DOCUMENT RESUME ED 411 390 Hamilton, Mary …DOCUMENT RESUME ED 411 390 CE 074 363 AUTHOR Hamilton, Mary Agnes; Hamilton, Stephen F. TITLE Learning Well at Work: Choices for Quality

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 411 390 CE 074 363

AUTHOR Hamilton, Mary Agnes; Hamilton, Stephen F.TITLE Learning Well at Work: Choices for Quality.INSTITUTION National School-to-Work Opportunities Office, Washington,

DC.; Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY. Dept of Human Developmentand Family Studies.

SPONS AGENCY Mott (C.S.) Foundation, Flint, MI.; Pew Charitable Trusts,Philadelphia, PA.

PUB DATE 1997-04-00NOTE 99p.; Support also provided by the G. Clifford and Florence

B. Decker Foundation.PUB TYPE Reports Research (143)EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; Academic EducatiOn; *Apprenticeships;

Career Development; Demonstration Programs; *Education WorkRelationship; Educational Improvement;' Entry Workers; HighSchools; Integrated Curriculum; Job Skills; Mentors; ProgramDevelopment; *Program Implementation; School BusinessRelationship; Teacher Role; Vocational. Education; *WorkExperience Programs; Workplace Literacy

ABSTRACTDrawn from the experiences of the Cornell Youth and Work

Program, a 4-year demonstration project that adapted elements of EuropeanL4

apprenticeship in the United States anc emphasized opportu-:!.ties for youth tolearn at work, this guide is written for people in workplaces and schools whoplan, direct, or evaluate work-based learning opportunities for youth.Following an introduction that describes the demonstration projects, types ofwork-based learning, and the principles derived from the project, the guidecontains seven sections. The sections cover the following topics: (1)

technical competence (getting started, designing a multiyear program); (2)

breadth (why teach all aspects of the industry, why rotate, why supportprojects and complex activities, what makes a good project); (3) personal andsocial competence; (4) expectations and feedback; (5) teaching roles(coordinating, managing, coaching, mentoring in work-based learningprograms); (6) academic achievement; and (7) career paths after high school.A concluding section suggests next steps for restructuring schools andworkplaces, forming partnerships, and building a school-to-work system. Anappendix contains statistics and samples from the demonstration project. (KC)

********************************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

********************************************************************************

SCHOOLTOWORKOPPORTUNITIESU.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION it U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

_earning We at Work:Choices for Quality

Mary Agnes HamiltonStephen F. Hamilton

PREPARING YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND1

DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL ,

HAS BEEN GRPINTED BY

U.S. DEPARTMIENT OF EDUCATIONOffice cif ducationei Research and Improvement

EOU DONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

his document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating .1.

0 Minor changes have been made to improvereproduction Quality.

Points of new or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy.

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

This report describes a research anddevelopment project of the Departmentof Human Development and Family

Studies, College of Human Ecology, CornellUniversity. The project has been supported bytwo grants. from The Pew Charitable Trusts.Additional support was provided by aninitiative of the New York State legislaturesponsored by former assembly majority leaderJames R. Tallon, Jr., and by grants from theCharles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Dr.G. Clifford and Florence B. Decker Foundation.Dean Francille Firebaugh's unwaveringconfidence and support have been crucial to theproject's continuation.

Far too many people have participated in thedevelopment of this project to make a compre-hensive list possible. We owe our sincere thanksto all of them. The following people workedwith us as staff or students.

Staff: Amy Tietjen Smith, Cynthia Miller,Jennifer Jameson, Haya Novak, Renee Ferrari,Lynn Okagaki, Jeff Claus, Peg Kelly, AmiKadar, Debbie Stayer Kelly

Graduate students: Craig Nicholls, 'TinaRosenblum, Starr Niego, Mary Ann Erickson,Kaori Ueki, Mark Seng

Undergraduate students: Colleen Akehurst,Andrea Aronoff, Margaret Ayala, Clara Bang, .

Jennifer Blum, Ebony Bridwell-Mitchell, WendyCastro, Jennifer Choi, Tamar Duvdevani,Rachel Fremder, Luis Garcia, Annette Gifford,Alexandra Hernandez, Lou Horvath, TaraHoward, Matt Kangas, Kerri-Ann Kiniorski,Jonathan Larsen, Dawn Longobardi, MelindaMechur, Nisheeth Ranjan, Andrea Rubio,Peguy Saintil; Purvi Sevak, Janet Soeffing,Stephanie Sneed; Linda Thomas, Lisa Wong

The adults named in the body of the reportrepresent several hundred teachers, counselors,administrators, coaches, mentors, managers, andcoordinators whose dedication and skill madeapprenticeship work. We appreciate and respecttheir efforts and those of the young people andtheir parents.

Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmativeaction educator and employer.Produced by Media Services at Cornell UniversityEdited by Trudie CalvertIllustrations by Annie CampbellDesigned by Wendy KenigsbergPhotography by Cornell University Photography:Robert Barker, Charles Harrington, Chris Hildreth,Adriana Rovers, Bruce WangPrinted on recycled paper4/97 GPO/DCP 15M MS50295

Participating EmployersAnitec, Imaging Products Division of Interna-

tional PaperBlue Cross Blue Shield of Western New YorkColumbian Mutual Life Insurance CompanyDoron Precision Systems, Inc.Good Shepherd Fairview HomeIBM Corporation at EndicottLourdes HospitalMaines Paper and Food Service, Inc.The Raymond CorporationSecurity Mutual Life Insurance Company of

New YorkUnited Health Services Hospitals: Binghamton

General Hospital, Wilson Medical Center

Participating SchoolsBinghamton High SchoolGreene Central High SchoolSeton Catholic Central High SchoolSusquehanna Valley High SchoolUnion-Endicott High SchoolWhitney Point High SchoolWindsor Central High SchoolBroome Community College

Coordinating OrganizationsCornell Cooperative Extension of BroomeCounty provided the project's initial base inthe community. Ben Wood helped to get itstarted with support from Penny Corino andSue Bair. Responsibility for youth apprentice-ship was transferred to the School and BusinessAlliance of Broome and Tioga counties duringthe fourth year, under the leadership of AliciaTerry Boyce and Ruth Henneman.

Acknowledgements

The following people read and commented onan earlier draft. We are grateful for theirconstructive suggestions: Mary Ellen Bavaro,Gene Bottoms, Heidi Bowne, Ivan Charner,Badi Foster, Sam Halperin, Richard Kazis,Dawn Krusemark, Glenda Partee, ChrisPowers, and staff at the National School-to-Work Office.

3

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

[Intod itocfionThe Demonstration ProjectTypes of Work-Based LearningPrinciples

o Technke Compeence 10Getting StartedDesigning a Multi-Year ProgramConclusion

2. IBTead2hWhy Teach All Aspects of the Industry?Why Rotate?Why Support Projects and Complex Activities?What Makes a Good Project?Conclusion

116

3. Pena:me and Sockil CompeenceWhat Should Youth Learn?When Is Case Management Necessary?Conclusion

Ezipedafins and Feedback 33Stating Mutually Clear ExpectationsEvaluating LearningCredentials and PortfoliosConclusion

5. TeacMns ReesCoordinating Work-Based Learning ProgramsManaging Work-Based Learning Programs in DepartmentsCoaching Youth on Technical SkillsMentoring Youth on Personal and Social BehaviorsHow to Support Teaching RolesConclusion

6. Acaderrnk Addeuemena 52Promoting Higher StandardsWho Advises Youth?How Can Teachers Link School-Based Learning to Work-Based Learning?Why Allow Flexible Schedules?Conclusion

CaTeeT Pehs 60Career Paths after High School and Work-Based LearningHelping Youth Find a DirectionConclusion

Reps 711

Restructure Schools and WorkplacesForm PartnershipsBuild a School-to-Work System

Motes 76Appenth 79

Learning and working are increasingly interdependent throughout life.Rather than learning during childhood and adolescence and working duringadulthood, people must continue learning over their entire lifetime. Work-places are joining schools as significant learning environments for youth aswell as for adults. Along with schools, homes, playgrounds, libraries, cyber-space, and other locations, workplaces are part of the education systemof the future.

This guide is written for people in workplaces and schools Who plan, direct,or evaluate work-based learning opportunities for youth. The choices thatdetermine the quality of work-based learning provide the guide's framework.It is grounded in a four-year demonstration project that adapted elements ofEuropean apprenticeship in the United States and emphasized opportunities .

for youth to learn at work. We used the terms "youth apprenticeship" andto communicate our intention to create a multi-year sequence of

work-based and school-based learning opportunities providing formal certifi-cation of participants' competence.

The Cornell Youth Apprenticeship Demonstration Project was one ofseveral initiatives in the early 1990s that used the term "youth apprentice-ship." The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 was inspired in partby "the time honored apprenticeship concept" and identified youth appren-ticeship as one of the promising school-to-work activities that should beexpanded. To avoid overlap with existing programs, we selected occupationalareas that did not have registered apprenticeships. We sought advice fromleaders of organized labor and representatives of the New York State Depart-ment of Labor. Our long-term plan was to register the programswe created once they had been tested. Because thisreport addresses the whole range of work-basedlearning opportunities, we refer in most cases to 0"students," or "participants" rather thanapprentices and to "the program" or "the demonstra-tion project" rather than apprenticeship.

The demonstration project tested approachesthat can be adapted to other communities andincorporated into more comprehensive systems.But the general lessons we learned are more importantthan the specific details of the project. Both the projectand this guide were motivated by the belief that lessonsabout creating high-quality youth apprenticeshipprograms can be applied to create, expand, andstrengthen all types of work-based learning.

0

Introduction5

The nemormstatIon Prroject

Planning for the Cornell YouthApprenticeship DemonstrationProject began in July 1990. Afterexploring potential sites in centralNew York, we selected BroomeCounty because of its economicdiversity, the strength and support ofits local institutions, and the supportof community leaders)

Participants in the demonstrationproject began as high school juniors.They were employed 10 to 20 hoursper week in one of three occupationalareas: health care, administration andoffice technology, and manufacturingand engineering technology. Theyremained enrolled in school full-timeand received credit for their workexperience, which they fit into theirschedules either at the beginning orthe end of the school day.2

Occupational AreasWe selected the occupational areasin which students would be placedbased on labor market projectionsfrom the regional office of the NewYork State Department of Labor.The three occupational areas offeremployment at the technician level,which requires postsecondary educa-tion and specialized knowledge andskills. People in these occupa-tions are increasingly ex-pected to have multiple skillsand, in many cases, to workin cross-trained teams.

Hee llth Care (HC) differs frommost other occupational fields in theUnited States because it has sharplydefined job titles and specific qualifi-cations. Professional organizationsand state health departments estab-lish requirements and assess individuals'qualifications. Anyone wishing tobecome a physical therapist, forexample, can readily learn what stepsto take to become certified. Anadvantage of placing youth in healthcare is that workers in hospitals viewteaching as a legitimate function andare accustomed to offering intern-ships and practica.

One challenge posed by healthcare occupations is that the special-ties can be too narrow and sometimesconstitute dead ends. For example,one physical therapist warned thatthe two-year college program leadingto certification as a physical therapyassistant did not include the requiredcourses for physical therapists so thatsomeone wishing to move from beingan assistant to being a physicaltherapist must begin with the firstyear of college.

National debates about health carepolicy, cost containment efforts, andapproaches such as health mainte-nance organizations and home carehave created uncertainties in thehealth care scene that impededhospitals' capacity to take moreyouth. Ultimately, however, the needfor health care technicians like thosein the demonstration project is

likely to increase.

2 Learning Well at Work

In contrast to health care, Admin-isto.Mon and Office Technology(AOT) is a relatively fluid and openoccupational area. The most sharplydefined specialties are in accountingand computer programming; mostother subfields are broad, requiringgeneral communication, organization,and social skills. Administrative workis available in a variety of organiza-tions, including hospitals, factories,public and private nonprofit organiza-tions, and financial services institu-tions. We had two models for appren-ticeship in this area. One was thetraining of German "merchants," aterm that encompasses a wide rangeof middle-level office jobs, includingsecretary, bookkeeper, personnelofficer, account executive, and inven-tory control specialist. The othermodel comes from American firmsemploying multiskilled workers inself-managed work teams. For ex-ample, some insurance companieshave changed their procedures andretrained their workers for "once anddone" operations so that a customercan call in with a series of questionsabout a policy and get answers fromthe same personequipped with acomputerwho is also prepared tosell additional products based on anassessment of the customer's needs.Such employees need more educationand training than do those whoprocess one part of one form.Despite the need for people inAOT with more advanced andmore diverse skills, downsizingand buyouts restricted thenumber of AOT positionsbecause functions wereeliminated or shifted to homeoffices in other locations.

The metropolitan region aroundBinghamton, New York, is heavilyindustrial, making it an excellentlocale for Mamba:labs andEneneeffing "Bethnal Dogy (MET)placements. The multinational firmAsea Brown Boveri (ABB), whichwe visited in Switzerland, provides amodel apprenticeship in this occupa-tional area. It combines formerlyseparate apprenticeships in drafting,machining, and electronics toproduce electro-mechanical techni-cians capable of performing manytasks and collaborating with special-ists in related fields. We hoped toachieve comparable breadth, givingyouth multiple skills and careeroptions. Even more than in theother two occupational areas, em-ployment prospects were limitedbecause consolidation anddownsizing reduced the number ofjobs in manufacturing. Nevertheless,some firms with shrinking work-forces participated because they hada growing need for the kinds ofworkers the program was designed toproduce. And some manufacturingfirms defied the general trend andexpanded. Furthermore, employersagreed to teach youth not only tomeet their own needs but to helpstrengthen the community'seconomy and educational systemwhile furthering their owndevelopment as learningorganizations.

Introduction 3

Workplace ParticipationFour firms took part in the first yearof the demonstration project; elevenwere involved by the fourth year.Youth enrollment grew steadily, ifmodestly: there were 22 in the firstyear, 41 in the second, 47 in thethird, and 59 in the fourth. A totalof 100 youth participated during fouryears (see Table 1 in Appendix, p. 79).

We would have preferred a largernumber of employers,' each enroll-ing larger numbers of youth. In thefourth program year, three of theoriginal firms had 10 placementseach, three firms had 5 to 6, onehad 4, another 3, two had 2, andone had a single placement. Moneyto pay youth was not the key re-source required of employers. Mostfound that within six weeks or less,youth were productive enough toearn their wages. As youth becamemore competent, their productivitysubstantially exceeded their earn-ings. Far more serious than wagecosts were the costs of acoordinator's time and that of otheradult employees for

>supervising youth.

>communicating with school andparents.

>planning and coordinating withinand across workplaces.

>orienting, training, and supportingcoaches and mentors.

>designing a learning plan andassessing performance.

These costs are not easily quanti-fied, but they are real and substan-tial. They vary considerably amongemployers.4 Economies of scaleresult when workplaces take largernumbers of youth because the costsdo not increase proportionatelywith each added participant.Employers can reduce some costsby collaborating within a regionalpartnership, a state, or an industry,for example, and sharing the costsof planning a learning program.

School ParticipationMost high schools in the regionwished to participate in theproject, but we limited the numberto five the first year and later toseven so we could concentrate anddevelop resources within thoseschools. Each high school desig-nated one faculty member ascoordinator to>communicate with workplaces.

>involve a school committee inprogram development, recruitingand evaluation, and developingacademic connections to work-based learning (curriculum, seniorprojects, staff development) and aschool-based advising system ledby faculty members.

Broome Community College wasrepresented on the project's advi-sory committee; six youth enrolledthere while continuing theirparticipation; and representativesfrom the college served on educa-tion committees related to eachoccupational area.


I

I

a

Participants and TheirCharacteristicsActive recruiting generated literallyhundreds of applicants for placements.We advocated the recruitment of"middle students" even though westrongly believe all young people canbenefit. Those already bound for four-year colleges have less need for appren-ticeship; those with severe problemsare best served by preapprenticeshipprograms. Entering grade point averages(GPA) of participants were in theC+/B- range, indicating that employerschose mostly middle students. Inclusionof students with a range of GPAshelped to avoid the stigma often attachedto special programs (see Table 2 in Appen

dix, p. 79).A high school diploma or less was the

highest education level attained byeither parent in 54 percent of thefamilies. In 43 percent of the familiesone parent had two or more years ofcollege (see Table 3 in Appendix, p. 80).

The female majority among partici-pants (59 percent) reflects the pre-dominance of traditionally femaleoccupations in health care and inadministration and office technology(see Table 4 in Appendix, p. 80). Maleparticipants clustered in manufactur-ing and engineering technology, whichaccounted for only 28 percent of thepositions. Employers worked with us totry to break gender stereotypes andenrolled youth across traditionalgender lines.

Young people from minority groupsparticipated in the program at twicetheir proportion of the population (13percent compared to 6 percent of 15-to 19-year-olds in Broome County; seeTable 5 in Appendix, p. 80). This

reflected employers' commitment toaffirmative action and their view of thisproject as a means of "filling the pipe-line" with qualified potential applicants.Teachers and counselors also encour-aged applications from minority youth.

