Capstone Workforce vs STARS (G*STARS)

The coaching and outcome layer that runs alongside your tracking system.

G*STARS records what your program did for each participant. Capstone Workforce runs the practice, scores it, computes the six WIOA indicators against your negotiated levels, and verifies the placements. Here is where the two sit relative to each other and how workforce buyers usually evaluate both on WIOA compliance reporting.

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The short answer

Is Capstone Workforce a STARS alternative?

No, and most agencies that look at both end up running the two together. G*STARS is the participant tracking and case management record; Capstone Workforce runs the practice, scores it, computes the six WIOA indicators against your negotiated levels, and verifies placements. If your question is where the case file lives, the answer is STARS; if it is where the readiness and outcome evidence comes from, the answer is Capstone.

Choose G*STARS if

  • You need a multi-program case management system across workforce and social services.
  • Intake, eligibility determination, and case notes are the job to be done.
  • The state or a funder requires STARS as the system of record.

Choose Capstone Workforce if

  • Your participants need scored interview and scenario practice at cohort scale.
  • You want the six indicators computed weekly, with a queue of who can still close a gap.
  • A funder wants placement evidence that carries its own attestation trail.

Run both if

  • STARS holds the record; Capstone imports the roster by CSV.
  • Staff stop hand-entering skill gains; scored sessions produce them.
  • The funder report comes from Capstone; PIRL stays where it is.

From decision to first report, in four steps

  1. Export one cohort's roster and map the columns once. CSV in, saved mapping profile, raw rows kept untouched. A mapping fix later recomputes history instead of re-entering it.
  2. Run the first cohort's practice inside the same grant cycle. Mock interviews, workplace scenarios, and presentation practice, every session scored on the published six-dimension rubric. NPower ran 245 in nine weeks with zero added staff.
  3. Set your negotiated levels once. The compliance dashboard computes the six indicators against them from the imported roster and the scored sessions.
  4. Pull the first funder report. Six WIOA indicators against your negotiated levels, cohort comparison, and skill-gain evidence, in under five minutes.
Book a 30-min demoSee public pricing

How the categories differ

What Capstone Workforce adds that a participant tracking system is not designed for

Practice that generates the outcome data, instead of a record that stores it

G*STARS is a participant tracking and case management system: enrollments, services, assessments, credentials, placements, retention, and wage advancement, entered by staff and reported to funders. Capstone Workforce runs the mock interviews and workplace scenarios themselves, scores every session on a six-dimension rubric, and produces the readiness and skill-gain record as a byproduct. The evidence exists because the practice happened.

The six WIOA indicators computed continuously, with an intervention queue

A tracking system reports what has been entered. Capstone Workforce ships the WIOA calculation engine: employment in Q2 and Q4 after exit, median earnings, credential attainment, measurable skill gains, and employer effectiveness, computed against your negotiated levels week by week, with a ranked queue of participants who can still close a gap before the window shuts.

Verified placements, with participant and employer attestation

A placement in a tracking record is a staff entry until the wage match confirms it two quarters later. Capstone Workforce sends a short attestation to the participant and, where configured, the employer at placement, and stores the response with the record, so the number a funder sees carries its own evidence trail from day one.

CSV import from STARS, no migration

Programs keep G*STARS or the state MIS as the system of record and import the participant roster into Capstone with a saved column mapping. The compliance dashboard reads the import; the practice product fills in the readiness and skill-gain evidence the tracking record cannot generate on its own.

Data sovereignty options for public-sector buyers

Multi-tenant SaaS by default, with GovCloud, buyer-hosted, and metadata-only connector tiers for agencies and boards that cannot put participant records in a shared cloud. Every tier gets a download-everything and delete-everything endpoint.

Pairs with a tracking system; does not replace it

Capstone Workforce does not do intake, eligibility determination, or multi-program case notes across social services. Agencies that run STARS for the participant record typically add Capstone for the coaching, the scored readiness data, the local indicator math, and the funder-format outcome reporting.

Capstone Workforce vs G*STARS at a glance

G*STARS is the case file. Capstone is the practice and the outcome math that sit next to it. The table shows where each one does the work.

