveys and policy research; and hands-on engagement with employers and leaders in local, state, provincial, and national governments – WES delivers impactful solutions that benefit the individuals we serve and the communities where they live and work.
Philanthropy
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund, the only philanthropic initiative focused exclusively on economic inclusion and mobility for immigrants and refugees in North America, supports catalytic efforts to build more inclusive economies for immigrant and refugee workers in the U.S. and Canada. The fund awarded its first grants in September 2019. Learn more about the Mariam Assefa Fund.
