New Demands and Dimensions for Apprenticeship in the New Economy, School Work Partnerships
Abstract:
This paper describes a secondary school transition to work apprenticeship program in motive power trades. This shared enterprise is supported by a steering committee comprised of school, community college, employer and government representatives. Now beginning its fourth year, the program has enrolled over 100 students.The presentation addresses issues of building a "community of practice", recruiting students to skilled trades and locating willing employers. The steering committee has just recently completed a program evaluation in an effort to better describe the program participants. Particular attention is paid to how students found out about the program and their motivation for enrolling. Less than half of the students have any familial connection to skilled trades and almost all attribute their involvement in the program most directly to their automotive teacher. Similarly, employers credit their involvement to personal contacts initiated by teacher or school board representatives. While employers report high levels of satisfaction with the program they remain frustrated in trying to recruit the "right" students to skilled trades and largely expect schools to meet this mandate. The report uncovers some of the issues in attempting to create the spirit of shared endeavour between schools and employers.
Authors:
Ross Edmund
Sheryl Freeman
Ross Edmunds is an Instructional Leader with the Toronto District School Board where his responsibilities include technological education in secondary schools. Ross has been recently seconded to the Ontario Ministry of Education Secondary School Project to work on issues surrounding technological and vocational education. In 1997 Ross was responsible for the design and development of the CITI Motive Power School Work Apprenticeship Pilot.
Sheryl Freeman is a graduate student in Theory and Policy Studies at OISE/UT. Sheryl's interest in skilled trades education began in 1976 when she began teaching in English in a vocational school. She worked as member of the CITI Steering Committee with Ross from 1997 to present. She has recently completed a program evaluation of the CITI Project.