Last spring, 125 students walked across the stage not quite sure what came next. Now that the dust has settled and the numbers are in, one thing is clear: they left with more than a diploma. They left having discovered what they're capable of, built real skills on the job, made their own decisions about what comes next, and stayed true to who they are along the way.

Looking Back: 2025–2026 in Numbers

This past year, our Education Center & Youth Apprenticeship Program helped students build real skills for real careers:

• 219 high school juniors and seniors enrolled across 8 Education Centers
• 125 graduates in the Class of 2026
• 70% of students continued employment with business partner host
• 93% of eligible seniors earned their Manufacturing Skills Standard Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician credential
• 96% of graduates are pursuing a technical career

But numbers only tell part of the story. Here’s how one Class of 2026 graduate put it, in their own words: 

“‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. I didn’t fully know what that quote meant–but through my GPS Ed experience, I started discovering what that future could look like for me.”  – Senior at Steel Craft Education Center, placed at Boucher Ford  

Want to hear more from our students in their own words? Check out our recent spotlight in TMJ4 at our Lakeside Education Center in West Milwaukee.

What Made This Year Work: Partnership with Purpose

Behind every metric is a student who found a program that fits how they learn, a business partner willing to invest in untapped potential, and a team of staff who showed up for both. That's Partnership with Purpose in action, and this year, it showed up in some big ways.

Generac Education Center Ribbon Cutting in Beaver Dam

We celebrated the opening of our newest Education Center, hosted inside Generac Power Systems' new Beaver Dam facility. Local business leaders, school and community partners, and state and local officials joined us for the ribbon-cutting, marking a new home for hands-on work-based learning serving students from school districts across Dodge County and the surrounding region.

Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Program

GPS Ed was named a 2025 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders recipient, one of two Wisconsin organizations selected alongside Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. The recognition brings multi-year grant funding along with executive leadership development and a national network of nonprofit peers, an investment that helps us connect more students to manufacturing and technical career pathways while strengthening the talent pipeline our communities depend on.

Looking Ahead: 2026–2027 School Year

We're not slowing down. Here's what's ahead for our students and partners this year:

Innovation Technology Expansion

We're equipping students with the tools they'll use in real manufacturing careers. Students will now have access to innovative technology, including the MecLab training system and Onshape CAD software, to sharpen the technical skills employers are actively looking for.

Evidence Works: Partnership with Northeastern University's LEARN Lab

Last year, researchers from Northeastern University's LEARN Lab spent time interviewing students, staff, and partners about their experience in our Education Centers, capturing insight that goes beyond what a data point can show. This year, we're taking that work a step further: debuting Evidence Works, an AI-supported reflection tool, at our Weldall and Bradley Education Centers, giving students a new way to document their own growth in real time.

We’re grateful for Kari and Zach, our Work-Based Learning Coordinators at Weldall and Bradley, for their dedication in bringing this tool to life for students.

Continued Funder Partnerships

We're excited to join United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County's new Impact Funding model under their Reducing Barriers to Employment and Advancement initiative, working alongside other local organizations toward a shared goal of 15,000 people ready for stable careers by 2029. With United Way's support, we can continue to provide equitable access to work-based learning opportunities, preparing students for prosperous futures.

Quad Education Center

In October 2026, we'll celebrate the opening of our new Quad Education Center in Hartford, serving students across Washington and Dodge counties. We're grateful for the local employer partnerships who see the value in investing in a strong, future talent pipeline.

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Stay Connected

We recently launched our new Education Center & Youth Apprenticeship Program website. The website provides information on our various locations, a deeper understanding of the student experience, and all the partners who make this work possible.