GovernanceThe demonstration project was in-tended to have a limited lifetime. If itsucceeded, it would become part of thelocal educational and employmentsystems under local control. Weplanned for this eventuality from thebeginning, forming a local advisorycommittee, committees of coordinatorsfrom schools and firms, and educationcommittees for each occupational area,seeking collaboration with othereducational institutions, and, mostimportant, trying always to empowerour partners in the schools and work-places so that they would be able tocontinue without us. A coordinatingor intermediary organization was alsoneeded to support further develop-ment.' Responsibility for the projectwas transferred from Cornell to thecommunity partners in planned stepsduring the fourth year.

Introduction 5

Uypes O'q WOG' ,&.13ased LearmAng

Apprenticeship is the epitome ofwork-based learning, but work-basedlearning encompasses a wider range oflearning opportunities. The issues weencountered in the demonstrationproject apply to all types of work-based learning. Choices must bemade about the same issues, thoughthe most appropriate choices varyamong different types of work-basedlearning. We define work-basedlearning as occurring intentionally ina location where the primary activityis producing goods or services.

The School-to-Work Opportuni-ties Act was inspired by apprentice-ship but wisely supports many typesof work-based learning occurringfrom kindergarten through college, asindicated in Figure 1. Eight majortypes of work-basedlearning may begrouped into threecategories.

Types of Work-Based Learning

Visits to Workplaces

Field tripsonetime visits to observeJob shadowinglonger-term, sometimesmultiple visits to observe by following aworker

Worklike Experience

Service learning and unpaid internshipsvoluntary service, not necessarily with acareer focusYouth-run enterprisesworkplaces createdto give youth employment and manage-ment experience

Employment

- Youth jobsjobs ordinarily open toteenagers but often not learningopportunitiesSubsidized employment trainingpaidwork as part of a training programCooperative education and paidinternships school related workexperience

Youth apprenticeshiplong-term (over severalyears) work and learningprogram leading tocertification

Grades K-7 8 9 10-Pmairl Tripe

Service LeammgiandUnprIntemrhips

LYouth-run Enterprres

I

I 1 I 1

I I

Youth Join

Subsidiz d Empl

I

.I I Iyment Tr .ining

ve Education anInt ms ips

Yout A prenticeshioPaid

Figure 1. Types of Work-Based Learning

6

10Learning Well at Work

I

II

I

I

Work-based learning can occur inschools if students are actively en-gaged in producing goods or services.If students perform services such ascleaning rooms or serving food in thecafeteria, if they work in school-basedenterprises that produce goods orservices for sale, if they serve asassistants or apprentices to teachers,librarians, or other staff members, andif these activities are designed aslearning opportunities, then they aredoing work-based learning eventhough they are located in a schoolbuilding. We define "work" as em-ployment-related activity rather thanin its broader meaning as purposefulactivity that includes schoolwork,working out at a sport, and so on. Byour definition, studyingabout work, learninghow to work, orsimulating a work-. place are allschool-basedlearning, notwork-based.

Work-based learning opportunitiesmay be differentiated along severaldimensions: their purposes, the activi-ties participants engage in, the natureof their connections with school, andthe investment of time, money, andother resources by the employer andthe youth. Figure 2 defines these fourdimensions. The three levels indicateshifts toward increasingly intensiveexperiences. Those shifts are cumula-tive, that is, each level incorporatesand supersedes the preceding one.Work-based learning experiences atLevel 1 provide a foundation forexperiences at Levels 2 and 3. Forexample, cooperative educationideally builds on previous explorationgained through field trips. When itteaches technical competence (Level3), cooperative education will at thesame time provide opportunities formore extensive career explorationthan is available through field trips atLevel 1. In addition, cooperativeeducation at Level 3 will continue tonurture personal and social compe-tence (Level 2). Higher-level work-based learning tends to require moreinvestment.

Purposes Activites SchoolSctrtilIGACEC) [11K9201103111

,.,T.,

a)_1

Technicalcompetence

Planning,performing,and evaluatingcomplex tasks

Integrated More

N7v

tv>_1

Personal andsocialcompetence

Performingroutine tasks Interdependent

Tv

r,....

Exploration Observation Related Less

Figure 2. Dimensions of Work-Based Learning

Introduction 7

Field trips are typical of Level 1,youth apprenticeship of Level 3.However, the levels of all types ofwork-based learning may varydepending on how they are de-signed. For example, students inLevel 2 service learning mightengage in a low-intensity activityfor a brief period, such as picking uptrash on Earth Day, whereas partici-pants in an intensive service-learning project at Level 3 mightlearn and perform complex tasksover an extended time, as innational service and conservationcorps programs.

Assigning any work-based learn-ing opportunity to a particular levelis complicated. For example, eventhough the activities involved in afield trip are, by definition, limitedto observation (Level 1), thepurpose might be gaining highlytechnical knowledge (Level 3), aswhen a structural engineering classvisits a bridge during a windstormto learn about stress. Anotherexample of levels varying acrossdimensions is a youth-run enter-prise that teaches technicalcompetence (Level 3) but issponsored by a communityorganization with no directconnection to school.

Variation occurs withinlevels too. Forexample,work-basedlearningopportunities atLevel 3 may divergewidely in thedepth andbreadth ofthe technical

competence they teach; subsidizedemployment training programs mayrange from summer job programsthat teach few if any technical skillsto programs such as Job Corps andYouthbuild that teach advancedtechnical skills.

The framework in Figure 2 maybe used to situate a program using aparticular type of work-basedlearning within a comprehensiveschool-to-work system, to compareit along these dimensions withother programs, and to assess thematch between its purposes andparticipants' needs. But a program'splace along these dimensions doesnot determine whether it is betteror worse than another program.Exploratory field trips for elemen-tary school children will appropri-ately be less intensive and lesscomprehensive than cooperativeeducation placements for highschool students studying marketing.Because youth apprenticeship,cooperative education, and subsi-dized employment training allrequire rather high investment, lessintensive and less expensive types

of work-based learningare essential if allyoung people are to be

served. Furthermore,participants in the moreintensive types will gain

more if they havepreviously experi-enced less intensive,more exploratorytypes of work-based

learning.


1 2

We realized when we began thedemonstration project that we weretrying to create independently onepart of what would ideally be anentire system. In a comprehensivesystem, young people would choosean occupational area based onadequate knowledge, experience, and

counseling to make strong commit-ments. Youth apprenticeship wouldbe a capstone experience followingparticipation in a range of work-basedlearning opportunities, each contrib-uting knowledge about the workworld to help young people choose acareer path.

Pdincilpilez

In the following pages we state seven principles to guide the practice ofwork-based learning. Each principle addresses a set of choices that employ-ers and educators planning and maintaining work-based learning opportuni-ties must make. By positing principles and choices rather than constructinga model, we emphasize that diverse approaches can be effective.'

Principles for Work-Based Learning1. Technicall Competence. Youth gain basic and high-level technical compe-

tence through challenging work.

2. Ikeadth. Youth gain broad technical competence and understand all aspectsof the industry through rotation and projects.

3. Peusonall and Social Competence. Youth gain personal and social compe-tence in the workplace.

4. Expectations and Feedback. Workplace teachers convey clear expectationsto youth and assess progress toward achieving them.

5. Teaching Roles. Youth learn from adults with formally assigned teachingroles.

6. Academic Achievement. Youth achieve high academic standards.

7. Cameo. Paths. Youth identify and follow career paths.

We developed some of these principles before the demonstration projectbegan, albeit in different terms.? Others emerged from the project, reflectingthe active contributions of many partners in the enterprise. We hope theywill prove useful to all who are engaged in work-based learning, especiallyas a tool to assess program development needs and set priorities. See ratingform in Appendix, p. 81.

IntroductionCl 51' 3

9

Technica_ Competence

Youth gain basic and high-level technical competence throughchallenging work.

1. Identify work tasks that teach technical competence.

2. Organize learning objectives as modules in core andelective units.

3. Design a multi-year learning plan that is increasinglychallenging.

Work-based learning teaches youngpeople how to perform work tasks.They begin by learning basic tech-nical skills that nearly anyone canlearn quickly. Basic technical skillsserve as building blocks for acquir-ing high-level skills. Training over aperiod of years leads to high-leveltechnical competence. Technicalcompetence includes not onlymastering procedures but alsounderstanding fundamental prin-ciples and concepts underlyingprocedures, increasing capacity foranalytical judgment, and, in mostoccupational areas, becomingcomputer literate. Less intensivetypes of work-based learning teachless technical competence but maybe improved by enhancing theirtechnical content.

In addition to learning how toperform work tasks, youth learnhow to learn. They acquire a firmfoundation of knowledge and skills,appreciation for expertise, confi-dence in their own ability, and

understanding that learning contin-ues for a lifetime. They must learnspecific work skills, but those skillsshould be understood as a foundationfor continuous learning, not asultimate or sufficient. Through work-based learning, youth prepare tofunction in learning organizations.


All the evidence we examinedindicated strongly that youth in thedemonstration project gained techni-cal competence. We observed themperforming complex tasks. Theircoaches praised their competenceand recorded their acquisition ofspecific skills over time. When askedat the end of each year, "Whatstands out for you in your experienceas an apprentice," they revealed their

appreciation for the centrality oftechnical competence; withoutfurther prompting they spoke ofwhat they had learned.'

O

"Wm Accounnes Payabile"

isa Black described how she learned technical procedures,IN including computer use. Although some of her work wasroutine, she conveyed great pride in hercontributions.

6 6 I do a booking procedure. I put the

invoices in the computer, and then the

checks get run from that. I do the little

[routine] work that no one else wants to do,

like stuff the envelopes, seal them, run them

through the mail machine, and file all the

paperwork from the checks. I was basically

Miss Accounts Payable while the lady I work

with was on maternity leave because I knew

what was going on. When I went on vacation, everything went

crazy. I came back and the treasurer said, 'We missed you so

much: It makes me feel important that I am doing something

that's beneficial to the company. I'm not just there to file.9 55

Liso Black(r.) with Judy Magda

Lisa Black

Doron Precision Systems, Inc., and Binghamton High School

1. Technical CompetenceJP J

11

Getthag Muted

To foster the acquisition of technicalcompetence, designers of work-basedlearning programs use the sameapproach as the designers of class-room instruction; they develop acurriculum. A work-based learningcurriculum identifies and sequenceslearning objectives and specifies thetasks, projects, and activities thatenable youth to achieve them.

TasksTo begin building a work-basedlearning curriculum, managers listwork tasks that youth will performand the necessary technical skills,including computer skills and prin-ciples related to understanding theprocedures (see Appendix, p. 83).Initially in the demonstrationproject, each department listedtechnical skills specific to its ownarea, without coordination amongdepartments.

Building BlocksAs new firms joined the project andmore departments in each firmparticipated, the number of learningobjectives expanded exponentially.To order the objectives, we convenedadults working with youth in thesame occupational area and intro-duced the terms:modules, core units,and elective units.Modules contain alist of relatedobjectives, such ascomputer use,

documentation, computer-aided design (CAD), mea-surement, welding, and safety(see Appendix, p. 84).

Modules are like building blocks.They can be put together in differentcombinations. For each occupationalarea, we grouped modules containingthe fundamental techniques andconcepts that all youth had to masterand named them the core unit.Elective units contained modulesrelated to subdisciplines and toprocedures that might be specific toone or a few firms. Firms selectedelective units to teach technical skillsrelated to their industry and futureworkforce needs. Each occupationalarea had both a core unit and electiveunits.

Core modules functioned ascomponents of skill standards forthe occupational areas in whichyouth worked. The frameworkof modules in core and electiveunits gave choices to employers

\\andyouth and also achieved some , ,A

1 ,

standardization. Evaluation note-books contained units and modulesfor technical competence and servedas a record of what participantslearned (see a sample log, p. 35).


DDeggniing a Mail -Year PiTogram

Ideally, coherent programs ofwork-based and school-basedlearning span secondary and

postsecondary education. Employ-ers, employees, and educators in thedemonstration project formededucation committees to determinehow to relate work-based learning tohigh school and college degreeprograms. The results of thesedeliberations suggest that the follow-ing points need to be addressed indesigning multi-year work-basedlearning opportunities.

> Link work-based learning to thefirm's strategic planning for theworkforce of the future.

Connect people engaged in work-based learning to strategic planning.

Identify positions, including new,combined, or current positions, forwhich youth would qualify uponcompletion of their multi-year work-based learning experience.

Identify competencies desired ofhighly competitive candidates forthese positions.

>Design a multi-year sequence ofwork-based learning.

. Groups of managers or high-levelindividuals should decide whereyouth are placed; otherwise, theirplacements may be a patchworkrather than a coherent sequence.

Follow a learning plan to determinewhat youth do and for how long,rather than merely using them tomeet production needs.

Prioritize, cluster, and sequencemodules as building blocks forlearning.

Design periodic rotations, selectingplacements to achieve both special-ization and cross-training and toteach all aspects of the industry(see Figure 3, p. 18).

> Promote multi-year educationalprograms and courses that comple-ment work-based learning.

Recommend or require specific highschool courses (e.g., college entrydiploma, four credits of math).

Recommend college programs thatgive youth desired qualifications;give scholarships for postsecondaryeducation.

Engage school leaders at secondaryand postsecondary levels; securetheir commitment to making con-nections with work-based learning.

Building a solid multi-year pro-gram requires that coaches andmanagers determine long-rangegoals for their workers and learningobjectives that match those goals.Coaches and managers can justifytheir selection of everyday worktasks for youth based on those goalsand objectives.

1. Technical Competence

1713

"You geg go see gibe Now [gcganye."

Lonni Kint, a manager, coach, andmentor at Blue Cross Blue Shield ofWestern New York, convened an in-house seminar to review goals andlearning objectives for the demon-stration project in her firm. Thegroup agreed that successful partici-pants would be competitive candi-dates to join customer service orhuman resource teams, both ofwhich require computer skills as wellas communication skills and analyti-cal judgment. As the coaches dis-cussed positions and skills, they alsodebated the content, level, and

breadth of training to offer, raisingthe following questions:

>What should youth learn?

>Can they learn this skill in school,through a computer program, or ina department at our firm?

>What should youth learn duringthe first year, the second, incollege?

>Do we have higher learningexpectations for some youth thanfor others? Is that just?

>Should all youth be expected tolearn complex tasks?

LLo reflected in an end-of-the-year

interview that working on the regionaladministration and office technology educa-tion committee had expanded her perspec-tive on learning, enabling her to see issuesbeyond her immediate department:

I'm on an administration and office technology

education committee and I think [its goals] are well

thought-out. And I would like to see all the coaches get

the chance to be on a committee like that It really gives

them a much better perspective to see the bigger picture. We get so narrowly

focused that we're concentrating so much on the business aspect. Then once

you start to meet and network with people from the high school and people

from Broome Community College, people from other companies, you get to

see the bigger picture, and I think it really helps give you better ideas. Maybe

you see where you could be doing things differently and maybe how you can

make corrections at the schools or other businesses to do things a

little differently. Strength in numbers though. It's a good way to

get more influence where it needs to be. 55

Lonni Kint(r.) with Carrie Holden

Lonni Kira

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York


U

U

Concilaufion

Rapidly changing technology andglobal competition have height-ened the need for advanced skillsbut simultaneously accelerated therate at which they are outmoded.To succeed in the twenty-firstcentury, workers must be highlyskilled and highly adaptable, bothspecialized and cross-trained. Work-based learning can help meet thisneed, but it requires that employersidentify as well as they can whatskills their workers will need in the

1111,ilIl

Lisa Wolf (I.) works with her coordinator andmanager, Lisa Wrobleski at Anitec.

future and then carefully plan work-based learning programs to teachthose skills. Because education isfundamental to high-level technicalskills, employers must collaboratewith high schools and communitycolleges, which can provide thedisciplinary base for skills andfurther skill learning, but only ifthey know what they should beteaching and set high academicstandards.

VN

Colin Evans (r.) surveys the plant's exhaustsystem with Dave Minerley at The RaymondCorporation.

2_

Linda Brenneis coaches Melissa Storti (r.) in theneonatal unit at Lourdes Hospital.

1. Technical Competence

1915

2. Breadth

Youth gain broad technical competence and understand allaspects of the industry through rotation and projects.

1. Inform youth about all aspects of the industry.

2. Rotate youth through several departments or placements.

3. Support projects and activities that teach multiple skillsand broad knowledge.

Along with teach-ing young people howto continue learning,broad training reducesthe chance that theirskills will becomeobsolete. Multipleskills enable a workerto move readily fromone assignment toanother, to participatein flexible work teams,and to respond torapid changes inproduction that result

from changing markets and technology and fromshort production runs and customized products.''Breadth is a quality of technical learning, but it isso critical that it deserves separate treatment.Teaching youth technical competence in a single,specialized area is relatively easy compared toachieving broad technical competence.

16 20 Learning Well at Work

U

Whv 'Teach A 11 Aspedz off ne Dnclusty?

The phrase "all aspects of theindustry" denotes the goal of intro-ducing youth to the larger contextin which they do their worktheeconomic and organizationalstructures surrounding them. Anold story about two stonemasonsresponding to the question, "Whatare you doing?" illustrates the point.One replied, "I'm squaring thisstone." The second said, "I'mbuilding a cathedral." Workers whoknow how their actions contributeto the whole are more motivatedthan those whose vision is narrow.They are also able to answer ques-tions and solve problems that gobeyond their immediate setting.

And they can aspire to a range ofcareer possibilities. A stone finishercan do only one job. A cathedralbuilder might become a foreman, acontractor, or an architect.

