GPS Education Partners (GPSEd), a community-based nonprofit and leading provider of work-based learning solutions for youth, has officially announced a partnership with LAB Midwest, a world-class provider of relevant curriculum, e-learning and training equipment for education and industry that prepares students for successful career pathways.
Manufacturing has entered a new industrial revolution that will require workforces to be equipped with new, more advanced skills in technology. For almost 20 years, GPSEd has been committed to creating pathways for student success by facilitating new workforce talent strategies with employers that include the design and execution of competency-based training programs. These efforts better connect student learning to real-world work while helping them gain essential employability and life skills.
“The partnership between GPSEd and LAB Midwest is a unique opportunity to combine almost 70 years of innovation and expertise in exposing students of all ages to technical careers through hands-on, project and curriculum-based learning. It is our goal to put the sharp minds of our companies together to continue creating greater access and opportunities to technical education and quality work-based learning experiences that close the gap between Education and Business,” said Stephanie Borowski, CEO and President, GPS Education Partners.
Work-based learning enables students to achieve educational outcomes that align with employer requirements while giving students the relevant skills and certifications to enter the technical workforce successfully, whether it is right out of high school or through post-secondary development. “Through this collaboration, we will be able to impact the way students learn among both the incoming and incumbent manufacturing workforce, creating countless opportunities for innovation in education and new learning systems that cover a wider range of STEM and CTE subject areas,” commented Renee Kirchner, CEO, LAB Midwest.
Work-based Learning models, such as GPSEd’ Youth Apprenticeship Program, can do more than provide an alternative pathway to college. They represent the joining of educational theory with real-world application, in a way that does not limit educational attainment but makes it more accessible and more impactful in fostering the next generation of a technically skilled, professional workforce.
Organizations interested in work-based learning services should contact Jeff Ziegler, Director of Partnership Development, GPS Education Partners, at jziegler@gpsed.org for more information.
About GPS Education Partners (GPSEd)
Founded in 2000, GPSEd is a Wisconsin-based 501(c3) nonprofit who is deeply committed to designing, building and executing work-based learning solutions that address the needs of businesses who are ready to close the skills gap, by developing tomorrow’s workforce with today’s youth.
By facilitating partnerships between education, industry and communities to help increase career awareness, exploration, experience and preparation among our youth, we are able to improve student career outcomes, promote talent development pipelines and influence systematic social impact.
GPS Education Partners operates a statewide Department of Workforce Development Youth Apprenticeship Consortium in manufacturing throughout Wisconsin. In May of 2019, GPSEd was named as a founding member of the Partnership for Advancing Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) to promote and scale youth apprenticeship across the United States. Our community-based education model can help accelerate student preparation in technical careers through powerful, credentialed work-based learning solutions.
For more information, visit gpsed.com
About LAB Midwest
At LAB Midwest, our mission is to secure the American Dream for the next generation of manufacturing talent. We accomplish this by providing educators and employers with the curriculum, learning systems, training equipment and certifications to prepare their students and workers for successful career pathways.
While great work is being done in education to train students for successful employment, LAB Midwest recognizes the disparity between on-the-job training available to employees five decades ago versus today. Part of our mission is to work with manufacturing employers to offer the same opportunities to incumbent workers.
We collaborate with employers to assess needs and provide a standardized onboarding process for new employees regardless of beginning skill level, maintain incumbent employee skills backed by subject-area knowledge, upskill employees in new competencies so they have the potential to move upward within the company, and ensure the company stays relevant as Industry 4.0 technologies continue to evolve.
For more information visit labmidwest.com.
