25 Years of Making School Work
GPS Ed makes work-based learning programs successful. With 25 years of proven delivery, we’ve cracked the code on what makes programs truly transformational. GPS Ed started with just 5 students and 1 employer. Today, we impact more than 20,000 students and 100 businesses annually. Now, we’re sharing our expertise with the world.
What Makes GPS Ed Different
Created by Industry
GPS Ed was born from industry. We understand workforce needs, operational constraints, and what makes partnerships work because we come from that world. It’s part of our secret sauce.
Grounded in Evidence
GPS Ed wrote the book on high-quality work-based learning: Make School Work™. Our frameworks are grounded in research and backed by real-world results that have helped programs grow.
Built for Sustainability
GPS Ed isn’t an out-of-the-box model. We analyze the situation and fit solutions to your context. Then, we help you build local capacity to sustain high-quality work-based learning on your own over the long term.
GPS Ed’s Portfolio of Work
GPS Ed works at two levels: direct programming and national consulting. That means we understand what rigorous WBL looks like up close, and we understand what it takes to build an impact that matters at scale.
Direct Programming
Our Wisconsin-focused Education Center & Youth Apprenticeship Program proves what’s possible through deep education and employer partnership. 220+ students per year engage in hands-on learning while getting paid to learn manufacturing, skilled trades, and automotive careers alongside professionals who are invested in their success. Students walk away with their diplomas, confidence, in-demand skills, and readiness for jobs in hard-to-fill technical roles.
National Consulting
Most work-based learning programs stall before they reach their full potential. Twenty-five years in the field taught us how to overcome those challenges. Our consulting practice brings proven playbooks to employers, schools, and regional communities, with solutions tailored to their unique needs. Partners walk away with the capacity, systems, and resilience to lead high-quality work-based learning on their own, long after our work together ends.
The GPS Ed Approach
GPS Ed defines high-quality WBL as authentic learning that helps students develop the aspiration, abilities, and agency to succeed in the world of work.
The GPS Ed Approach is a six-part change management model that helps communities design, implement, and grow WBL programs. It moves from understanding the "why" behind a program, through building implementation capacity, to evaluating and continuously improving what's already working.
The 4As Framework — Authenticity, Aspiration, Abilities, Agency — defines what high-quality WBL should offer and produce in students. Each element reinforces the others: real-world experience that builds a genuine vision for the future, grows durable and technical skills, and develops the confidence to direct one's own path.
Together, these frameworks underpin how we help turn good intentions into programs that actually work.
Work-Based Learning Insights Worth Building On
GPS Ed doesn't just implement high-quality work-based learning — we help define it. Our thinking is published in Make School Work™, a field guide to addressing the youth employment crisis using these frameworks. Further insights are shared regularly through research, case studies, and recommendations on our blog. Whether you're just starting to explore work-based learning or looking to sharpen something that’s already strong, our resources are built to meet you where you are.