Breadth should be assured from thebeginning by providing youth withinformation about the employingfirm and the industry. Orientationsessions and literature are one sourceof such information. Another isparticipation in firm-wide events andactivities such as annual meetings orpicnics. Youth should receive news-letters and any information distrib-uted to other employees.

"Marx how 0 fffganye © how Owe pllace works"

When asked what he had learned, Scott Reak explained that hiswork in microscopy not only taught him specialized

technical skills but also helped him understandhow different departments work together.

6 6 How the microscopy department works, why

they do things. I learned how to use the equipment

they havepretty technical stuff. I got to deal with

people from other departments because they submit

samples to us and I got to figure out why they needed

the analysis done. And that's how I figure out how that

place works, just from working there. 99

ji10' I

vCz

ScottReak (I.)

and KevinMcMahon

Scott ReakAnitec and Susquehanna Valley High School

2. Breadth 21 17

Why Rot ate?

Rotation is the most important wayto assure breadth. Youth should movesystematically through several differ-ent placements to acquire a variety ofskills but also to learn the contribu-tions of different units and how theyfunction. Some program coordinatorsat firms were very creative in findingways to help participants becomeacquainted with their organizations.For example, moving patients fromone part of the hospital to anothervia wheelchair, gurney, or walking isan excellent way for youth in healthcare to learn how to deal with pa-tients while also learning about thelocations and functions of manydifferent parts of the hospital. A briefplacement in the mail room can servethe same purpose for youth in admin-istration and office technology. Thetool room can help orient youth inmanufacturing and engineeringtechnology.

Ideally, rotations are planned toenable youth to learn systematicallythe competencies specified in thecore and elective modules. Rotationsmay be customized to meet youngpeople's interests and career pathsand the needs of the firm. Two youthapprentices in the same occupationalarea in the same firm might followdifferent rotation patterns.

Rotation can create tensions forboth youth and adults. A coach ormanager may feel that the invest-ment is paying off when the youngperson can perform tasks compe-tently. Youth often develop personalattachments and a sense of security

from being in a place where they knowwhat to do. As a result, both mayoppose rotation. Managers and coordi-nators must attempt to balance thesereal and justifiable perspectives withthe need for breadth in work-basedlearning. The key is following a soundlearning plan rather than rotatingyouth at fixed intervals or making adhoc decisions solely to reduce tension.

Figure 3 illustrates one way ofshifting proportions of time for METyouth to master core competenciesand specialize in electronics andelectrical engineering.

Figure 3. Time Allocation in an MET Program

Weeks

50

40

30

20

10

0

Units

_Core

Drafting

Electronics and

Electrical Engineering

111 Chemical Processing

Grade 11 Grade 12 College 1 College 2

48 work weeks and 4 weeks' vacation

Units are shown together for clarity; however,competencies may be acquired in varioussequences and combinations.

> Youth rotate through placements selectedto teach competencies in four units. See addi-tional MET units and modules in Appendix, p. 84.


port Pffojects and CompileK AcfwEiths?

Youth gain multiple skills and broadknowledge by engaging in increas-ingly complex activities, by rotatingthrough placements in severaldifferent locations within a firm,

and by completing projects.The case of Brian LaPorte at TheRaymond Corporation illustrateswork on both complex activitiesand projects.

le gook me cgs& a whifile eo gee ll go whereecuslld Io of by myself'

Over four years Brian LaPorte rotated through several depart-ments at The Raymond Corporation, a manufacturer of

electrically powered fork lift trucks, gaining skills in machining,electronics, and engineering design. During his first year he learnedto calibrate the guidance system for two truck models, to check themicroprocessors, and to use variable power supplies, chart record-ers, and multimeters. The procedures he performed required induc-tive as well as deductive thinking. Through his work he discoveredan aptitude for and curiosity about electronics. At the end of thefirst year, Brian's manager noted on his evaluation that the nextstep for him was to master "more hands-on troubleshooting." In aninterview at the end of his second year, Brian described a complextask he learned to perform:

66 At first I worked with electrical boards. 'Wire guidance,' they called

it, for the trucks. I had to put the circuit board into the fork lift. Then I

had to tune it in to where they go by themselves. They'll steer them-

selves on this grid on the floor, and you have to tune it [to stay on the

grid]. And, you know, it took me quite a while to get it to where I

could do it by myself. 55

0 Brian LaPorte0 The Raymond Corporation and Greene Central High School

00C2 p fo 0 0, 0 n0 0 0 0 0 0 LI1

2. Breadth

2319

Brian spoke about learning con-cepts and principles he was exposedto by rotating through differentplacements: "I got more exposure tothe hydraulics and learned moreabout what's going on with a truck.If I see a truck, I can say I've learnedthis about it, or this." Furthermore,he emphasized that he has acquiredan understanding of how thecompany's final product is made."I've seen all the steps that the partsgo through in order to become onepiece." He also put tedious tasks inperspective. He did not like doingsome menial tasks such as washingout housings for the hydraulics, buthe understood that this was a neces-sary part of the work: "I guess that'sjust part of the deal." He appreci-ated that his manager, John Niles,awakened his curiosity about otherareas of the shop and taught him totake more initiative for his learning.

AndrewWolgemuth managed

Brian's learning programin the manufacturing

engineering group duringhis fourth year while Brian wasenrolled at Broome CommunityCollege. Andrew described Brian'swork assignments in an interviewas centered on project work: writeplans; work on design and drafting;order and process requisitions formaterials for special material han-dling carts; assemble and weld thecarts; update a computer databasefor welders and their qualifications;complete a time study and productflow analysis of various work stationsand present results and recommen-dations; report on active usage offixtures to assess storage status andrecommend dispositions; furtherdevelop welding and cutting torchskills. Andrew recommended thatcoaches regularly establish learninggoals through quarterly reviews.

B

and AndrewWalge

Brian LaPorte(r.)

rri

rt

oth at The Raymond

r

Corporation

20

2 4

Learning Well at Work

I

U

I

I

I

Nllems a Good Project?

Project-based learning also assuresbreadth and introduces youth to allaspects of the industry. By theirnature, projects cut across boundariesand engage youth in aspects of workbeyond their daily assignments. Theyfoster deeper understanding of someworkplace issues.

Participating seniors completedprojects that were evaluated on thebasis of how well they>chose a topic and framed an issue

related to an occupational area.

>planned a complex long-termproject.

>researched an issue using a range ofresources.

> benefited others.

>applied academic knowledge.

>exhibited findings.

A fall retreat for youth and theirmanagers featured exemplary seniorprojects from previous years andintroduced criteria for producing agood project, how to make atimeline, and potential topics andissues (see Appendix, p. 85).

When asked about their seniorprojects during the spring, 22 of 24participants (in the class of 1995)said the experience was challengingbecause of the depth of knowledgerequired, the time commitment, theneed to speak with people andanalyze information, and the publicpresentation. For some, sharingtheir work with others and trying tomake it useful were particularlyinspiring aspects of the seniorproject.

le has opened une © mom, Oven une momquesUens eo ask"

CC It has opened me to more, given me more questions to ask. What

this does for [patients]. Why it is done. Normally, English class and

projects, I can whip through them and get them done in a week. I am

working on [my senior project] every day in school. I spend my lunch

time in the library, no study halls, always working on it. Normally I just

[do this type of report for students. I am giving this project to my]

boss and adults more than peers. It makes me nervous. I want it

to be extra special:),

Jennifer ArnoldBlue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and

Susquehanna Valley High School

2. Breadth 21

Examples of Senior Projects

Create a Procedure Manual for Over loans

Sharon Laude, when a senior atWindsor Central High School, discov-ered that the procedures for calculatingand dealing with overloans atColumbian Mutual Life InsuranceCompany were inconsistent anddifficult to understand. For example,the term "accumulated dividends" wasabbreviated four different ways, andimportant information was recorded byappending handwritten notes to formsin paper files. An overloan occurswhen an insurance policy holder hasborrowed against the cash value of thepolicy and not repaid so that the loanexceeds the value of the policy. Whenthis occurs, the company must cancelthe policy.

For her senior project, Sharon setout to standardize terms and proce-dures and to find a secure way ofrecording actions taken. Her researchincluded a review of cases in whichpolicy holders borrowed more than thevalue of their policy. Then she stan-dardized terms. She wrote a proceduremanual and set up Lotus spreadsheetsand standard letters in Microsoft Wordthat all members of the team couldaccess and personalize. As one mem-ber of the senior project exhibitionpanel wrote, she "changed an entiremanual to language any new employeecould understand."

Design Electrical Services for a Laboratory

For his senior project at Anitec andBinghamton High School, Blair Duty'scoach, Robert Kage, gave him anarchitectural layout for a new silveranalysis laboratory and challenged himto produce a functional design packagefor its electrical services.

Blair gathered information aboutpower requirements for the test equip-ment, for the chemical exhaust fans, andfor general room power and lighting byreading equipment specifications andnameplate data and interviewing labtechnicians and engineers. Design stepsincluded applying the information tosize electrical circuits according to theNational Electrical Code; specifying therequired conduit, wire, circuit breakers,

disconnect switches, and so on; andcalculating lighting levels. He reviewedall work with the facilities projectengineer at each stage.

The design package he presented athis exhibition included architecturalAutoCAD plan-view drawings withassociated elevation views, schematics,and single-line diagrams, a bill ofmaterials, and standard constructionnotes and a scope of work. Panelmembers who evaluated the exhibitioncommended the depth of his knowl-edge about electrical power require-ments, the numerous skills acquired inexecuting the project, the connectionsto academic knowledge and skills, andthe range of resources used.


26

Produce a Videotape on Guil Lain-Barre Syndrome

As an apprentice in physicaltherapy at United Health ServicesHospitals and a student atSusquehanna Valley High School,Stacy Potter worked under theguidance of a physical therapist,Jean Marie Haskell, with a patientrecovering from Guillain-BarreSyndrome (GBS), a progressivedisease of the nervous system thatcan result in total paralysis.

For her senior project she choseto find out more about the disease,its treatment, and the psychosocialeffects on patients. She read themedical literature. She interviewedphysicians, nurses, occupationaltherapists, and physical therapists.

She also interviewed the patientand his spouse. She wrote a paperon GBS for her health class.

Stacy invited the patient and hiswife to her exhibition when shepresented her case study to thepanel and had the patient tell thestory from his viewpoint. She alsoshowed a videotape portrayingphysical therapists, herself included,working with GBS patients. Whileshowing the tape, she stoppedseveral times to explain what washappening and why. The videotapewill be used to educate healthprofessionals, patients, and theirfamilies about GBS.

Conckosiion

Workplaces that increasingly requirebroad and deep knowledge and skillswill find participation in work-basedlearning a wise investment. Rela-tively simple practices suchas including youth in all-firm events and communi-cations contribute tobreadth. Two key methodsof achieving breadth arerotation and projects.Rotation through multiplework settings and job assign-ments enabled apprentices tolearn a variety of skills and allaspects of the industry. Projectschallenged them to broaden

their knowledge and to benefit theircommunities as well.

As her senior project,Erin Snyder

researchedfe of thethe impact of

new recreationalactivities

on the quality

at Good ShepherdFairview

Home.

of li

residents

2. Breadth

2123

3. Persona and SocidCompetence

Youth gain personal and social competence in the workplace.

1. Recognize personal and social competencies as keylearning objectives.

2. Systematically teach personal and social competencein context.

3. Provide extra assistance to youth who lack personaland social competence through case management.

Bringing young people into aworkplace is quite different fromhiring new adult employees. Normalhiring processes are designed toassure that new employees alreadyhave most of the knowledge, skills,and attitudes required to fill a par-ticular position. Work-based learn-ing programs bring young peoplewho are unqualified for regularemployment into a workplace and,over an extended time, qualify them.

Employers frequently say that thequalifications they value most inentry-level employees are not tech-nical skills but such traits as punctu-ality, reliability, and diligence. Theyclaim that people who have thesepersonal and social skills can betrained in technical skills.

Before employers can teachpersonal and social competence theymust explicitly determine theirstandards, then formulate appropri-ate learning objectives and teachyoung people to achieve them. Thisis different from using standards to

select or dismiss people or, at theopposite extreme, from misguidingyouth by excusing them from meet-ing standards. Employers teachyouth what their standards are andhow to meet them. Meeting duringthe spring of the demonstrationproject's second year, workplaceteachers concluded that personaland social competence is genericacross all industries and collaboratedto produce the Guide to EvaluatingSocial and Personal Competence,which was used in all three occupa-tional areas (see Appendix, p. 86).


I

\Me ]©d Y©Mt] Lewin?

The idea of systematically teachingpersonal and social competence is newand challenging to many people inbusiness. When we interviewed adultswho worked with youth in the demon-stration project, they said that teachingpersonal and social competence wasmore challenging than teaching techni-cal competence. Working with adoles-cents raised new issues for managers,but we learned that many middlemanagers were uncertain about how tohandle issues related to personal andsocial competence with adult employ-ees too. Some said they became bettermanagers of adults after learning to dealwith youth (see section 5).

Some young people have parentswho are regularly employed and who

Corinne Kerth (I.) helps Jean Marie Haskellperform rehabilitation therapy at BinghamtonGeneral Hospital. Many apprentices said theybecame more self-confident as a result oflearning new skills.

make sure they do their homework andget to school on time, and some haveparticipated extensively in church,community groups, or other organiza-tions. These.youth are likely already tohave acquired many of the personal andsocial competencies employers value.Young people who lack these advan-tages should receive special assistance inacquiring them, both before and duringtheir work-based learning experience.Equal access to work-based learningentails preparation and remedialopportunities for disadvantaged youth.Most employers are not prepared tocope with youth who have seriousdeficiencies in this realm, but employersin the demonstration project showedgreat commitment and resourcefulnessin helping young people become moremature.

Personal CompetencePersonal competence encompasses self-confidence, initiative, motivation,commitment to continuous improve-ment, and career planning. Learning toact like an adult was a common themein our interviews with apprentices whospoke of growing self-confidence andoften contrasted their behavior at workand in school. Work experience helpsyouth identify career paths and stepsalong them.0

3. Personal and Social Competence 29 25

"Y©n have be mewls"cc,vou have to be at work on time and [take]

You for the job that they give you,

to get it done in time. You have to be mature and

polite. You can't act like you act with your friends at

school. When you go to work it's a totally different

setting, and you have to go up to their level. When

you're at school it's accepted to act how you want, but

at work it's not acceptable., 5

Erica Anderson

United Health Services Hospitals and Union-Endicott High School

4

Erica Anderson(I) and Barbara

Sp ring

°

Ake

'The conflldence behllnd gfie dllsdpEne'

ccvrou're disciplined in a sort of way that you wouldn't be at school. In

school you run around like you're a child, but there you are acting

like an adult. And you get a lot of discipline from it. I went in as a teenager,

with the mind of a teenager. Coming out I think I've developed my mind to

almost adult standard.

Interviewer: And what does that mean for you, adult standard?

Pretty much living up to what is expected of adults, their social and business

manner, the way they think. It has to be almost perfect, not quite, almost

perfect.

Interviewer: You said you had developed discipline, and what has that meant

for you?

It's meant I've gotten better at what I do. I'm more focused on what I want.

I'm more focused on what I'm doing. I have become more confident because

I know what I want to do. I know what I'm going to do. I've always had my

mind set when I thought of something, but I've never had the confidence

behind the discipline.5 5

Lonnelle Egan 0ViThe Raymond Corporation and Greene Central High School O be


I know more Chad whe physkall gilvempyactonalllly k"

During her senior year Dawn McIntyre made rounds with aphysical therapist to work with disabled children at their

schools and began to think about a specialty in pediatrics.

66 I know more about what physical therapy actually is, so when I go

to college, I'm prepared. Physical therapy is not just working in a big

gym. A lot of people think that's what it is, like training or sports medi-

cine. It's a lot different than that. You're more involved with

the person. There's a wide range. I had to be more

professional. It made me think about my career more.

And what I wanted to do in the future. 55

Dawn McIntyreLourdes Hospital and Windsor Central High School

Social CompetenceSocial competence includes learn-ing about organizational systems,ilmeaning the purposes of the organi-zation, its structure, how onedepartment connects to another,the roles of people in the organiza-tion, obligations to clients andcustomers, and how to gain accessto information. Work tasks andprojects youth undertake canprovide insights into how the firmoperates. When youth understandhow their work contributes to thefirm as a whole, they are moreenthusiastic and more productive.

Participants learn rules, such asprofessional ethics, safety, work-space norms, schedules, and appro-priate dress. They also learn com-munication skills and how to workin teams."

3. Personal and Social Competence 31 27

expellience mode me cosof One company"

Ahigh school graduation approached, Erin Prindle looked backover the past year to select an experience that had been par-

ticularly important for her. Interviewing employees from manydepartments throughout the company for a newsletter article gaveher an opportunity to gain a new perspective on the organizationand her work in it.

