Education has maintained the same
model for years. Over a hundred and fifty of them. Some things in education
need to be updated, but in other instances, maybe it’s time to revisit the past,
take a successful model, and update it for today’s learner. That model?
Apprenticeship.
A recent article by Ron Bethke of
eCampus News explores the growing movement toward apprenticeship in higher
education, noting in his article the increase of federal funding for this
program.
In my opinion this is good. But it
could be better. How? By moving some of the funds from higher ed to high school
and allowing students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in a
career or trade they are considering.
If the clarion call is out that
students need to finish college in four years, what better way to prepare them
for post-high school life than expose them to their potential career? By giving them
this opportunity, students could find out if their intended career is a fit for
them.
Critics will respond that high
school kids are too young to make a choice with such long-lasting implications,
stating that many of them will change careers and may not even stay in their
apprenticed field. So what? How many people are in the career field they started
in? Many, but not all.
According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, most people change jobs every 4.4 years, but for the Millennial
generation, that span is cut in half. This generation loves change and trying new
things. Including jobs and often time new careers. Since they are going to
change anyway, why not expose young people to as many career choices as
possible? This could potentially reduce the amount of job hopping done, leading
to happier employees and employers both. This would be a win-win situation.
Any time we can offer students
hands-on or real-world opportunities, we increase student engagement. When engagement
goes up, so does learning. When learning increases, so do test scores. And isn’t
that what everyone is after anyway? Better test scores? So bring on the
apprentice programs but don’t stop at higher education. Filter them into the
secondary level and see what kind of changes we could bring to a successful old
school model.