DimensionCapstone WorkforceG*STARS
Made forWIOA-funded programs, workforce boards, colleges, reentry and veteran programs. Any program that reports outcomes to a funder.Workforce agencies, community colleges, and social service agencies that need one case file across many programs.
Pricing modelPublic. Cohort Packs from $4,500 for one cohort (up to 50 learners, 16 weeks). Annual plans from $12,000 for 250 active learners. The WIOA compliance module is an add-on.Quote only. Priced per agency after a demo. No public price list.
How you buyPick a pack on the pricing page, or book a 30-minute walkthrough.Sales call, contract, and a setup project.
Practice sessionsAI mock interviews, workplace role-plays, and presentation practice. Every session is scored.None. Staff record that a service happened.
Rubric scoringYes. One published rubric, scored 1 to 5, across every session and every cohort.None. Assessments are fields staff fill in.
Six WIOA indicatorsComputed every week against your negotiated levels, with a ranked queue of who can still close a gap.Tracks the data the indicators draw on and reports on the reporting cycle. Confirm PIRL export formats for your setup.
Case file and PIRLNot a case file. Imports your roster by CSV with a saved column map. Exports funder-format and PIRL-shaped reports.Yes. This is the system of record: enrollments, services, credentials, placements, retention, and wages.
Placement proofParticipant and employer attestation at placement, stored with the record.Staff entry, confirmed later by the state wage match.
Where the data livesYour choice: shared cloud, GovCloud, your own servers, or a metadata-only connector.Vendor-hosted or agency-hosted, set by contract.
Getting startedFirst cohort inside one grant cycle. NPower ran 245 scored interviews in nine weeks with zero added staff.An implementation project sized to the agency.

G*STARS column checked against AGS Data Systems public materials in September 2026. AGS quotes each agency privately, so no price is listed.

Which platform sits where in a workforce program

G*STARS typically handles

  • The participant record: demographics, program enrollments, and services provided.
  • Assessments, barriers, referrals, credential attainment, placements, retention, and wage advancement, as entered by staff.
  • Employer relationship management across programs.
  • Configurable analytics and reports for funders and communities, across multiple programs in one agency.

Capstone Workforce typically handles

  • Mock interviews, workplace scenarios, and presentation practice at cohort scale, every session rubric-scored.
  • Readiness dashboards and at-risk alerts for program managers.
  • The six WIOA indicators and Workforce Pell 70/70 rates, computed continuously with an intervention queue.
  • Participant and employer attestation on placements, and funder-format exports.

Agencies that run both keep the participant record in STARS and import the roster into Capstone. The tracking system stays the system of record; Capstone produces the practice evidence, the indicator math, and the verified outcomes the record cannot generate on its own.

See it on your roster

30 minutes. Your export, your negotiated levels, your funder's format.

Bring one cohort's roster export. We will import it live, show the six indicators against your negotiated levels, run a scored mock interview, and walk through the outcome report with your fields.

Rubric-scored practice
Six WIOA indicators
Verified placements
CSV import, no migration

Common questions from workforce buyers

Is Capstone Workforce a replacement for STARS?

No. G*STARS (AGS Data Systems) is a configurable participant tracking and case management system used by workforce agencies, community colleges, and social services agencies. Capstone Workforce is the coaching and outcome-reporting layer for workforce programs. It runs the practice sessions, scores them, computes the WIOA indicators, and verifies placements. Most programs that evaluate both run Capstone alongside their tracking system.

Does STARS support WIOA reporting?

G*STARS is built for workforce agencies and tracks the participant, service, credential, placement, and retention data that WIOA reporting draws on; confirm the specific PIRL and quarterly export formats with AGS Data Systems for your configuration. Capstone adds what a tracking system does not produce: continuous indicator computation against negotiated levels, an intervention queue, and skill-gain evidence generated by scored practice rather than manual entry.

Can Capstone Workforce import participants from STARS?

Yes. Export the roster as CSV, map the columns once in the import wizard, and the mapping profile is saved for the next import. Raw rows are kept untouched so a mapping fix recomputes history cleanly.

How does this compare with Apricot by Bonterra?

Apricot is a general nonprofit case management system; G*STARS is workforce-specific. Capstone sits alongside either one in the same way: the case file stays where it is, and Capstone produces the practice evidence, the indicator math, and the verified outcomes. See the separate comparison page for Apricot.

What does the pricing look like at cohort scale?

Cohort Packs start at $4,500 per 16-week cycle for up to 50 participants. Annual Platform plans start at $12,000 per year for 250 active learners. The WIOA compliance module is an add-on. Full pricing is public at capstoneworkforce.com/pricing.

Do you have a case study of Capstone Workforce running at scale?

Yes. In a nine-week deployment with NPower, an IT workforce nonprofit, the platform delivered 245 rubric-scored mock interviews with zero added staff, and the cohort exited at Proficient-level Confidence on the published rubric. The full write-up is on the case study page.

Keep comparing

Capstone Workforce vs Apricot by Bonterra

The nonprofit case file versus the coaching and outcome layer that runs alongside it.

Capstone Workforce vs Geographic Solutions

The state system of record versus the local practice and compliance layer beneath it.

WIOA reporting software

How the six indicators get computed from verified records, and what the export looks like.

NPower case study

245 rubric-scored mock interviews in nine weeks with zero added staff.