C C When I worked as an apprentice, especially when I worked at Human

Resources, I had a lot of fun. I did articles for The Reporter, the company

newsletter, and I was able to interview a lot of people. It got me to open

up with the company and see what the company was really like. My first

assignment was an article about the new college co-ops. At first I had to

locate them. Then I had to find out who they were working for and call

them to arrange time when I could interview them. I came up with some

questions to ask with help from my coach, Valerie Mahar. I had never

interviewed before, and I wasn't really sure what to ask. Then I just inter-

viewed them! 55

Two and a half years later, when reviewing her interview com-ments, Erin reflected that the boredom she felt during long periods offiling and working alone during her first year contrasted sharply withher enthusiasm when undertaking activities such as interviewing forthe newsletter. She explained why her motivation changed dramati-cally when she undertook research for her senior project to create anarchitectural model of the company illustrating how the differentdepartments interrelate.

C C I didn't learn much the first year. But that changed in my second year,

especially when the senior project came up and I started interviewing

different people from all over the company. I interviewed the vice-president

of engineering and other important people. This really got me to see the

different employees of The Raymond Corporation. I also learned how

different departments functioned within the company. This experience

made me care about the company, and I became interested in how it

worked. 55

Erin Prindle

The Raymond Corporation and Greene Central High School


U

U

U

U

U

U

'em on a grealle

n her senior year Carrie Holden worked in the training departmentII at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York. While she assisteda trainer with preparing packets for seminars to introduce teamworkto employees in the company, she learned how teamwork can helppromote productivity and morale.

66 They're starting a new thing right now at

work. It's teamwork, and you think c7

of your department not as just a qt.<

bunch of co-workers trying to go out-4/

and get a bunch of money from411Einsurance companies or train other

people. You think of them as just

being on a team and there's a goal.

You have time in the morning where

you talkwe haven't done this yet but

they're working toward ityou have five and 'Iraq' Majevvski

everybody talks about problems they've beenCahrraievifri

they call the 'Morning Huddle,' whereryngidaenn (d )we get things

or ten minutes in the morning, which

cleared up. You also learn how to put your personal feelings aside and just

work with the person as a co-worker and as a team member. Seeing them

with different eyes, I guess you could say. That's a couple of the goals of

the teams. And also, just to get people more interested in their work, so

they don't feel like they're the only ones having those problems if you start

sharing problems among your co-workers. I think it's really cool how

everything's changing. I know it's not just our company. It's becoming a

more customer-service-oriented business. That's the competition now,

you know. 5 5

Carrie HoldenBlue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and

Whitney Point High School

3. Personal and Social Competence 29

0

"He knew we needed Me'

One coach, Robert Kage at Anitec, described how a youthwho saw the importance of a project took initiative and

became more self-confident, knowing people depended on him.

66 Well, I think one of the most important things was that Blair Dury

had to learn that he was important to our group, and that's a critical

point. I really was watching for that. We needed him. He was not just a

student here. He's working on jobs and due dates, and I needed him to

be in and get the work done that he said he could get done. There was a

certain point when he realized that he was important, and the group

needed him, and he was part of the group. He was doing panel sched-

ules for us. We never had a database for panel schedules. We needed

panel schedules desperately. He knew we needed them. And all of a

sudden, he just started saying, well when do you need them by? How do

you want this done? And it just hap-

pened. He was part of us and what we

did. That was a crucial point, I

thought, with his progress. He knew

we needed him. 59

Robert Kage

Anitec

Mark Br geRobert 4,(7

IggS0), B/air Dory (c...),

30

3.4Learning Well at Work

'X good ougOak gar way"

Aa junior, Donald Tolerson initiated conversations with hisfirm coordinator and managers at the IBM Corporation at

Endicott about his desire to learn more and be more productive atwork. Consequently, they increased the level of his work on themanufacturing line and in engineering during his senior year, andhe began to see how his personal and social skills would enablehim to do a good job in a high-performance workplace.

66 Being on a manufacturing line definitely taught me a lot of disci-

pline, about being to work on time, about how important it

is, and getting my job done. Being

where I am now is teaching me

to have a good outlook for

quality. It's showing me how well-

rounded you have to be to do a

certain job sometimes and [how]

to interact with people. I'm always

calling up engineers, asking them

questions about blueprints, their

quality plans, and it's made my

communication better. A lot of it is

knowing how well I have to know my

job in order to do a good job.

Don Tolersonis currenoomore

at Hamptontly a sph

Universitymajoring

in electricolengineering.

Donald TolersonIBM Corporation at Endicott and Susquehanna Valley High School

3. Personal and Social Competence 31

Men b Case Managegmen Hecessaq?

Some youth have difficulty meetingworkplace expectations. Forexample, poor health care mayresult in frequent absences. Othersmay simply fail to understand whatis expected and why they shouldcomply. In such instances, conven-ing a small case managementmeeting of advocates for the youthmight contribute to understandingthe problem and developing strate-gies to resolve it.

Participants in the demonstrationproject's case management meetingstypically included the youth, par-ents, a school counselor andteacher, the firm's program coordi-nator, and one or more coaches ormentors. Resolutions includedfinding a tutor to help with coursework; opening communicationchannels among parents, youth,managers, and school faculty;

clarifying expectations and assump-tions about behavior; clarifying theroles of different adults; accessingmedical care; making choices tobalance commitments, such as asecond job and extracurricularactivities, with project participa-tion; and accommodating a youth'spersonal problems. One youthdecided to withdraw from theprogram after such a session; inother cases the partners found a wayfor the youth to continue. Whenpoor health, family problems, andother factors interfere with ayouth's performance, the adultsinvolved in managing the case mayneed to find additional resources,such as a community health clinicor a social agency. Employers' EAP(Employee Assistance Programs)can be extremely helpful in suchcases.

Conckllskon

To become productive workers,young people need to learn how todo a job but also how to behave atwork. Youth jobs and other lessintensive types of work-basedlearning can teach such basicbehaviors as getting to work ontime and following instructions.Youth apprenticeship and othermore intensive types of work-basedlearning also teach higher-levelpersonal and social competencesuch as teamwork, responsibility for

getting work done right, communi-cating clearly and respectfully, andasking questions. Young people whoacquire the personal and socialcompetence they need as workersare also capable of assuming suchadult roles as active citizens andresponsible parents.


3.

4. Expectations and Feedback

Workplace teachers convey clear expectations to youth and assessprogress toward achieving them.

1. State expectations in advance for behavior and learning.

2. Regularly monitor and document acquisition ofcompetence.

3. Provide feedback on progress to youth, school, parents,and firm.

4. Encourage youth to assemble a portfolio.

5. Eventually use industry-wide standards to provide portablecredentials.

Evaluation notebooks, which list technical, personal, and social compe-tencies, are the most detailed statements of workplace expectations anddocument their attainment. But young people need to know what thoseexpectations are before they enroll in awork-based learning program.


3733

S.R,a.dng MuNalilly CJeaT IEKpectadons

Postion descriptions explain thenature and conditions of employ-ment (see Appendix, p. 87) andoutline associated career possibili-ties and educational requirements.Working with representatives ofworkplaces and schools, we devel-oped a Mutual Expectations Agree-ment, which describes in detail theroles of the key players: employers,schools, apprentices, and parents(see Appendix, p. 88). Ideally allfour parties sign the agreement atthe beginning of the work experi-ence, following a discussion of itscontents and of other initial expec-tations. Work-based learning makesdemands on employers that they donot ordinarily face. An agreementhelps to spell out expectationswithout being legalistic.

After learning that severalparticipants were working at part-time jobs in addition to participat-ing in the project, we added specificlanguage to the Mutual Expecta-tions Agreement explainingwhether and how much additionalpaid employment they would beallowed. This concern flowed fromtwo sources. First, although wefound that some particpants wereable to work a remarkable numberof hours and still maintain boththeir project responsibilities andtheir grades, some experienced highstress as a result and began perform-ing poorly at work or in school.Second, according to New YorkState law, an employer of minors isresponsible for preventing excessivehours even if the minor has morethan one job. Our employers couldfind themselves in legal trouble ifyouth worked more hours than thelaw allows, even in two separatejobs.


38

EwadallaUng Learrugns

In addition to detailing employers' expectations for what youth will learn,notebooks that list technical competencies serve as a record of youths'progress and a means for coaches to communicate with youth, teachers, andparents.

YOUTHAi )WORKPROGRA,,

0

0

Youth Apprentice Technical Competence Log

Documentation

MET CORE

MODULE

DEPARTMENT WEEDS MANAGER SIGNATURE

at Rid ( duk.f_plairid

Date and rate competence

Exceeds requirements, Masts requirements, Does and meet requirements

SIdlls

I Organize work tasks

2 Meet productivity standards

3 Review work for accuracy(LeYol-f-aeuttISis d in/

4 Technical Report Writing I/ &AAA#SMO.-1-67A-7111antAa2

5 Record Keeping;iAfiM

8 Process invoices

7 Verify vendor statements

& Track parts through manufacturing process (limit Mlle])

9 Report whether rates attained

10.Qualiff_SystemcStatiMicaL2cocesAC=01_____

11 Plot process parameters on SPt' Hunts i iat type 4

12 WfOft MCaS fo r stitiu; n1t(b-6t

Ca1 cAllaftel oft; 1,05 of- oram 414, I t spec.; rvi

14 t' Al I a" I

APPRENTICE MANAGER

Lamb ENO Isl !ma trm

I ICIMIMEIMMM

III I

I I

MEMI 1

I I

Minna A Aid 11111MM

15 OrViad 4fhtlitted la4761.5 1(1A41014,104 ktf _MENis Accord defect 4ata on SPC charts Yat11=117.

18

, II

I i I ..01

19

20

I

I I

I I

http:11www.human.cornell.edu/youthworklptoolsInotebooklmeticoreldocument.htm

One manager listed additional competencies, expanding theDocumentation module found in the MET core unit.The youth and manager agreed in their ratings.


39BEST COPY AVAILABLE,

Notebooks substan-tiated the schools'granting of academiccredit to youth forwork experience.Many coaches andmanagers addedcompetencies tomodules in the

notebooks and draftednew modules when evaluatingyouth. Cornell staff incorporatedthese revisions, expanding thenumber and content of the electivesand modules. Despite the effortexpended on all sides,not all youth wereevaluated regularly. Thenotebooks may haveseemed cumbersome andcomplex to somecoaches and managers.There are trade-offsbetween comprehensive-ness and ease of use,between customizationand universality, andbetween specificity andbrevity.

Coaches promotelearning by monitoringyouths' acquisition ofcompetencies and givingfeedback. Youth thenknow where they standand how well theymeasure up. Monitoringalso promotes steadyprogress. Sometimesyouth will stay in thesame place too long, workingproductively and often happily butnot learning anything new. Lack ofprogress might indicate a need for anew placement or for more challeng-

ing responsibilities in the currentplacement. To address this need,managers and firm coordinatorsdesigned a Youth Apprentice InterimEvaluation to provide timely feed-back to apprentices, parents, and theschool, as well as for the next place-ment within the firm. Unlike thenotebook, which is a comprehensivepermanent record, the interimevaluation is an update intendedprimarily to foster communication.

ANPL Youth Apprentice Interim EvaluationYOUTH ANDWORK LC- 110.-V, tde...M

APIVINIICIII NAVE e.o.m... . . - tA , el.,.. -k \ 16 r1.10e1.

VALLUTS111 Ma

1-1e-ciaa-, c,re_.AMI247.2.111, TM

Rate progress toward achieving competence

I III.I. Mairernents, /1 a Mara requirements, N. Does ara meet requirements APPRENTICEMANAGER

I le a

Tashaisid samprthase Cr, medied In the Youth Appientice Technical Coopmence Lag) -- C 7_ A C .7.,

scow comas=%Items: Undentands the arganizadon 1= X C C % CRuler Adieue to professional norm, C C XCD'Mesmeric Cooperates with others .X 0 X CCommuntanion: Gives clear messages C X 0 X. 0 CPe sosal Camper=

0 Belf-confidence C X C tg. C CInitiative 0 A cIhnivadon X 0 0 X C CCan:humus 1,7910Valle3U C OK. C )X 0 CCareer planning C r -jil C

licessmats

1-..\ , c- v> w- 4c--6 -,*-k-re ......a 2,,k,......1,N,x,.._ cs, .x.,..t-,..

,00 .....,-o ,, .),--v.-- ,...-e-^d----- °-.^..'- r'-"-\'-- .-i ''''-. \ "--',-,k.......,-;, __,3,... c.,,,,,, ,,v.... 03,-,.., ..9,...cc %.,._ .x.,.....3.5 ."..-

..Le_ cy...._, , e,,,....lvt_asiv J, U.+ i.... a Ce. siEii eieli Cs., \ ,I.,,, ,\ t e_ s,,,,04.5

......,Lao 5N. t n_. -1.-iit , el.e.. is inc,1 og,,iinit to o_,14.. cast GAiain coi3to"-

Au ,...44 vs,..4_

°4..4..4. 1 {6.,A,4G1( 4- 54.- t,., ///iiiti,ditkv,..)--- o5 -Wit lisINTE WC

.." n4 k ARM Al q 7 . V,:..%i. VAJITO. 7ce...(5.4ey.: carr1111C0 IVOI,719

lutp://www.human.cornell.edu/youthworkiptools/int-eval.htm

This youth was less satisfied with her socialcompetence than her manager was.

36

BEST PY AVAILABLE40 Learning Well at Work

a

a

The following excerpts from evaluations illustrate how managers gavepositive feedback and noted areas needing attention.

"Needs eo be a ilffitile MOM assertilve"

66 [She] does well with assigned tasks and tasks she's used to. She tends

not to seek other things out when things are slow. I think [she] needs to

be a little more assertive. 99

Health care coach

"An ezreililegne commafinkagur

66 [She] is an excellent communicator. She'll stop and ask for help when

she isn't sure but isn't afraid to try things on her own. She does an excel-

lent job of deciding when to stop in the process, allowing for quick recov-

ery if a problem had occurred. 99

Manufacturing and engineering technology manager

13e mom sspouganeass'66 [She] is a friendly but very quiet young lady. Her interest in her sur-

roundings and in the health care field is evident. She has been conscien-

tious in her approach to assigned tasks and has accepted responsibility for

her actions. [She] should be encouraged to be more spontaneous in her

interactions with her co-workers and patients (to relax). I feel she has a lot

to offer and will 'blossom' when she feels more comfortable

in her surroundings. 99 0

Health care manager and coach

Some employers in our demon-stration project preferred to usetheir standard evaluation proce-dures with youth. This practicetreats youth like other employees,which is usually good but runs therisk of evaluating youth primarily

on the basis of job performancerather than learning. In one caseyouth became demoralized whenthey received low scores on perfor-mance evaluations that weredesigned for experienced adultworkers.

4. Expectations and Feedback 37

CredenUalls and Pat-Nibs

Another reason for documentinglearning is to substantiate creden-tials, which are a critical compo-nent of work-based learning. Yet noinstitution can unilaterally issuetruly portable credentials. Educa-tional and occupational credentialsopen career paths for their bearersonly when the institutions grantingthem are accepted as legitimate andthe criteria used in granting themare well established. Schools andcolleges are reviewed by accredita-tion bodies for this purpose. Stateand professional certification boardsgovern the granting of credentialsin medicine, law, and other profes-sions. Journeyworkers' papersgranted to registered apprenticestestify that they have met criteriaestablished by unions or state orfederal departments of labor. Statelicenses attest that barbers, hair-dressers, plumbers, and electricianshave proved their mastery of healthand safety issues in those occupa-tions.

Ultimately, work-based learningprograms must rely on comparableinstitutions to legitimate the grant-ing of portable credentials. Ademonstration program, however,cannot accomplish this goal be-cause of its small size and limitedleverage. Credentials are portableonly when they are widely recognized,which nearly always means thatthey are developed and approved bya broad coalition at the state ornational level. Several industrygroups are currently developing

occupational skills standards, and aNational Skills Standards Board hasbeen established. These efforts aresteps in the right direction, butyears may pass before widelyaccepted standards and credentialsare available for more than a fewoccupational areas. In the mean-time, local and regional standardscan communicate to young peoplewhat it takes to get a job and toeducators what employers expectof schools.

In the absence of standards andassociated credentials, young peopleare best advised to build portfoliosdocumenting their competencies.The use of portfolios as evidence oflearning is gaining momentum insecondary education in reactionagainst the limitations of conven-tional grades and test scores. Manycolleges are willing to examinestudents' portfolios instead of or inaddition to their transcripts andSAT scores. The issue for work-based learning is to create a portfo-lio that will be manageable andconvincing both to prospectiveemployers and to postsecondaryeducational institutions. Youngpeople could include completedevaluation notebooks, projectreports, letters of recommendation,selected work samples, a résumé,and a school transcript in theirportfolios. A "certified résumé,"listing experiences and competen-cies and signed by a manager, wouldbe useful by itself and as part of aportfolio.

3842


Coackostion

Managers must establish clearexpectations and continuouslymonitor young people's perfor-mance against those expectations.At the same time, young peopleand their parents have a right toknow what to expect from theiremployers and to demand high-quality work-based learning experi-ences. Frequent and open commu-nication is the most certain meansof assuring mutual satisfaction, butmore formal devices such as amutual expectations agreement,evaluation notebooks, and interimevaluations are also essential.Documentation of progress substan-tiates the granting of academiccredit and occupational credentials.

Formality and regularity arehighly desirable in expectations andfeedback, but supervisors must beprotected from overly complex andtime-consuming evaluation andreporting forms. For now everyprogram must seek its own balance.Ultimately, industry-wide standardsand credentials will be desirable.

