{UAH} The School-To-Work Transition Is Broken: Here's Who's Fixing It

The School-To-Work Transition Is Broken: Here's Who's Fixing It

Nicholas Wyman ,

Contributor

I write about job skills and training in the 21st-century workplace.

• Follow on Forbes 

 

•  
•  
•  

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

The U.S. unemployment rate in November 2015 was 5.0%, down from a high of 10% in October 2009. Among young people, however, unemployment is significantly higher: just under 16% for 18-19 year olds.

At the same time, a number of industry sectors are adding jobs, including professional and business services, health care, financial activities and food services. Jobs are out there, but young people don't seem to be getting them.

Why not? Increasingly, employers in growing U.S. industries need people with technical and work-related skills in addition to academic skills. Yes these skills are simply not being taught in the majority of American high schools. Many of the entry-level jobs available to young people today might require some postsecondary education or training, but not a four-year college degree.

Yet most American high schools, however, have a college-prep curriculum. Which means that students who don't go to college, or who go but don't graduate, often flounder in pre-college courses, whilst missing out on the critical opportunity to acquire the necessary skills for today's technical jobs.

But there is a new movement to redesign American high schools so students graduate with both job-ready technical skills and strong academic skills.

One example is P-TECH, Pathways in Technology Early College High School, a program started by IBM in partnership with colleges and educators. The core of the program is a six-year pathway (grades 9-14) that culminates in an Associate in Applied Science Degreesin either computer information systems or electromechanical engineering, and recognized, transferable workplace skills gained via workplace learning, mentoring and internships.

Teens Graduate Early from P-TECH Brooklyn 2015 (Augusto F. Menezes/Feature Photo Service for IBM)

Recommended by Forbes

What are commonly called "soft skills" but which founding Principal Rashid Davis prefers to call "employability skills"which are emphasized throughout the curriculum, even in the academic courses, which feature group projects that foster teamwork and improve problem-solving and communication skills, the kinds of skills that employers say are most in need. Students also gain real-world work experience through site visits, skills challenges and, for older students, paid internships.

Principal Davis describes the outcomes like this: "After only four years of the six year model, six students graduated with both their high school diploma and AAS degrees. Three of these 18-year-olds are now working at IBM, while the three others are pursuing their four year degrees. The early graduates and now early hires of IBM are proof that STEM talent can be grown from students who are not academically screened or tested for admissions."

P-TECH schools have open enrollment. There are no qualifications for admission, and the program is committed to seeing every student through to graduation. For some, that means intensive work in the first year or two. But students can finish, and are finishing earlier – at the five or even four-year mark.

Student achievement is not measured by time, but by benchmarked skill standards. Students who are accelerating through the model are not necessarily the ones who entered with higher skills, demonstrating that with the right motivation and support, all students can achieve.

Another progressive high school that combines technical training with academics is the Toledo Technology Academy (TTA) in Ohio, grades 7-12. TTA students acquire specific industry certifications in their time at the academy and are ready to enter well-paying jobs in engineering and manufacturing on graduation.

Strong partnerships with local businesses guarantee the technical training is up-to-date, relevant and leads directly to local jobs.

Academy leaders also stress the program's universal high academic standards. There is no separate vocational/technical track. All students are expected to achieve at the highest levels in both their technical and academic work. Students can take honors or postsecondary programs, and articulation agreements with local universities to ensure a smooth transition for students who decide to pursue two- or four-year college degrees.

 

--

_____________________________

Bwanika Nakyesawa Luwero

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com