There are people who would like to see the kind of high school-to- industry and business integration of apprenticeship programs.
Are any of our RG community working to bring apprenticeships to the US that are as coordinated with industry and business as those are in Germany?
How can this be achieved in the US?
What obstacles are there to creating such apprenticeships?
Do you have research in this area to share?
High school to work apprenticeships: We do have them. These schools were once largely geared toward adult education but at least in New Jersey, they have shifted toward both tradiaional students with evening adult education programs. In the vocational school (vo-tech) models, the graduates receive both a vocational certification alongside a highs chool graduation department. Dependent on the specific subject followed for vocational training, there is either a period of hands-on training, preparation for a standardized certification exam, or both.
Both my children attended such as a high school and graduated from the Engineering "shop" with a Mechanical Engineering Technician certificate. If you would like tos ee examples, look for the websites of the technical schools of Morris, bergen or Sussex Counties, NJ
Thanks, colleague Maria Bell. I will look at New Jersey's Vo-Tech sites.
We were fortunate enough to have a student from Germany stay with us through an exchange program. She discussed her career path and the differences between the US and Germany's education programs. I believe there is definitely systems that can be put into play that could be a school to work type program. Many students could benefit from such a program.
There are a multitude of students that could definitely benefit from such programs. I have many students in my classes that do not learn in a traditional classroom style of teaching. They strongly benefit from a apprenticeship style of hands-on learning at our community college. Their attendance issues are greatly diminished because they see value in their learning.
I stand firmly on this point of integrating businesses and apprenticeships early on, and to add to this, the need for a better esteemed community college system, as per Germany. If local businesses worked closer with high schools and community colleges to offer well-structured and supported apprenticeships, think of what great things would happen as a result.
I know that many high schools have the option of going to vocational school, but I think it could definitely be improved on.
Thanks, Colleague Courtney Hartzell. Any suggestions as to how the two bodies--schools and businesses--might each find it in their interest to work together?
Using the German model as a reference, local businesses would offer low level apprenticeships as a way to show students how the company operates and what their future in that field could look like. The apprenticeship could be structured where students have one or two days/week in school, and the other days at their work placement. Their position in the company could even rotate every month, allowing them to experience different roles in the company, which would also give them a bigger picture of how the company works. Businesses would benefit from this because they get to oversee various student workers and decide which ones to perhaps offer full time positions to. If offered a position, the student would require significantly less training, and the employer would already have an idea of the quality of their performance. Businesses could arrange some sort of a salary agreement with the school, which could benefit both sides, potentially.
Hope this helps!
Having served as an educator in the United States and in Europe, I would suggest that we might consider clearly defining the term apprenticeship within the context of the US. For example, there is a legal difference between and Apprenticeship (with a capital A), which pertains to a formal agreement with trade and business organizations (and is protected within US labor law), and informal apprenticeship, and an internship when it comes to High School aged students in the US. If there might be a bit more information I might be able to more appropriately respond as this is an area where I have experience. Thank you for your consideration.
Thanks, Colleague Shawn Loescher. I wonder how what we call "service learning" is factored into the apprenticeship programs. In the University of Arizona English Teaching , Rhet. and Composition (RCTE) Ph.D. program, I learned that this activity is a popular form of bringing students together with potential jobs and service in their communities.
My thanks to you Colleague Gloria Lee Mcmilliam. Service learning is popular in many high school programs with some schools having a community service requirement of which service learning, internships, job shadows, and (A)apprenticeships often meeting the requirements for community service. Often time service learning falls into a form of volunteerism to advance community efforts while meeting predefined educational outcome goals. Job shadows are often limited in scope and number of hours - in my last school district it had to be less than 30 hours. Internships for high school students need exceed job shadow requirements and must teach a broad range of skills so as to not supplant workforce and be educationally based. In to this mix you may also want to consider the various components of Work Experience Education (paid and unpaid) which has a rich history within the context of the American vocational education traditions.
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