Mike Chambalagives feedback

to AndreaKoberlein

at UnitedHealthr"1-'"

ServicesHospitals.

4. Expectations and Feedback 43 39

5. leaching Ro_es

Youth learn from adults with formally assigned teaching roles.

1. Assign clear teaching roles and responsibilities to a coordi-nator, managers, coaches, and mentors.

2. Authorize teaching roles in job descriptions and perfor-mance assessments.

3. Orient, train, and support adults who teach youth.

The greatest investment that employers make in work-based learning istime devoted to teaching young people. This would be a substantial invest-ment if adults and youth were paired off one-to-one, as apprentices histori-cally were with independent master craftsmen. Work-based learning asconducted in the demonstration project, in which youth rotate amongseveral departments of a sizable firm, requires that many adults work witheach youth. We have records of 251 different adults in 11 firms who workedextensively with the 100 youth in the project; many ofthem taught more than one youth. This is a lowestimate of the ratio of adults to youth becausewe know many other adults were also involved.All adults engaged in any type of work-basedlearning program need some basic informationabout the program and the youth, which requirescommunication, orientation, and continuingsupport.

We labeled four critical teaching roles at theworkplace: coordinator, manager, coach, and men-tor. Most adults interviewed (65 of 70) describedinteracting with youth in more than one role,such as coaching and mentoring or managingand mentoring. More than one adult might playthe same role for one youth. The point of distin-guishing the four roles is to assure that all areattended to and to promote appropriate orienta-tion, training, and communication.

40

4 40Learning Well at Work

CocinCimang War ..-113ased Leangns Paograms

Design a Multi-Year PlanWorking with department managersand the workplace's strategic plan-ning team, the coordinator designsa multi-year learning plan thatdelineates a career path with vari-ous branches, goals and objectives

for learning, core and electivecompetency units, a rotation

plan, and desired academicdegrees. The coordinator

also designs field tripsand job shadowing for

potential youth employ-ees. In some workplaces,

especially in the public servicesector, unpaid internships andservice learning are appropriateforms of preapprenticeship work-based learning.

Link to Strategic PlanningWork-based learning can thriveonly if it is aligned with a workplace'sstrategic plan for its workforce. Forexample, work-based learningmight contribute to such strategiesas increased cross-training, upgrad-ing workers' skill sets, establishingself-managed work teams, andcreating a learning organization.'4A coordinator advocates for theinclusion of work-based learning inthe firm's strategic plan and assuresthat it supports that plan.15

Recruit, Orient, andSupport Adult ParticipantsThe coordinator encourages partici-pation by managers and theirdepartments and provides staffdevelopment opportunities for allthe adults who work with theprogram.

Oversee RotationFollowing the learning plan, thecoordinator schedules youth inparticipating departments. Thecoordinator reviews young people'slearning progress with managers ateach stage.

Facilitate CommunicationThe coordinator is the hub of acommunication network thatincludes the workplace, youth,schools, and families. The coordina-tor collects and distributes youngpeople's evaluation reports, callsand facilitates case managementmeetings as needed, and maintainscommunication with the largersystem, participating in planningand helping with training andprogram development.

5. Teaching Roles 541

E3ekg ni coordillivegrou "E Funs Om gameValerie Mahar described her responsibilities when she was coordinatorof the demonstration project at The Raymond Corporation.16

6 6 I oversee the activities of the apprentices, the mentors, and coaches. I work with

the department managers to come up with new ideas, to continually expose the

apprentices to challenging and interesting work assignments. I also assist the youth

with such things as filling out college financial aid forms or

helping them with work or personal issues and

recommending they use the EAP [Employee Assis-

tance Program]. So it runs the gamut.

One of the challenges we had this year was that a

couple of key departments were not participating in the

rotationsAccounting, Drafting, and Design. And we really

felt that absence. The reason they didn't get involved was

because they were making major systems changes within and

departments that collectively were not as challenging, such as thelermieaMilcjrhoarom(r:the

the departments. As a result the students had to rotate into

reprographics group, and the electrical subassembly area. And we continued to hear

issues about some of those areas. For example, they were limited in their exposure

to experiences in electrical subassembly; it's very repetitive. So I worked with the

managers to design a program for this last rotation to include two assembly areas in

one rotation, to better link the subassembly production department. Once the

youth learned to build the boards upstairs they would go downstairs and apply the

boards to the bigger subassemblies; that type of change makes it more interesting

and helps the apprentices to make real connections.

Beth Oliver

Also we designed our first-year rotations to include areas that better serve as a

foundation to learning about the company's people, product, and processes. For

example, we include our reprographics group, which prepares the manufacturing

blueprints for the factory, and the Inspection Department, so apprentices can get a

sense of 100 percent accuracy versus 75 percent and how important it is to make it

right the first time before they are assigned to the manufacturing area. The mail

room is a very good first-year rotation because the youth get exposure to the

different departments in the company, and they become familiar

with the people and the layout of the organization. 55

Valerie Mahar

Formerly of The Raymond Corporation

a

a

S

S

S

42

6 Learning Well at Work4 S

A multi-year program with a planned learning sequence requires centralcontrol and coordination within the employing firm, in contrast with an adhoc work experience for individuals. Valerie Mahar's statement illustrateswhat coordinators do and how they must constantly modify program designin response to changing departmental needs yet at the same time adhere tothe basic goals of providing breadth and depth.

Nilanageng WOG' ,&113ased Leguang LDaDgframsDeipanimeres

Supervise Learning in aDepartment or UnitIn a decentralized structure, whichwe found to be nearly universal inour eleven firms, departmentmanagers make many of the criticaldecisions about what youth do andwho works closely with them. Themanager and coaches decide whatyouth will learn within a depart-ment (or comparable unit), whichwork tasks will enhance theirlearning, and in what order thetasks should be presented. Managersalso review the learning progress ofyouth and whether the assignedtasks enable them to achievelearning objectives, to contribute tothe team's productivity, and toexperience continuous learning andchallenge.

Assign CoachesThe manager may coach directly orassign other adults in the depart-ment as coaches. The managerchooses adults who are sensitive toand interested in youth and makessure that they understand theprogram. Coaches must grasp theprinciples underlying a work-basedlearning program. They must alsobe competent workers.

Organize AssessmentThe manager coordinates assess-ment of youth within the depart-ment, especially in cases whereyouth have several coaches.

5. Teaching Roles 47 43

devellopmegg goerRobert Jensen described his management role as supervising a

coach and using the demonstration project as a tool for staffdevelopment.

I actually find it very challenging. I wish I could have been a coach. I

would have liked to have been one step closer, but in my position it's

becoming more and more difficult. So I've been working through Kevin

McMahon, who's a coach. Kevin has adapted to the program very well.

He's certainly a very busy person. I give him a lot of work to do, and this

adds to his workload, particularly when a new appren-

tice starts with the program. But he's also

come to appreciate the other things he gets

out of it, for example, an extra pair of hands, if

you will. I don't mean that in a negative sense.

Kevin's able to concentrate on, let's say, a more

creative problem, one that requires his expertise,

and he can count on the apprentice helping him

with some of the routine things, getting samples

prepared for the next step. So it helps his produc-

tivity. It's a development tool for Kevin in working

with other people. And I think it strengthens his technical ability because,

as you well know, the best way to learn something is to teach it. So

Kevin is forced to really know what he's talking about, because now he

has to teach young people what's in his head. I have seen a change in

Kevin's personality and knowledge and confidence in his knowledge as

he's gone through the program. So as a manager I have been rewarded

that way. That was part of my plan, and it worked

as a development tool for Kevin. 5 5 0 0

RobertJensen

(r.) and Kevin McMahon

Robert Jensen

Anitec

O


4 S

CoachhE 'nun 7'echoulcal] S dHs

Demonstrate How to Do aTask While a Youth Watches

While performing the task,the coach points outimportant features andchecks the youth's under-

standing by asking questionsand encouraging the youth to ask

questions.'7 (Reciprocal questioningis also part of the other functions.)

Explain How to Performthe Task CorrectlyCoaches may explain while demon-strating or at another time. Theexplanation sets out performancecriteria, points out what problemsare likely to occur, and indicatespossible problem-solving strategies.

Explain Why a Task isPerformed in a Certain WayCoaches explain why the task isperformed according to certainspecifications, provide informationabout the business management orscientific principles underlying theprocedure, and explain how thetask relates to other tasks.

Monitor and Critique theYouth's PerformanceWhile monitoring the youth'sperformance, the coach gives clearand immediate feedback. Althoughmonitoring and feedback are con-tinual, the interval between in-stances increases as the youth gainscompetence, and the coach encour-ages the youth to monitor his or herown performance and to seek helpwhen difficulties arise.

Model Problem SolvingCoaches are responsiblefor teaching youth toperform routinetasks and forfostering their under-standing of what they aredoing and why and their capacity tocope with nonroutine events."Thinking out loud" is the bestexample of modeling problemsolving.

5. Teaching Roles 49 45

NllentAng 'nun on Ramona andSodall Behawkais

Initiate Youth to theWorkplace CultureWhen they engage in work-basedlearning, young people enter a newculture with its own rules, conven-tions, and norms. A mentor's expla-nations about the culture of theworkplace facilitate the youngperson's adjustment to the worksetting.

Advise Youth on CareerDirections and OpportunitiesA mentor might describe the hierar-chy in an occupational area andexplain the educational require-ments associated with each step.

Help Resolve ProblemsA mentor might help a youthresolve a problem with a manager,with school, with family, or withpeers.

The term mentor is widely usedfor the role we call coach. Weprefer to reserve mentor for someonein a quasi-parental relationshipwith a youth.'8 By this definition, acoach can be assigned, but a mentormust be discovered. Coaches andmentors are often the same people,but the coaching usually comesfirst, with mentoring evolving asthe relationship deepens. Onereason for distinguishing the roles isthat studies of mentoring in businesshave demonstrated the advantagesof having a mentor who is not one'ssupervisor.


Tye Mooned how l© won§ ghffngs."Kathy Rothemeyer, a coach in a hospital laboratory, described

how she tried to improve a young person's demeanor in theworkplace and, in the process, improved her supervisory skills byworking on her mentoring techniques with Barbara Spring, amanager.

C C I guess I've learned how to word things. It all depends on how you

speak to a person and what choice of words you use as far as them

feeling like I'm trying to tell them to do something or trying to teach

them to do something. That's something that I've learned on the

job here.99

Kathy explained that she had a problem when she corrected thebehavior of one youth, who then seemed to beupset. She conferred with her supervisor,Barbara, who assured her that she wasright in correcting the behavior butsuggested that her choice of words and theway they were presented might have beenirritating and proposed a different way ofspeaking with the youth.

C C It's important because nobody likes to be

told what to do. They like to be taught. They like

to feel that they can do their job without some-

body over them all the time, as long as they're doing

what they're supposed to be doing. And if they're not, they need to be

told, but in a learning way.59

Kathy Rothemeyer

United Health Services Hospitals

5. Teaching Roles

547

"11 pose ,k on Me g'ablle and dad yylltharl Lee, a manager at IBM Endicott, explained in his interviewEhow he managed Don Tolerson's work and learning, and how his

coaching evolved into mentoring. As a manager he designated areas ina large department where Don would work. As a coach he insisted onhigh standards in work products. The intensity of the relationship thatresulted led to the apprentice accepting him as a mentor who couldteach him workplace rules and advise him about hiscareer path and counsel him about his social life.

Managing

66 When I first brought Don in, one of the key things

I wanted to do was expose Don to as much from an

engineer perspective as I could because Don had Ear /Lee

told me his career goal was to be an engineer. But

he didn't understand whether he wanted to be an electrical or

mechanical engineer. [Earl describes Don's assignments in computer-aided

design and inspection of new purchases.] By the time Don left there he was

actually programming one of our most sophisticated tools down in the

receiving inspection area. It helped him to understand what engineers did

from an electrical standpoint and also the different types of jobs that they

could hold after receiving those degrees. From a management standpoint I

wanted to get him to understand that an engineering manager didn't

necessarily deal with math and drafting boards and that type of stuff all day.

I had him follow me around, shadow me around, to a few meetings to

understand that I dealt with the finances of the corporation as well as I did

the engineering stuff. So I think that was an eye-opener. He realizes that it

helps to take a course in accounting also.

Coaching

CC On Monday mornings we had a one-on-one meeting. I told him what we

should try to do with the project and then I would give Don say a week or so

to do some things with it and he would walk back in with his outlinethis

was what he thought he wanted to do. And I basically had Don justify that

outline. I could have pretty easily told Don, 'This is what I want you to do' But

I thought it was important that Don got out of this being able to rationalize

and justify why he made the decision he made. What I was really trying to get

4852


out of him was problem solving, critical thinking. Whenever he came to me and he

was at a road block and didn't know where to go, I would ask him, 'What do you think

you would do?' And what I wanted from him were two or three different alternatives

because if he understood the problem and he understood the options he had, then

we could go down and jointly evaluate and analyze each option. And that's the

way we went through things. 55

Mentoring

66 When Don ran into problems, let's say in school or on

the weekends, our relationship developed to such a point

that he was sharing those things with me too. And I would

ask him, 'Why'd you do this and why'd you do that?' I think

after we got through talking there were a lot of cases where Don Tolerson

Don would say to me, 'Yeah, I know. Didn't make much sense, did it?' So he was able to

determine that. I didn't tell him.

One of the things I saw that Don was somewhat slack on was discipline. When I would

set up a meeting with Don he thought it was okay to show up late. I know one time for

sure he showed up late to a meeting and I wouldn't meet with him. I told him he had

lost his slot. I told him, 'We have a time schedule, and you weren't there: And I said, 'Not

only were you not there, you didn't call me: I think that was the last time he was late.

And I'm hoping that carries over into school, into the next job he might have. There were

a few times when I would proofread and then I would make corrections. He brought me

the copy the next week and I noticed some of the corrections I had given him had not

been made. And we got into a discussion about why he was wasting my time.

I put it on the table and deal with it, okay? Because I think if I allow him to get away with

it here he might have felt going to college he could slip, slide, and skate, or do what I call

a Peggy Flemingtry to skate through. And I felt that I needed to be firm with him but at

the same time be fair. For the most part I think Don appreciated it. And I could tell he

appreciated it because as our relationship evolved and the work relationship evolved I

noticed that he was able to share more and more with me some other things that were

going on in his life too. So I know that I did not really turn him off. I think it strengthened

our relationship because the bottom line is that I think he felt that I had his best interests

in mind. I was trying to prepare him for what he had to deal with in the future., 5

Earl Lee

IBM Corporation at Endicott

5. Teaching Roles'-±4, 53

49

Rom .ft© Support 'reachNg Rakes

Teaching youth is a form of staffdevelopment for adults (see Appen-dix, p. 90). Adults become moreself-conscious about their ownknowledge and learning; they gainexperience in managerial roles. Inview of the magnitude of theemployers' investment, this is acritically important benefit fromparticipation in work-based learning.If work-based learning enhancesstaff development in addition toyielding highly qualified futureworkers, the investment will bemore readily and visibly justified.

Authorize TeachingEven in small firms, where peopletypically perform several roles andreadily share responsibilities, work-based learning must be treatedformally, explicitly assigning teach-ing roles and responsibilities tocoordinators, managers, andcoaches and authorizing adultworkers to perform these and thementoring role (see Appendix, p.91). Managers should write theperformance of these teaching rolesinto job descriptions and specifythat coaches and others devote acertain percentage of their time tothese tasks. Authorizing theseteaching roles in job descriptionsand performance assessments movesthe firm forward on the path towardbecoming a learning organization.It is not enough to bring youngpeople into a firm and expect adultsto make time for them around theedges.

Provide Staff DevelopmentThroughout the demonstrationproject's four years, coordinators,managers, coaches, and mentorsparticipated in workshops thataddressed various issues and chal-lenges. During the fourth year thecoordinators, under the leadershipof Chris Powers, then coordinatorat the IBM Corporation atEndicott, helped plan two work-shops: a retreat for participants anda seminar on adult teaching roles.Issues for coaches, managers, andmentors involved boundaries andresponsibilities among these differ-ent roles. We wrote fictional casestudies based on reports of problemsencountered at the work sites (seetraining section of World WideWeb: http : // www . human. cornell.edulyouthwork/). We encouraged theadults who attended the seminar touse the cases as training tools withcolleagues who were unable toattend. This "train the trainer"approach seems the only efficientmeans to reach the many differentadults who teach youth. Training isexpensive to employers because it isdone during the working day.

50 5 4Learning Well at Work

I

Condangon

Work-based learning preparesyoung people for employment, butit also has a profound social func-tion: it reconnects adults withyouth. As they become adults,young people need role models andconfidants who complement theirparents. They learn from perform-ing technical tasks, but they learnin the context of relations withsignificant adults whoencourage, inspire, andinstruct them.

The most satisfyingresult of our demonstrationproject is that it showed howadults are able and willing to becoaches and mentors for youth.Some, like Earl Lee, are naturals; allthey need is an opportunity. Mostothers are fully capable of perform-ing the roles with a modicum oforientation, training, and support.Recognizing that "natural" mentorswill readily perform some or all ofthe responsibilities we have out-lined even in the absence of formaljob descriptions and training, webelieve it is useful to distinguish theroles of coaching, mentoring,managing, and coordinating and toprovide orientation, training, andsupport for the adults who performthem. The challenge is to help largenumbers of adults gain the compe-tence in teaching youth that somealready have.

