|
The American Enterprise Institute released today a series of case studies entitled “What Works: Building Skills Across America,” to highlight a variety of alternative education and training options available to students and workers. An ongoing project, the first nine studies can be found here.
Many students today – young and old – are worried that America’s one-size-fits-all education system will not adequately prepare them for an ever more shifting and sophisticated world of work. Fortunately, there are other education and training options worth more sustained and serious attention from policymakers, businesses, students, and parents: Technical programs provide many students with marketable skills and on-ramps to employment, often for less time and money than four-year bachelor’s degrees.
Various scholars are available to comment on the project and specific papers. For interview requests, please contact Madeline James at madeline.james@aei.org or 202.862.4870. Alternatively, for 24/7 contact, please email mediaservices@aei.org or 202.862.5829.
A brief description of the first nine studies follows:
The Evolving High School CTE: New Jersey’s Distinctive Approach to Career Education by Andy Smarick Historic policies in New Jersey have established an unusual and promising network of county-based vocational high schools with the flexibility to operate differently since they are outside of the traditional district-based system of governance. (AEI is hosting an event on CTE in New Jersey on Tuesday, May 1 “Workforce education: New Jersey as a laboratory for America.” Watch the livestream here)
Bridging the Divide Between School and Career: A Charter School, a Design College, and a Manufacturer Located Under One Roof in Detroit by Jeff Selingo A former General Motors building in Detroit houses a public 6–12 charter school focused on the arts; the College for Creative Studies, a four-year art and design school; and the headquarters and manufacturing plant for Shinola, a watch and leather-goods maker. The idea behind co-location is to smooth the transition from school to college to work and to provide benefits for the line workers at Shinola to send their own children to school near where they work.
Earning to Learn: How America’s Work Colleges Are Bridging Equity Gaps and Serving Society by Jocelyn Pickford At a time when the value of a liberal arts education is being questioned more than ever, America’s work colleges—liberal arts schools that explicitly prepare students for employment after graduation—offer a compelling response. Work colleges also offer pathways for traditionally underserved populations through higher education, which has positive implications for educational equity.
Replicating Success at the Jane Addams Resource Corporation: Scaling Training and Employment Services through Community-Based Nonprofits by Jason Tyszko The Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) is a community-based nonprofit in Chicago that provides high-quality training, credentialing, and job-placement. Community-based nonprofits should be leveraged more fully to provide employment and training services and more effective career pathways for low-income and disadvantaged populations.
Employment Drivers? Community College Partnerships with Automobile Manufacturers by KC Deane Several automotive manufacturers with major US plants have collaborated with community colleges to design and implement factory-specific training programs. Some place students on a clear pathway from college to employment at the partner’s factory, while others approach their partnership as a mutually beneficial opportunity to leverage shared resources while helping students gain valuable workplace skills.
Stacking for Success: “Stackable Credentials” at Brazosport College by Rooney Columbus, Andrew P. Kelly, and KC Deane Stackable credentials are an emerging trend where colleges break up associate or bachelor’s degree programs into smaller, more discrete certificates that can build on each other to provide students with more efficient and flexible educational pathways leading to lucrative careers in local industries.
Enroll in School to Go to Work: Cooperative Education Programs by Kevin J. James and KC Deane The University of Cincinnati and Drexel University offer cooperative education programs that enable students to spend up to several semesters with employers in their field while enrolled in school. These programs potentially provide a more sustainable—and valuable—on-ramp to the workforce than a traditional summer internship.
“I Want to Solve Poverty”: Catholic Charities of Fort Worth by Tamar Jacoby Catholic Charities of Fort Worth is an independent nonprofit that provides an array of services for some 100,000 clients a year, nearly three-quarters of them working adults. Among the services offered: skills training, job placement, veterans’ services, a children’s shelter, a dental clinic, legal aid for immigrants and refugees, and an independent for-profit business—a social enterprise that provides jobs for clients and additional funding for the organization.
Business Steps Up: The Apprentice School by Tamar Jacoby A Fortune 400 company that builds ships, submarines, and aircraft carriers for the US Navy, Huntington Ingalls spends a whopping $110 million a year on workforce development. And its nearly 100-year-old Apprenticeship School holds answers for employers across the economy who are thinking about stepping up to offer training but not sure how or whether it will pay off in the long term.
|
