2018 ANNUAL REPORT HELPING BUSINESSES AND STUDENTS GROW TOGETHER NAVIGATING THE WORK-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Friends, 2018 for GPS Education Partners has been a pivotal year for our organization and those we serve. This year allowed the opportunity for our Board, team and partners to examine the work we do and further explore the power of Work-based Learning (WBL) to provide, not just an alternative path to success, but to be an integral part of the rejuvenation of career-based education across the nation. I am proud of the innovative education programs we have offered over the past 18 years. We have changed the story for so many young people, and have learned a lot along the way. Throughout this journey, we have remained focused on providing solutions in education that help students “THE RELATIONSHIPS I'VE MADE develop the skills, passion, and confidence to pursue technical careers that are essential in supporting businesses and communities. We have leveraged the experience and expertise of our amazing staff to produce more unique solutions that propel our work and position us as a champion of Work-based Learning. WITH MY MENTORS ARE SPECIAL We have been very busy this past year, focusing on delivering the high-impact programming that enabled almost 100 students to successfully transition from high school, with real-world experience in manufacturing, into career pathways TO ME BECAUSE THE PEOPLE AT that leverage post-secondary education and placed into high-demand roles with local employers. As has been an essential component of our program, many of these students benefited from the immersive, supportive learning environment in our community-sponsored Education Centers. I cannot express enough gratitude to the employers and community partners who provide us the resources, space, and financial support to operate these BANKER WIRE HAVE MADE ME FEEL powerful learning experiences. For most of our students, it is literally a life-changing experience! Still, we see the path to impact lives not just in the power of these education centers, but in expanding high-quality Work-based Learning education solutions as a LIKE I'M PART OF THE TEAM.” mainstream model. This means looking to what might be possible if these opportunities were available to ALL students. How would such a vision change the narrative around equity in education, for developing the next generation of talent, for how learning is delivered in our schools, and impact on the economic and social foundations FAITH STENSON of our communities? What role can GPSEd play to bring this vision to reality? Through this visioning, we developed a new Theory of Change for GPSEd that drives and EAST TROY HIGH SCHOOL supports our work in scaling Work-based Learning. We believe in the power of Work-based Learning to engage, transform and redefine success! GPS GRADUATE On behalf of everyone at GPSEd, I thank you for being a friend - for the financial gifts you’ve provided; for your time and support; for your unwavering dedication to our students. Our mission is a game changer, and with friends like you, it won’t be long before every student has a pathway to a purposeful life and more employers have access to the talent they so desperately need. To continued success, Stephanie Borowski President & CEO GPS Education Partners GPS EDUCATION PARTNERS AS A WBL INTERMEDIARY GPSEd partners with industry leaders to provide scalable, quality Work- GPSEd launched our Career Awareness Initiative designed to create We are confident that by reaching students earlier in school, we will see a based Learning (WBL) solutions that impacts educational systems, access for students in grades 8-10 to learn about technical careers through marked increase in WBL program participants and graduates. business talent needs and community needs. By putting our focus on the project-based learning opportunities, to see the application of their learning needs and experiences of our partners, we are able to deliver customized and help inform their future choice of FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS talent solutions that create better pathways for students while delivering academic and career planning. The relationships GPSEd has forged with over 40 school districts across Wisconsin is the basis for our Integrated Work-based Learning measurable business outcomes that drive both personal and economic In 2018, GPSEd partnered with the Boys Solutions. This program provides students in these districts with access success. and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee to quality Work-based Learning experiences, up to and including advanced Customized programming within manufacturing, HVAC/R and other (BGCGM) and Milwaukee Public Schools training. It is a model that combines traditional learning with work experience industries requiring skilled labor addresses the workforce challenges they (MPS) to design, build and execute the to more effectively help young people transition into the skilled workforce. face by creating opportunities for young people to gain exposure and GPSEd STEM Career Awareness knowledge that drive interest and align aptitude. From there, students Program. Here, the Career Education GIVING AT-RISK YOUTH A VIABLE can focus on developing skills, experience, and credentials to confidently Services of BGCGM were integrated with EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVE prepare them to be successful in high-demand technical careers. STEM project-based learning activities GPS’ Alternative Education programming was designed specifically to provide disengaged high schools students with an alternative to traditional high school These partnerships bring business and education together to add value to that were delivered in MPS classrooms. GPSEd also facilitated Career -- helping them to graduate high school when they might otherwise fail. Exploration Tours at our local business partners facilities where students multiple industries and their customers while expanding (WBL) opportunities These hands-on learners thrive with personalized learning plans and a 1:15 teacher-student ratio within the classroom. Their education is integrated within the were able to see how their STEM learning activities directly align with to more young people. business environment through WBL methods, giving students with real-life work experiences a chance to prove their employability. These students graduate technical careers. not only with their high school diploma but with entry-level work credentials. They go forward with a plan, a purpose and the self-confidence to succeed in life. REACHING YOUNG PEOPLE EARLIER Over the course of the year, these students also engaged in lessons around Not only are many younger students unaware that a valuable technical the engineering process, with progressively more challenging projects that A NEW APPRENTICESHIP MODEL career could be theirs, but they don’t know that options exist for them help build knowledge around design, engineering, quality and teamwork. Rooted in rigorous academics and immersive, hands-on learning, the GPSEd Manufacturing Youth Apprenticeship program links high-school graduation to learn outside of the traditional classroom approach. For that reason, requirements with industry standards. The results are stackable and transferable credentials aligned to technical career pathways. This accelerated learning program prepares students for advanced positions beyond entry-level employment. Fundamental to this process is the employability and character skills our students learn that make them productive citizens as well as prepare them to be career- and college-ready. A typical student’s day is divided between classroom learning at one of GPSEd’s eight Education Centers and on-the-job training delivered through one of almost 100 business partners. Students get the chance to explore different work environments and business cultures, as well as take on different roles and responsibilities, all while earning their high school diploma. They can also emerge as leaders by learning self-awareness, decision-making skills, self- management, and teamwork. CLOSING THE HVAC/R SKILLS GAP “THEY EVALUATED THE SKILLS THE LARSON COMPANY PARTNERSHIP 2018 was also the beginning of an exciting partnership formed with the Larson Company -- the Midwest, Plains and Mountain I SHOWED IN MY MONTHS OF states’ leading wholesale distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) equipment, parts and WORKING AT GA LARSON, AND supplies. The WBL solution has matched motivated student workers with promising HVAC/R distribution and field technician career pathways, which is outside of our popular manufacturing THEY GAVE ME VERY HELPFUL pathways. The Service Trades Industry is also experiencing a shortage of workers and GPSEd is poised to introduce students INFORMATION TO HELP OUT WITH to more pathways in the technical service industry. “The HVAC/R industry is facing a growing skills gap driven by an aging workforce, the rising employability gap and youths PARTICULAR SKILLS I HAD ISSUES who are just not aware of careers in the industry,” said Andrew Larson, chairman and CEO of the Larson Company. “Partnering WITH.” with GPS Education Partners will help accelerate HVAC/R careers among the young student population by providing a EION SLASKI future workforce to help fill our talent pipeline and a pipeline GREENFIELD HIGH SCHOOL for our HVAC-R customers who offer sales, installation and technical support.” problems to be solved planned activities planned results and impact