Work-based learning programs foryouth must be accompanied byopportunities for adults to becomecompetent at teaching youth.Happily, they also become morecompetent as managers of adults,providing a double return on em-ployers' investment in humanresources. Learning organizations

for youth are also learningorganizations for adults.

Bill Balbuena of Lourdes Hospital coachesramie Hudy as she studies sections of anatomi-cal parts. Examining these organ systems willhelp her better understand what she seesunder the microscope in the anatomicalpathology lab.

5. Teaching Roles rr +,51

6. Academic Achievement

Youth achieve high academic standards.

1. Work closely with schools and postsecondary institutionsto set high academic standards.

2. Specify courses and degrees related to the career areas.

3. Open multiple options for postsecondary education.

If the distinction between head and hand, between academic and voca-tional education, was ever valid, it is no longer. Increasingly jobs that paywell require a combination of knowledge, communication, problem solving,and technical skill that sounds like a classic definition of the well-educatedperson. Schools, in turn, must undertake fundamental reforms in at leastfour areas: setting high academic standards; creating effective advisingsystems; linking school-based learning to work-based learning; andallowing flexible schedules.

52

5=6Learning Well at Work

U

U

a

PffemoSns lidg[TeT Standaais

Employers can promote higher aca-demic standards as citizens throughmembership on school boards andtheir committees and through publicadvocacy. They can also do so byclearly stating their expectationsregarding the academic achievementof their employees, selecting youth forwork-based learning (and otheremployees) based on those expecta-tions (especially reviewing transcriptsof applicants), monitoring youths'progress toward meeting their expecta-tions, advising about courses to take,and offering tutoring if necessary. Atthe postsecondary level, some employ-ers provide scholarships, a benefit thatis especially valuable in states like New

York where community college tuitionis high.

High school students hoping to makerewarding careers without graduatingfrom four-year colleges must enroll incourses previously considered appropri-ate only for those bound for selectivecolleges. Social studies and Englishcourses are required in all four highschool grades. The critical question forparticipants is whether they enroll inoptional science and math courses ingrades 11 and 12. Youth in all threeoccupational areas need college prepa-ratory mathematics. Those in healthcare and manufacturing and engineer-ing technology also need science.

' il'l seellsffed be.g Maesagsfilecl as mysellg,"

Avion Fields started taking higher-levelscience courses when teachers who knew he

was in the demonstration project urged him to doso. He regretted not doing it earlier.

6 6 I'm satisfied but I'm not that satisfied in myself. I

wasn't that focused in the ninth and tenth grade. I was not

taking [my career interest] that seriously. This year I'm taking Regents [college

preparatory] chemistry but I could have been taking Regents physics.

and ShirleyRoss

Avion Fields (I)

The apprenticeship is good for another reason. It puts me on another level. I have a

couple of sets of friends at school. I have a set of friends that I goof off with and

another set I talk to about going to college. I can also talk to adults and relate to0

0them. I can talk about work and things. I feel more mature. 55

Avion Fields

United Health Services Hospitals and Binghamton High School

6. Academic Achievement

5.53

Work-based learning can thriveas part of a larger education reformprocess only if it fosters highachievement for all. Far from beinga less rigorous mode of learning forthe academically ungifted, work-based learning depends on themovement to abolish basic orgeneral courses and to raise theacademic content of vocationalcourses to the level of collegepreparatory courses.19 A few gradu-ates found they were unprepared forthe courses in community collegethat would qualify them for techni-cal occupations. This demonstratesthe need for a systematic approachinvolving employers, educators, andparents. More communication anda stronger advising system wouldassure that youth know whatcourses they should be taking inhigh school to follow their chosencareer path. Work experience byitself is inadequate to overcomeinertia and lack of knowledge; highacademic performance has to bepart of the design of work-basedlearning programs. Employers canadvocate even more forcefully thaneducators for higher academicstandards, but they must do sorepeatedly and in many ways toovercome the inertia of currentpractices. They should also recog-nize that enabling all students toachieve higher standards entailschanges in school organization andinstructional methods, changes thatcannot be made without cost.

In contrast to Avion Fields andothers who were "turned on" toschool, as a group the participantsshowed no greater improvement ingrades and enrollment innonrequired math and sciencecourses than their classmates.20Participants' grades improvedmodestly from grade 10 to grade 12,but no more than their classmates'.2'We conclude that neither gradesnor course enrollments will improveas an indirect result of work-basedlearning; improved academicperformance must be a central focusof school-to-work systems andspecific steps taken to foster it. Themost critical need is for a variety oflearning options and instructionalapproaches, for explicit links be-tween knowledge and application,and for new school structures.

Mike Surace coaches Wayne Horton (I.) atLourdes Hospital.

54

;5 8Learning Well at Work

a

a

a

4llthi© ANses Vcomon?

Employers need to emphasize theimportance of success in school forsuccessful careers so that youthbegin to make connections amongwhat they are experiencing at work,their career aspirations, and theirschool performance.

If employers specify the coursesthey expect youth to take, they willsend a strong message, but themessage will not be communicatedimmediately to everyone who needsto hear it because it conflicts withdeeply embedded beliefs. Manypeople, including some teachers,firmly believe that students' aca-demic performance results primarilyfrom inherent and unchangeableaptitude. By this reasoning, students

enroll in lower-level courses becausethey lack the intelligence to succeedin more challenging courses, andthey, their teachers, and theirclassmates would be frustrated ifthey were asked to do more. Manyparents, especially those who havenot graduated from college, acceptthe schools' placements of theirchildren in lower -level courses.Even guidance counselors are oftenunaware that students who havemet no more than minimum stan-dards for high school graduationtypically need to take many highschoollevel courses in communitycollege before they can qualify foradmission to programs leading totechnical associates' degrees.

1 ask ghem how schooll lls gollng,"iohn N iles regularly asked youth he supervised about theirJ schoolwork.

6 6 I try to have a one-on-one every week. I didn't have one this Tuesday

because of conflicts. We didn't meet until last Thursday, and we'll meet

again this coming Tuesday. I ask them how school is going, any prob-

lems, did you get your report card. See, I have a daughter in high school

too, so I know about when exams are coming and when the report card

should be out. 5 5O

John Niles 0The Raymond Corporation Ofac

6. Academic Achievement 55

Students need information andadvice from a range of sources, includ-ing but not limited to school counse-lors. Parents are and should be theirchildren's most important advisers.To fulfill that role most of them needadditional information about careeropportunities, including educationalpossibilities and requirements.

Mentors at work can be invaluableadvisers but they also need up-to-dateinformation and the skill to conveywhat they know effectively. Classroomteachers are also important sources ofadvice; they can be more effectivewhen they have better information,adequate time, and authorization toact as advisers.

bilingllung back somegfeng."eachers spoke about how their students' and their own

1 participation in the demonstration project had changed theirteaching methods and their attitudes toward teaching andstudents. Roberta Thomas, an English teacher, spoke movinglyabout the revitalization she felt.

6 6 I went to where Melissa Storti works in the morning. We arranged a

meeting so it would be close to when she was excused.

And we went to a cafe for breakfast. We sat

and chatted about her performance, what she

liked, what she wanted to do, and college. We

talked a lot about careers and how a young girl

in the medical field is supposed to act. It was a

very personal connection that I was very glad to

have with her, to be able to sit over breakfast

with Missy and talk, person-to-person, adult-to-

adult, old adult to young adult. You know, I need

to get out of the constrictions of the building.

I

advisesapprentices.

Thomas

This is what makes me want to get up in the morning and go to work.

Getting out with adults, going to the workshops, talking with other

teachers, with coaches, with people in the business world, Cornell

people, all of those things make you think that you're actually a profes-

sional. And sitting down to a luncheon, a professional

luncheon. That helps me. I'm bringing back something

to my students and to the rest of the teachers. 5 5

Roberta Thomas

Windsor Central High School

U

56 Learning Well at Work6 0

Some schools participating in the demonstration project institutedadvising groups, giving participants a time to talk over problems theyencountered and to discuss ways of taking advantage of their opportunities.Scheduling problems and the absence of a "critical mass" of participants inmost schools constrained the effectiveness of advising groups.

Margaret Coffey meets with her advising group at Binghamton High School.

How Can Veacherrs Pin Schoz-Dazed. Leunkts.fto WoTk-Dased Leandng9

Some students will be sufficientlymotivated by their work-based learn-ing experience to adapt to currentcollege-preparatory courses. Butstudents with different learning stylesmay need courses that vary in meth-ods and duration but teach the sameconcepts." Work-based learningpresented a major challenge and atremendous opportunity for schoolsto connect academic learning more

closely with the real world, a con-nection that will benefit not onlythe students in what have beengeneral and vocational tracks butalso college-bound students, many ofwhom are adept at learning abstractinformation for tests but unable touse what they have "learned" byapplying it to solve real problems.

6. Academic Achievement 57

°V came rifeJoyce Golden's account of a marginal math student explainingthe concept and use of standard deviation helps illustrate the

rationale for work-based learning. Her opportunity to visit work-places and meet with people from business brought a new dimen-sion to her classroom.

6 6 When material can be made meaningful to their everyday life as it is

in the workplace, it has some relevance. I had a couple of good

examples this year where apprenticeships were a factor in my classroom

instruction, and that would not have happened if I had not been familiar

with the work environment. One was teaching standard deviation with a

student who was doing very poorly in math. I was able to say, 'Gee, I

think we use standard deviation in the workplace. I wonder if someone

could tell us what that means?' And sure enough [finger snap], it came

to life and he explained exactly what a standard deviation was, why it

was important to the statistical research of the company, and how he

was using it on a regular basis. No problem whatsoever because it was

in a meaningful context for him. So that was application for the whole

class, but he would not have volunteered if I hadn't known enough to

go for it. It was my familiarity with what they were

doing and what he was doing that made me able

to use that kind of knowledge. Unfortunately, few

teachers have had those opportunities. 59

Joyce GoldenSusquehanna Valley High School

Addow Moak Schethalles?

School counselors were very creativeabout adjusting participants' sched-ules to incorporate substantial workhours. If large proportions of anyschool's students began to participatein extensive work-based learning,however, conventional schedulingwould quickly become a barrier.Some work-based learning programshave used the European approach of

full days at school and at work. Thisreduces transportation time, which isa serious consideration, but entailsspecial classes for participants. Manyschools are experimenting with moreflexible schedules, and some of thoseschemes would accommodate work-based learning much more readilythan conventional schedules.


Concllans6on

Young people should know whilethey are in high school what theywill have to do to achieve theircareer goals. If their goal is first tograduate from a four-year college,then it is clear what they must do toget in. But if they expect to beginfull-time employment without afour-year degree, most have littleguidance about what courses theyshould take in school and whatgrades they need to achieve. Teach-ers and counselors who are orientedto four-year colleges are of littlehelp. When employers publiclyadvocate higher academic standardsand then use those standards tomake hiring decisions, they send avery powerful message. Whenschools reorganize to teach allstudents, they will help to releasehuman resources that are currentlywasted when we define half tothree-quarters of our high schoolstudents as unable to learn.

Our demonstration projectshowed that specific institutionalpractices are needed to communi-cate those standards and help youngpeople meet them. Coursesdesigned to teach high-level con-tent in engaging ways are one suchpractice. Schedules must becomemore flexible to enable work-basedlearning. Another needed reform isthe creation of comprehensiveadvising systems, including not onlyschool counselors but also teachers,parents, and mentors at the worksite. Teachers and counselors will bemost effective if they are able tolearn firsthand about the academiccontent of contemporary work-places through visits, meetings, andinternships. Finally, curricula andinstructional practices should stressthe integration of academic withvocational education and school-based with work-based learning.

Tammy Locke, in health care at Lourdes Hospital,listens to teacher Howard Fisher in an anatomy andphysiology class at Binghamton High School.

6. Academic Achievement 3 59

7. Career Paths

Youth identify and follow career paths.

1. Provide career exploration opportunities and informationon related careers.

2. Advise youth about career paths, coordinating with highschool and college advisers and with parents.

3. Pay particular attention to the posthigh school transition.

A career path traces a lifelong occupational journey involving botheducation and employment, not a single job or even a single occupation.By this definition, some career paths are smooth and direct while others arerough and full of dead ends; some lead to well-paid and prestigious employ-ment but others do not. A path is not a track; it allows for changes indirection and can lead toward several destinations.

A good career path provides a sense of direction and a purpose foracademic achievement so that a young person is well preparedeven if she or he later chooses a different path. No onehas ever been able to predict precisely where his or herown or someone else's career will lead, and any cer-tainty about the future is now inconceivable. Butif we can give more young people a bettersense of what they can do in the future andwhat they have to do to prepare, they willbe better able to make good choices.

60


Ca meg' Paiths after. Mgh Schad and.Wowk-Based LeaM6ng

After high school graduation, youngpeople can follow four distinctivecareer paths related to their previouswork-based learning: continuous,redirected, exploratory, or undirected.School-to-work systems help youthformulate visions of their careerpaths and then take steps to reachtheir dreams.

ContinuousYouth may continue a career pathbegun during high school (see Table6 in Appendix, p. 92). Desirablecareer paths increasingly requirepostsecondary education; options forpeople with no more than a highschool diploma are shrinking. At its

best, work-based learning helpsyoung people set career goals andstimulates and enables them tocontinue the education they need toachieve those goals (see Table 7 inAppendix, p. 92).23 While enrolledin community college or four-yearcolleges, youth may also engage incoherent and increasingly demand-ing work-based learning related totheir education. Some youth may,however, secure full-time employ-ment in the same occupational areadirectly after high school, havinggained sufficient knowledge andskills to perform effectively in jobsthat are ordinarily reserved for olderadults."

After graduating in accounting from Broome Community College, Kellie Gehres (r.) accepted a full-time job offer at Security Mutual Life Insurance Company. Gerri Benedetto (I.) coordinated Kellie'sfour-year program at Security Mutual.

7. Career Paths 85 61

C011ighakg yomFk-based lleaming of =Zags

Blair Dury is well on his way toward becoming an electrical engineer,having had many supports and opportunities during four years in manu-

facturing and engineering technology at Anitec. He is also a second-yearengineering science student at Broome Community College. He hopes totransfer to a four-year college to continue his studies.

Blair progressively improved his grades in academiccourses from a C+ grade level (GPA = 79) insophomore year to all A's and B's junior (86) andsenior (92) years, including A's in both math andRegents-level physics senior year. He went from26 absences sophomore year to 5 in the junior yearand only 1 in his senior year. His firm coordinatornoted that in his senior year Blair became moreoutgoing and self-confident, in part because heinteracted with a variety of people in his assignmentsand had become a very dependable, valuable, andproductive employee. The realization that he is animportant member of the organization and that others depend on him hasbeen an important step in his personal development. He volunteered to playwith his co-workers in a company volleyball league, and his talents led theteam to the season championship. He was selected to attend the WhiteHouse signing ceremony for the School-to-Work Opportunities Act in May1994. For his senior project he designed the physical layout for a silver analy-sis lab, including all electrical units.

At the end of his senior year, Blair explained what work meant for him:"For me, it means a chance for college, a chance to earn money, a chance tolearn things that I normally wouldn't learn, and a chance to meet newpeople."

After his first year of college we asked Blair to name the most importantadults in his life. He described how each had helped steer him on a career path.

C My parents are two of them. They've always been there when I needed them

and they'll go out of their way to help me out. And I'd say one of my teachers, Mr.

Hauptfleisch, back from Binghamton High School, got me into technical stuff like

engineering and things like that, and I owe a lot to him to get me on track going in

the right direction. And I'd say my boss Robert Kage is another person who really

helped me out. I mean, it's nice to have a boss who can tell you, you 0

Blair Dury(r.) and Robert

gage

know, 'Go to school. Do the best you can there and then worry 0about coming to work' 55

Blair Dury

Anitec, Binghamton High School, and Broome Community College


f6

Decomilng a pmgeasllonailI n the spring of 1995, Erica Anderson completed her associate's degree1 in nursing at Broome Community College, was certified as a regis-tered nurse, and started full-time employment at United Health ServicesHospitals in medical surgery. Four years earlier, she had begun hercareer in health care at United Health Services Hospitals during herjunior year at Union-Endicott High School. Her two-yearprogram taught her how to form excellentwork relationships with both patients and staffin the outpatient lab for the phlebotomydepartment, in physical therapy, and in themain lab for the hospital.

At high school graduation Erica received anursing scholarship from the hospital, but she didnot qualify for admission to the nursing programat Broome Community College because of a low

signing ceremony for the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and

(1.)ond Mary

Petersonchemistry grade. Nevertheless, because of her

confessed that she had been skeptical about admitting Erica because of

Erico Andersonbackground and strong references, she was admit-ted that fall. Next spring a faculty member stronglyrecommended that Erica be sent to Washington for the White House

the high dropout rate of students just out of high school, who often lackthe social and personal competence required to work with patients. Butmuch to her surprise and delight, Erica showed strength and maturity indealing with patients and earned a 3.1 grade point average for 18 creditsin her fall semester. As part of her scholarship Erica 0worked as a nurse's assistant every other weekend, on Qbreaks, and full-time over the summer at the UnitedHealth Services Hospitals. Erica confided thatrepresenting the program at the White House andelsewhere increased her self-confidence.

