Your Partner in Making School Work

For 25 years, GPS Ed has bridged education and industry — building high-quality work-based learning that prepares students for real careers and gives employers the workforce they need.

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25+ Years, Two Ways We Make an Impact

GPS Ed runs direct programming that puts students in real jobs while they're still in high school. And we help schools, employers, and communities build the same kind of impactful programs wherever they are. One show’s what’s possible. The other helps high-quality work-based learning scale.

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Measurable Change at Scale

GPS Ed’s Direct Programming & National Consulting Impact

Students Impacted Annually

Active Business Partners

Active School Districts Partners

Education Centers across Wisconsin

State Consulting Footprint

The reason why intermediaries like GPS Ed are so important is because of the challenges of scaling up such initiatives with 42 school districts in DuPage County. It's time-consuming and resource-intensive for both businesses and schools. GPS Ed provided us with the 'how-to' and the intermediary approach we needed…GPS Ed's ability to speak the language of both educators and businesses was crucial in making this happen and continuing to move us forward.

Dr. Darlene Ruscitti

Regional Superintendent of Schools, DuPage County

As we've expanded the 3M MAP program across the U.S., we've realized how significantly the quality of the program can impact student learning outcomes and how important it is to set appropriate expectations among all the stakeholders involved…Our most effective MAP initiatives gain support and alignment from local policymakers, chambers of commerce, and nonprofits, in addition to the technical colleges that manage the programs. It simply doesn't work to try to do WBL alone.

Michael Stroik

Vice President of Community Impact, 3M

Some of the challenges may be just getting high school students to get acclimated to more of the professional world and also finding partners that are more understanding of high school students… GPS Ed has done a lot to really build those bridges and be a great advocate in between [schools and business partners]

Alex Erdmann

College and Career Center Advisor, Milwaukee Public Schools

We realized there was going to be about 50-60 people retiring over the next five years. We decided that we had to do something. We decided to partner with GPS Ed. As a result of the successes with those first students, we’re doubling the number we’re going to do with GPS Ed in the next year.

Dale Porter

Senior HR Generalist, Komatsu Mining Corp

Work-Based Learning Built from Experience

Our approach isn't a hunch. We wrote the book on high-quality work-based learning. Make School Work™ summarizes field-tested frameworks and 25 years of implementation expertise grounded in a simple belief: every student deserves to develop the aspiration, abilities, and agency to succeed in the world of work.

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Learn About GPS Ed

25-Year Proven Track Record with Measurable Outcomes

Our methodologies are grounded in evidence and results, not just theory. We turn bespoke, local programs into sustainable, national impact by utilizing a quarter-century of data-backed, field-tested delivery.

Systematic, Scalable Methodology

Our proven frameworks build organizational capacity by transferring methodologies and tools that can be tailored to each client's context. We help you develop internal systems that scale effectively from single schools to entire regions.

Authentic Work-Based Learning

Our programs go beyond job placement to create authentic learning experiences that develop authenticity, aspiration, abilities, and agency in every student, giving them the tools and self-efficacy required to succeed in the modern world of work.

Making an Impact with Schools, Employers & Their Communities

Every school, employer, and community we work with is solving a different version of the same problem. We help coach you along the path that best fits your needs.

For Schools

For Employers

For Communities

Meet the Experts Behind Our Approach

GPS Ed is a team of educators, industry veterans, and community strategists — working together to change how the country thinks about high-quality work-based learning.

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Frameworks Built for Your Sector’s Distinct Challenges

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For School Districts & K-12 Leaders

Transition your career readiness models from isolated elective classes to fully integrated, rigorous work-based learning pathways that capture student interest and meet strict state standards.

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For Employers & Industry Leaders

Stop reacting to talent shortages. We guide your operational teams through designing and launching high-yield youth apprenticeship programs that lower frontline turnover and boost engagement.

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For Regional Coalitions & Economic Boards

Break down the structural silos in your local economy. We serve as the primary catalyst to align chambers of commerce, industry groups, and educational systems into a single strategy.

"GPS Ed didn't just give us a theoretical strategy; they embedded themselves into our operational reality. Their unique understanding of both educational compliance and frontline manufacturing needs allowed us to build a youth apprenticeship program that has permanently stabilized our talent pipeline."

— Operations Leadership, Komatsu Mining Corp.

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Latest Insights, Blueprints, and Field Guides

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Featured Report

The 2026 State of Regional Workforce Ecosystems (Whitepaper)

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Implementation Toolkit

The Complete Onboarding Guide for Youth Apprenticeship Mentors (Digital Download)

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The Playbook

The Business Partner Playbook™: Developing Structured WBL Frameworks (Field Guide)

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Shared Value in Action: Real Stories of Regional Transformation

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The School District Impact

How a midwestern educational center partnered with GPS Ed to scale its work-based learning enrollment by 40% while achieving a 100% graduation rate.

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The Industry Impact

Inside a multi-year partnership with top-tier manufacturing leaders that successfully scaled frontline talent retention by lowering youth apprentice turnover.

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The Community Impact

How the DuPage regional coalition aligned local employers and school boards into a unified, high-performing workforce council.

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Make School Work™: The Definitive Guide to Designing Work-Based Learning

How do we fix a broken talent pipeline while giving every young person a true path to prosperity? You rewrite the relationship between the classroom and the workplace.

In our landmark publication, Make School Work (2026), the leadership team at GPS Ed lays out the comprehensive frameworks, structural strategies, and change management models required to build sustainable, community-based workforce ecosystems. Discover the national movement that is reshaping education and industry.

Visit MakeSchoolWork.org

Ready to Start a Conversation?

Whether you're exploring a program for your school, building a talent pipeline, or coordinating a region-wide work-based learning strategy — let's talk about what's possible.