7. Career Paths

30667 63

"We hove someone who ll killly ttraffned,"After Sharon Laude graduated from Windsor Central High School, she started work

full-time at Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Company. At that time, LynnBarsigian, her coordinator, expressed ambivalence about herimmediate entry into the workforce.

6 6 Because she's getting married next month, she has elected

at this time not to go on to Broome Community College. So in

that respect we're all disappointed. We kind of feel like the

program failed. But on the other hand, it didn't fail because she

has really matured, and now we, as a company, have someone

who has been here for two years, has gone into a full-time slot,

and is hilly trained.

SharonLaude

(r) andLynnBarsigian

We hope she'll learn that education requirements are going up,

and she'll have to continue with schooling. That's part of the goal. But it did work for Sharon

because she has matured a lot She wouldn't be here otherwise. There's still more training that

needs to be done, but she is light years ahead of someone who is just coming off of the street,

even if they have the educational background., 5

Lynn explained further that one stipulation for her employment has beenSharon's promise to continue her education by taking courses at the company andthen to enter a program at the college. This meets the firm's need for highly skilledemployees since its restructuring into customer service teams that require cross-trained employees.

6 6 All of our jobs require either an associate's or a bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.

I can think of only two jobs in the whole company that I would hire somebody for straight out of

high school with no experience. As a matter of fact, for our customer service jobs, [where Sharon has

been placed] we are thinking about increasing the educational requirement to a bachelor's degree.

Mostly the people in the customer service area juggle not only a lot of work but also working with

the public. Someone straight out of high school would not be as polished as we need them to be if

they didn't have equivalent work experience.

The level of technical knowledge that people have to know has increased. There is a higher level

of computer expertise that they have to have, in addition to a customer service maturity. Although

our insureds and agents are typically friendly, they can be very tough at times. Therefore, good

telephone skills are very important We are getting to a point where we need a higher caliber of

person. We are willing to train new hires on the insurance [matters], but the ability to learn, the

customer service skills, and telephone skillsyou've got to have that when you come here. If you

don't have it when you come here, you're not going to get it overnight 55Lynn Barsigian

Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Company


RedirectedMultiple changes characterize adoles-cence, and redirected career paths areinevitable. Learning what one doesnot want to do is an important partof choosing a career path; it can addconfidence to a new choice." Ifwork-based learning helps youngpeople clarify their career plans, it isbeneficial to them even if they decideto move in a new direction. Further-more, many of the lessons youngpeople learn from work, especially thepersonal and social competencies,will serve them well regardless of thecareer area they pursue.

ExploratoryA third possibility is that high schoolgraduates will remain in the explor-atory mode seeking a clear directioneven after participation in work-basedlearning. Many parents and careercounselors believe this is the best statefor teenagers. Our educational systemand labor markets encourage delayingcommitment to a career. Explorationis common among college studentsenrolling in the arts and sciences.So long as young people are takingconstructive steps while exploring, itis a beneficial state, and getting a solideducation is the most constructivestep of all. Ideally, youth will first takeadvantage of the less intensive typesof work-based learning for explora-tion, for example field trips and jobshadowing, and later embark on theircareer paths in high school throughthe more intensive types, such ascooperative education and appren-ticeship, and then continue theircareer paths in college."

UndirectedThe School-to-Work OpportunitiesAct responds to the observation thatyoung people in the United Stateswho do not graduate from four-yearcolleges tend to flounder for severalyears, moving aimlessly from oneyouth job to another, before findingemployment that pays more thanminimum wage, offers reasonablesecurity and benefits, and providesopportunities for upward mobility.Young people without college degreesoften cannot obtain such employ-ment until they reach their mid-twenties or later." To the extent thatparticipants in work-based learningengage in the floundering that istypical for recent high school gradu-ates, they have not benefited, at leastin the near term." The clearestindicator that a graduate who is notenrolled in postsecondary educationlacks direction is that she or he doesnothing to follow a career path. Thisperson may be employed only in ajob that requires no special skills andoffers no opportunities for advance-ment, move frequently from one jobto another without making significantprogress toward a long-term goal, orspend long periods of time without ajob. Having a child or getting mar-ried deflected some participants fromor postponed their choice of a careerpath." Illness, family problems, anddisabilities also prevented some youthfrom finding a direction, at leasttemporarily.

7. Career Paths 65

Hell-p5ng Yough IRrnd a Do kectkon

Continuous career paths are clearlyadvantageous to young people.When these paths lead back to thetraining firm, they are also advanta-geous to employers who makesubstantial investments in work-based learning. Representatives ofthe firms in our project stated theirbelief that young people and thecommunity would benefit fromwork-based learning even if gradu-ates did not work for them. Never-theless, employers must eventuallysee a reasonable proportion of theirtrainees moving into theirworkforces if they are to earn asatisfactory return on their invest-ment. We recognized when initiat-ing the demonstration project thatparticipants would have to select anoccupational area without anadequate foundation of informationand exploration. Therefore, wewere pleased that more than halfremained in their occupationalareas after graduation. This propor-tion should be much higher in afully developed school-to-workopportunities system. Three compo-nents are especially critical tohelping youth find a direction:exploration and information;advising; and financial aid.

Exploration and InformationThe different types of work-basedlearning described above (see page 6)can be conceived as progressivelydefining a career path. Ideally em-ployers will join in partnership toprovide a full range of opportunitiesfor all young people. Over time theresult will be that those applying forcooperative education, internships,and youth apprenticeship placementswill have previously visited work-places for field trips and job shadow-ing. They will be making informedchoices based on extensive informa-tion and experience rather thanusing intensive work-based learningfor exploration, which is a low returnstrategy for employers.

AdvisingAs described in the previous section(see page 55) advising is anothercritical need that must be made byparents, teachers, counselors, andworkplace mentors. These advisers,in turn, need solid information,authorization to perform this role,and opportunities to communicatewith each other. Employers who spellout the academic and nonacademicqualifications they require of appli-cants help to convey to young peoplethe information they need to makesound choices.


70

Financial AidHigh school students need adviceabout postsecondary education,including information on thecourses required for entrance intospecific programs and the datesapplications are due. But financialneed was the most serious barrier topostsecondary enrollment amongparticipants in the demonstrationproject. Community college tuitionin New York State is unusuallyhigh, but even modest charges can

be a barrier to young people whomust earn substantial amounts ofmoney to help their families. A fewemployers gave scholarships tosuccessful participants, which is awonderful incentive and, we think,a wise investment. Providing infor-mation about the availability ofgrants and loans and the process forfiling applications can be veryhelpful for young people whosefamilies are unfamiliar with thesematters.

David Winters, Matt Hunt, and Stephanie Alger (I. to r.) talk with Valerie Mahar at The RaymondCorporation.

7. Career Paths

7167

Conthileon

In 1916 John Dewey wrote,

A vocation means nothing but such a direction of life activities as

renders them perceptibly significant to a person, because of the conse-

quences they accomplish, and also useful to his associates. The oppo-

site of a career is neither leisure nor culture, but aimlessness, capri-

ciousness, the absence of cumulative achievement in experience, on

the personal side, and idle display, parasitic dependence upon the

others, on the social side. Occupation is a concrete term for continuity.

It includes the development of artistic capacity of any kind, of special

scientific ability, of effective citizenship, as well as professional and

business occupations, to say nothing of mechanical labor or engage-

ment in gainful pursuits.3°

"Wm* ils5 aboag hem one.'One of our interview questions is posed whimsically to elicit youngpeople's conceptions of work. We ask them to imagine that one

day at work an alien from outer space appears and asks them toexplain what work is. One young woman, Teresa Shoemaker, repliedas follows when first asked the question in the fall of her junior year atBinghamton High School, when she was a beginning health care

. apprentice at Lourdes Hospital.

Like I want my work to be fun, I want to love my work. Work would be

something that I want to do, something that's gonna get me through life.

My work would be helping people. Work is going to the hospital, hopefully

saving some lives doing what I love.

Teresa went on to say that she looked forward to working in sportsmedicine and physical therapy because she was an athlete and physicaltherapists had helped her. "So if I can help someone do something thatthey love, then I'll love doing that." We asked the same question at theend of her junior and senior years. The third time, just before highschool graduation, she remembered the question well and responded asfollows:

68


66 My answer's going to be so different! Like work is something that you have to

care about. Like in the medical profession you have to care. 'Cause if you don't

care, and you're very removed from it, people know. It shows, and so you have to

care, caring and respectthe other people that you work with, your patients,

respect for yourself.

Work is a challenge. There's things you have to overcome at work. Like if we had

to go up on a floor and do a patient, and then the therapist was scheduled

downstairs too. You have to learn how to work around things and to divide your

time. It's like pieces of a puzzle, and you have to put them all together. Everything

has to come together as one.

Work is about being one. There's so many different departments in the hospital,

but after being in four of them you realize how much they rely and depend on

each other. Like the nursing staff depends on physical therapy to get their patients

up and ambulate them to get them stronger so they can be released from the

hospital. Physical therapy depends on the x-ray department, say, to tell them what

is wrong with the patient. It just all works together. It's not like individual. Doctors

depend on physical therapy and x-ray and the pharmacy. It's hard to define work

in the medical profession. There's just too many things that go along with it 55

Teresa Shoemaker

Lourdes Hospital and Binghamton High School

These two statements reveal commitment to caring.3' They also show adevelopmental progression from simple to complex and from a self-centeredview of work as something the youth likes to do toward a conception ofwork as an inherently social activity that incorporates otherspatients andco-workers who deserve respectand is embedded in a complex, interde-pendent organization characterized by distinct roles and structures. The shiftfrom work as enjoyment to work as challenge also seems significant. Refer-ence to the medical profession seems important too as an indicator thatTeresa has come to identify herself with an institution that is even largerthan the hospital. Her ability to talk like this and her awareness that herideas have changed suggest a growing cognitive capacity and an emergingsense of self, both of which are central to adolescent development.

Without the work-based learning experience, she mighthave had other experiences and certainly would havematured in her outlook on work and other topics, but 54typical youth jobs in the United States are unlikely toprovide the opportunities for development that herstatement revealed.

7. Career Paths 69

In our society occupation isabsolutely central to identity, nowfor women as well as men. Allyoung people need a sense of whatthey might do to earn a living so asto develop their sense of themselvesas citizens and family members. AsDewey wrote, "An occupation isthe only thing which balances thedistinctive capacity of an individualwith his social service. To find outwhat one is fitted to do and tosecure an opportunity to do it is thekey to happiness" (p. 308). He wenton to warn against the simple-minded belief that one chooses anoccupation once and for all. Rather,he described the process as continu-ous, lifelong.

Work-based learning opportunitiescontribute to that lifelong process,especially when they match youngpeople's needs, beginning withexploration and progressing togaining technical competence.Employers who teach youth need tomake investments consistent withtheir goals. If they wish to enhancethe quality of their future workforce,then they must pay for intensivework-based learning; offering fieldtrips will not be sufficient. Themore intensive types of work-basedlearning need the foundationprovided by less intensive types,however. Young people who partici-pate in cooperative education andapprenticeships will be more likelyto continue in a related career pathif they have previously had theopportunity to explore careers andmake an informed commitment.

Lois Edwards coaches David Tolomei at Lourdes Hospital on procedures to embedspecimens in paraffin.

70


Next Steps

The experience of operating a youth apprenticeship demonstra-tion project has left us optimistic about the prospects for creatinga more effective system to foster the transition from adolescenceinto adulthood in the United States, a system that uses work-places as learning environments for youth. The experience hasalso revealed the magnitude of the task. Following are the stepswe see as most critical to success.

Next Steps

7571

neztructue Schoolls and 'WM 'aces

Commitment is more than willing-ness to participate. An employer,for example, might join a school-to-work partnership primarily as agesture of support to the commu-nity but without accepting its aimsand its guiding principles. If anemployer is motivated by no morethan civic duty, then a downturn inearnings will quickly terminateparticipation. Similarly, if schoolsare primarily concerned aboutdealing with students who are notserved well by current programs,they are unlikely to engage in thekind of restructuring school-to-work requires, especially enablingall students to meet high academicstandards.

The opposite of commitment isrejection, but in many waysstraightforward rejection is lessinsidious than participation withoutcommitment. The greatest threat tothe integrity of school-to-work is itsnominal adoption, perhaps simplyby using the term to describecurrent activities, without attempt-ing the restructuring that truecommitment entails. We see astriking parallel between the kindsof commitments school-to-workrequires of schools and workplaces.Restructuring is needed in bothschools and workplaces in thefollowing four areas.

Increase the Breadth andDepth of LearningSchools and workplaces need toaccept as a central goal increasing thedepth and breadth of learning avail-able to everyone. To this end, em-ployers will promote high-level tech-nical, social, and personal skills byproviding work and training in broadcareer areas. Educators in schools andcolleges will become committed toteaching all youth how to think andoffer them rigorous courses. Teachersshould relate academic learning to thelife choices young people face ascitizens and family members as well asworkers.

Assure Equal Access toLearningAll employees need opportunities tolearn high-level skills. Employersshould provide career ladders andlearning opportunities for all employ-ees, not just for those with collegedegrees. The School-to-Work Oppor-tunities Act specifies that schoolsprovide some form of work-basedlearning to all students and abandonthe tracking systems that relegate halfor more of all students to undemand-ing courses and limited career pros-pects. Educators must challenge allyouth, advance interdisciplinarylearning, modify schedules, and makecollege entry possible for all students.The new philosophy is that all stu-dents can learn if given appropriateopportunities and adequate support.


76

a

aa

a

Assign Staff to Organizeand Monitor Work-BasedLearningIn both institutions staff should beformally assigned to support youngpeople's work-based learning. Ad-equate scale cannot be achieved ifresponsibility for work-based learn-ing is simply added on to otherresponsibilities already carried byoverburdened staff. Employers mustcommit human resources to coordi-nate, manage, coach, and mentoryouth in the workplace. Schoolsshould expect every faculty memberto advise a group of students aboutcareer paths and learning and shouldformally assign a coordinating role toat least one person.

We have quoted many talentedand dedicated adults who workedwith youth in schools and work-places. Their statements and theiractions demonstrate that puttingyoung people in the company ofadult coaches and mentors can beextremely stimulating and satisfyingto adultsas it is to young peopleif the adults are allowed to teachwhat they know, express theirpersonal concern, and share theirwisdom. Teachers also describe theirinvolvement with people in businessand industry and with youth asinspiring experiences. These adultsand their counterparts around thecountry are the best hope for thesuccess of work-based learning.

Maintain LearningOrganizations

Ideally, employees are able to learnand use multiple skills, to participatein self-managed teams, and to haveaccess to internal career ladders.This applies to schools no less thanto young people's workplaces. Teach-ers should be active learners, partici-pating regularly in high-quality staffdevelopment. Internships in businessand industry are a powerful experi-ence for teachers, giving them aclear vision of the academic demandsof work. Similarly, employees whohave spent time in schools gain asympathetic understanding ofchallenges facing educators andhow they can help.

Next Steps 73

Foam par nee O

Ps

The demonstration project con-firmed that partnership is essentialamong employers and employeesand their organizations, educatorsand school systems, legislators andgovernment agencies, parents,youth, and community organiza-tions. Once they have committedthemselves to the goals of school-to-work, the partners must definetheir roles and responsibilities andestablish a working relationshipthat enables each to contribute.They succeed when the partners areable to establish a joint strategy,respect each other's needs andstrengths, and negotiate with each

other to resolve their differences.The partner organizations andgroups have purposes, cultures, andstructures that keep them separatefrom each other. Changing a singleinstitution is daunting enough;creating functional partnerships isa challenge of the first magnitudebecause it requires coordinatingchanges in several institutions.Institutional inertia and self-protective tendencies are seriousbarriers. But there is no alternative.None of the partners can succeedalone.

BRAllcl a Schooll-a ©-Wwk Systam

No single type of work-basedlearning is adequate by itself. Fieldtrips, service learning, youth-runenterprises, and other types allincrease young people's awarenessof their own talents and inclina-tions and of the opportunitiesavailable to them. Youth who enterapprenticeship programs needwork-based opportunities to explorecareers beforehand. Employers whowish to use youth apprenticeship asa means of improving the quality oftheir workforce will find that theirinvestment pays off at a higher rateif they first provide young peoplewith job shadowing and otherexploratory opportunities. If theinvestment required by apprentice-

ship is too great, then cooperativeeducation, internships, and othertypes may suffice. The goal shouldbe to provide in every community acomplement of work-based learningopportunities to meet a range ofneeds among both young peopleand employers.

Moreover, in addition to work-based learning, a school-to-workopportunities system includesappropriate and effective school-based learning and multipleconnections between the two.Although we have not addressedthose components separately, thedemonstration project confirmedthat work-based learning must besupported by changes in schools

747&


and by an array of connectingactivities, as the principles andchoices described above make clear.

A system differs from a program.A system is

> inclusiveit has a place for every-one who needs one.

> comprehensiveit addresses thefull range of relevant issues.

> integrated internallyits compo-nents are closely linked (e.g.,school-based learning to work-based learning).

> connected externallyit builds onwhat comes before and leads onto something else (e.g., school-to-work connects with higher educa-tion and with the labor market).

> comprehensibleparticipantsunderstand it and can navigatethrough it; parents and otheradvisers can help.

We do not yet know how to accom-plish the goals of school-to-work.Research and development cannotanswer all the questions that re-main, but it would be unwise toproceed without continued moni-toring and testing. Ideally this willbe done in a manner and on aschedule that informs practitionerswho are designing and operatingsystems. We hope the principlesand choices proposed here willserve as a framework for some of theneeded research and development.

The growing disparity between the well-educated affluent and the inad-equately educated who struggle to maintain a decent standard of living mustbe reduced if the United States is to remain a prosperous and secure democ-racy. Education cannot reduce that disparity without complementarychanges in the economy, particularly the labor market. But educationinthe form of the school-to-work initiative, and especially work-based learn-ingis a powerful means of improving the knowledge and skills of theAmerican workforce, which is, after all, most of our citizens. Work-basedlearning that adheres to the principles we have stated will contribute to butalso depend upon never-ending progress toward the promise of freedom andopportunity that is the American dream.

Next Steps 75

Notes1. Although we have often described the demonstration project as a Broome County

program, The Raymond Corporation and the Greene Central School are bothlocated in adjacent Chenango County.

2. Schools could grant a total of five New York State Regents (college preparatory)credits for participation in the demonstration project: two credits each junior andsenior year earned for technical, personal, and social competence; one credit for asenior project.

3. We use the term "employer" to mean the work organization that offers work-basedlearning to youth. These organizations may be profit-making firms, nonprofitorganizations, or government agencies. They are represented by people who, exceptin the cases of small firms and voluntary organizations, are almost always employees.The School-to-Work Opportunities Act requires that both employers and employeesparticipate in community partnerships, including labor unions and other employees'organizations, a requirement we strongly support. However, we have not attemptedin this guide to distinguish sharply between the functions of employers and ofemployees in creating high-quality work-based learning opportunities.

4. A compelling analysis of German apprenticeship concludes that small firms receive anet gain by training apprentices because they contribute more to production thanthey cost, whereas large firms invest more in training apprentices and recoup theircosts only by retaining apprentices as regular employees for several years after theirtraining has been completed. See D. Soskice, "The German Training System:Reconciling Markets and Institutions," in L. Lynch, ed., The Privatization of SkillFormation: International Comparison (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991):

5. See S. F. and M. A. Hamilton, Opening Career Paths for Youth: What Needs to BeDone? Who Can Do It? Cornell Youth and Work Program, Cornell University,American Youth Policy Forum, Jobs for the Future, 1994, for a description ofresponsibilities of the partners in building a school-to-work system.

6. We chose to write about principles rather than a model in the spirit of Ted Sizer'snine principles for the Coalition of Essential Schools. Those principles makeexplicit his beliefs about what secondary education should accomplish and describehow a high school should operate to achieve those purposes. He eschewed prescrib-ing a "model" school because he recognized that diversity is both inevitable anddesirable in high-quality education. See Horace's Compromise: The Dilemma of theAmerican High School, 2d ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985), pp. 225-27.

7. The original principles were stated in our first progress report, Creating ApprenticeshipOpportunities for Youth (1991).

8. We started our year-end interview with an open-ended question: "Looking back overthe past year, what stands out for you in your experience as an apprentice at [firmname]?" Without further prompting, 50 of 59 senior participants responded bydescribing the technical competencies they had acquired; 44 mentioned proce-dureshow to accomplish specific tasks on the job. Almost half (23) talked aboutlearning to use computers. Technical competence was especially prominent in theresponses of participants in manufacturing and engineering technology (17 of 18)but also among administration and office technology participants (18 of 20) andhealth care participants (15 of 21). Twelve youth talked about learning principlesinvolved in their work, and seven referred to analytical thinking skills. Participantswere much more likely than their classmates who were employed during the schoolyear to report that their work was meaningful. First-year participants were morelikely to say their work was meaningful when their firm scored high on a rating of


ao

a

a

a

a

work experience using the seven principles presented here as evaluation criteria.9. This and other direct quotations are taken from transcripts of tape-recorded inter-

views. They are edited for coherence, and conversational expressions (e.g., "youknow") are deleted. Brackets denote words not spoken by the interviewee, which aresubstituted or added for clarity.

10. In their book The Second Industrial Divide (New York: Basic Books, 1984), MichaelPiore and Charles Sabel identified this need and called for "flexible specialization."

11. Participants who spoke about personal learning discussed career planning most often(44 percent of juniors, 73 percent of seniors). Presumably career planning becamemore salient as seniors approached graduation.

12. Forty-four percent of seniors spontaneously mentioned learning about organizationalsystems when asked about their apprenticeship.

13. Thirty-two percent of seniors talked about rules, 29 percent about communication,and 19 percent about working in teams.

14. Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization(New York: Currency Doubleday, 1990).

15. Heidi Bowne, former vice-president for human resources at The Raymond Corpora-tion, alerted us to the importance of linking youth apprenticeship with a firm'sstrategic plan and demonstrated how that can be done. Heidi made sure that theprogram contributed to a human resource strategy that was, in turn, a part of thefirm's strategic plan. The Raymond Corporation was committed to increasing theskill level and flexibility of its employees and designed its youth apprenticeship toproduce highly skilled workers with many competencies.

16. This statement is based on an interview transcript that Valerie Mahar revised.17. Some programs use the German term Meister (master) for this role. We have not

done so for several reasons. A German Meister is literally a master of a craft, andonly a Meister is formally permitted to train apprentices. In practice, however, mostGerman apprentices spend most of their time working alongside a journeyworker;the Meister functions more as what we call a manager. In the United States, coachesare more like what the Swiss call Lehrmeister, who are formally trained and certifiedas apprentice trainers without the courses and examinations that would qualify themas masters of their trade.

18. The original mentor was Odysseus's friend in whose care he left his son, Telemachus,when he left Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. Would-be mentors should pause toconsider that Mentor was Athena in disguise. Taking the role of the goddess ofwisdom is a daunting challenge!

19. This is the goal of High Schools That Work, a program of the Southern RegionalEducation Board.

20. Among the three classes that had completed their senior year at this writing, 47.5percent enrolled in math courses during their senior year, and only 30.5 percentenrolled in science courses. Proportionately more members of the comparison groupenrolled in math (64.2 percent) and about the same proportion (36.5 percent)enrolled in science.

21. We calculated mean grade point average (GPA) for participants, including onlyacademic courses. Their mean GPA began at the B-/C+ level in grade 10. It movedslightly downward in grade 11 and then moved up in grade 12. Participants' GPAsimproved in grade 12 over both previous years, but GPAs for the comparison groupshowed a similar pattern. Changes in both groups' grade levels from one year to thenext were statistically significant, but differences between participants and thecomparison group were not (controlling for GPAs in grade 10). Therefore, eventhough the participants' grade 12 GPAs were higher than those of the comparisonstudents, the difference might not be attributable to youth apprenticeship. We used

Notes

0 877

school records to compare the yearly total of absences for participants and the com-parison group. Just as GPAs rose, on average, in grade 12, so did absences. Absencerates were similar in grade 10 for participants and comparison students. But absencesin the comparison group were more numerous than among participants in grades 11and 12. Participants' absences decreased slightly in grade 11, while the rate forcomparison students increased, yielding a statistically significant difference betweenthem in that year. The increase in absences from grade 10 to grade 12 is statisticallysignificant for both groups. Although participants were absent, on average, almost twofewer days than comparison students in grade 12, the difference is not statisticallysignificant.

22. Principles of Technology, a course designed by the Center for Occupational Researchand Development and widely used in Tech Prep programs, is an excellent example ofsuch a course. See Dan Hull, Opening Minds, Opening Doors: The Rebirth of AmericanEducation (Waco, TX.: Center for Occupational Research and Development, 1993).

23. Fifty-six percent of graduates from the classes of '93 and '94 (n = 36) continued bymaking progress toward a college degree related to their occupational area in their firstyear after high school; 44 percent did so in their second year after high school.

24. Two youth from the classes of '93 and '94 (n = 36) continued in their occupationalarea through work but not postsecondary education in their first year after highschool; one youth did so in the second year after high school. We included in thiscategory only former participants in positions they could not have qualified forwithout their youth apprenticeship.

25. Seventeen percent of participants from the classes of '93 and '94 (n = 36) redirectedtheir career path via further education in their first year after high school; 22 percentdid so in their second year after high school. One redirected via work during bothyears.

26. Two youth from the classes of '93 and '94 (n = 36) explored their career options byentering a liberal arts program with no career focus their first year in college; one inthe second year. One youth explored options during the first two years after highschool in the military.

27. Paul Osterman, Getting Started: The Youth Labor Market (Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press,1980).

28. Eight percent from the classes of '93 and '94 (n = 36) were undirected toward a careergoal in their first year after high school; 19 percent in their second year after highschool. We counted work as a cashier as undirected even though a former participantmight see it as related to administration and office technology, because recent highschool graduates without training are often hired as cashiers. Participants' reasons fornot enrolling in college include financial (e.g., work to save money for college, nomoney, no transportation, work for money for car for transportation, money for child);personal (e.g., illness, stress, marriage, break before going to school); no plan (e.g., nodesire, not getting application in on time, not sure what will do); academic (e.g., poorgrades); family obligations (e.g., care of child or relative). These reasons also explainwhy eight participants who did enroll in college dropped out, stopped out (stopped/dropped out and reenrolled), or enrolled part-time in college during their first twoyears after high school.

29. Nine youth from the first three classes (n = 59) were married or had financial orcustodial responsibilities for a child during the first two years after their high schoolgraduation; eight of those did not enroll or continue in college full-time for onesemester or longer.

30. John Dewey, Democracy and Education (1916; rpt. New York: Free Press, 1966),p. 307.

31. Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice (Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press,1982).


Appendix

Table 1

Program Enrollment, 1990-1996

II1111

III

II

Participants

11th grade 12th grade 13th college' 14th college

Started Finished Started Finished Started Finished Started Finished

Class of '93 22 20 20 20 2 2 2 2

Class of '94 21 19 17 16 3 2 2 2

Class of '95 28 26 25 23 4 3

Class of '96 29 28 27 26

Totals 100 93 89 85 9 7 4 4

' The number enrolled in college is the number of youth who continued the apprenticeship program while enrolledin college.

1111 Note: Dashes indicate that no information was available at the time of the report.

Table 2

10th Grade GPA of All Participants Who Entered the Demonstration Project

111

IIII

ill

1111

' Core GPA: Core courses include all courses taken within each of the four academic core departments, that is,English, math, science, and social studies. The core Grade Point Average (GPA) for an individual is calculated bymultiplying each core grade by the number of units, summing across all core courses, and dividing by the number ofunits (i.e., credit hours). The core GPA for a group (participants or comparison) is calculated by summing all indi-vidual core GPAs and dividing by the number of people in the group. GPAs are reported on a 100-point scale in

II which 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, etc.2 Theoretically, about two-thirds of a population, or 68 percent, are within one Standard Deviation of the mean

1111

(above or below).

Range

Participants GPA' SD' n Min Max

Class of '93 81.05 6.60 22 70.56 94.25

Class of '94 80.43 4.29 21 68.50 88.25

Class of '95 75.51 7.29 28 54.50 86.25

Class of '96 80.36 5.90 29 68.50 94.60

Appendix 79

Table 3

Education Level Attained by Participants' Parents

Highest level of either parent'

4 years of college or more 18

2 years of college 25

High school diploma 52

No high school diploma 2

No information 3

Total 1002

' Based on 70 parent reports and 27 child reports. (Child reports were used when parent reports were not available.)'Because n = 100, numbers are identical to percentages.

Table 4

Gender of Participants

Gender AOT MET HC Total

Male 7 24 10 41

Female 30 4 25 59

Total 37 28 35 100'

' Because n = 100, numbers are identical to percentages.Note: Table 4 gives the gender of participants at the time of enrollment in each of the three occupational areas.Four males switched occupational area but remained in the program.

Table 5

Race or Ethnicity of Participants

Race or ethnicity AOT MET HC Total

Asian 1 1 0 2

African American 1 4 3 8

Hispanic 1 1 0 2

Native American 1 0 0 1

White 33 22 32 87

Total 37 28 35 100'

' Because n = 100, numbers are identical to percentages.


1/484

I

U

I

PAndphs and Cthi©k 'ff0E' Hush-QuantyWorrk-Based Leap[ hs

This rating form for evaluating work-based learning programs is intended primarily as adiagnostic and planning tool. Applied to a particular program or plan, the rating form canhelp to identify strengths and limitations and to set priorities for program development.Repeated over time, it can also serve as a progress record.

1. Technicai Competence. Youth gain basic and high-level technical competence

through challenging work.

Identify work tasks that teach technical competence.

Organize learning objectives as modules in core and elective units.

Design a multi-year learning plan that is increasingly challenging.

2. &ead& Youth gain broad technical competence and understand all aspects ofthe industry through rotation and projects.

Inform youth about all aspects of the industry.

Rotate youth through several departments or placements.

Support projects and activities that teach multiple skills and broadknowledge.

3. Personall and Soda 11 Competence. Youth gain personal and social competencein the workplace.

Recognize personal and social competencies as key learning objectives.

Systematically teach social and personal competence-in-context.

Provide extra assistance to youth who lack personal and social compe-tence through case management.

4. Expectations and Feedback. Workplace teachers convey clear expectations toyouth and assess progress toward achieving them.

State expectations in advance for behavior and learning.

Regularly monitor and document acquisition of competence.

Provide feedback on progress to youth, school, parents, and firm.

Encourage youth to assemble a portfolio.

Eventually use industry-wide standards to provide portable credentials.

Appendix 81)

5. Teaching iloies. Youth learn from adults with formally assigned teaching roles.

Assign dear teaching roles and responsibilities to a coordinator,managers, coaches, and mentors.

Authorize teaching roles in job descriptions and performance assessments.

Orient, train, and support adults who teach youth.

6. Academic Achievement. Youth achieve high academic standards.

Work closely with schools and postsecondary institutions to set highacademic standards.

Specify courses and degrees related to the career areas.

Open multiple options for postsecondary education.

7. Carew Paths. Youth identify and follow career paths.

Provide career exploration opportunities and information on relatedcareers.

Advise youth about career paths, coordinating with high school andcollege advisers and with parents.

Pay particular attention to the posthigh school transition.

Quaiity TatiErlig

5 = Excellent: nearly alwayspresent, planned, apriority; doneexceptionally well

4 = Good: between moderateand excellent

3 = Moderate: present occasion-ally, occasionallyplanned, occasion-ally a priority; donemoderately well

2 = Fair: between moderateand poor

1 = Poor: absent or rarelypresent, rarelyplanned or not,rarely a priority ornot; done poorly http://www.human. come II. edulyouthworkIrtools/

app_crit . htm.

82

ElsLearning Well at Work

I

U

WOG' 3 7:Edo: lie Sauce © 'rechracall LeardngEmployers used this process to clarify youth work and learning within each department.Managers first identified work tasks that the youth would do in their department. Next,they listed technical learning related to each task. This worksheet includes examples froma publications department within an administration and office technology apprenticeship.

Work Tasks in a Department

Department PLAblAcal--10-Yls

Manager SU' Lti1JOY1IS

Apprenticeship Ad AAA n 1 5401-ioY1 Qtly 016teThchri0 lef1

Task #

technical

Procedures

learning

Computer skills Principles

Coni p tel-e1. form5

yvieLKe

chanl e5

image editlernr;riaesictop

a.14tpub.

basics inlayou+,pa sfe- uP

basic2. office

5 Ki I I 5

-riling,copying,

serietin4 -FaxeS

/

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

http://www.human.cornelLedu/youthwork/ptools/tasks.htm

Appendix 83

Blond ring 1:3[1occs flop PnowamssEmployers decide what youth should learn. Modules are sets of related learning objectives(see Documentation module, p. 35). Related modules can be grouped into units. Thebuilding blocks below illustrate units and their modules used in manufacturing andengineering technology youth apprenticeships. Modules and units may be modified andcombined in different ways to meet the needs of youth and employers.

Analytical Thinking

Careers in MET

Special Experiences

Projects

Chemical Processin Elective

......E:IMeasurementPlating

Research

Electronics and ElectricalEngineering Elective

Manufacturing Elective

Basic Manufacturing

Board Manufacturing

Emulsion Manufacturing

Assembly

Board Po ulation, Cables Solderin

Fabrication

F' ishin Machining

ProductionControl

Drafting Elective

Ar-Th' yWNW INTIMIllk

411.11

Basic Project Engineering

CAD

Surveying

Asset Mana ement

Basic Programming

Quality Testing

Workstation Configuration

hup://www. human.come 11.edu/youthworkiptools/no te book/

84

BEST ,1 PY AVM LAKE8 8


Senk

x PT

ojec

t Dom

es

Key

Que

stio

n-Is

sue

How

doe

s th

e A

mer

ican

s w

ith D

isab

ilitie

s A

ct (

AD

A)

conf

lict w

ith c

olle

ctiv

e ba

rgai

ning

agr

eem

ents

?

Res

earc

h S

teps

Rea

d ar

ticle

s an

d le

gisl

atio

n su

ch a

s th

e C

ivil

Rig

hts

Act

. Int

ervi

ew h

uman

res

ourc

es p

erso

n-ne

l and

bui

ldin

g de

sign

er. W

rite

up

"Do'

s an

ddo

n't's

" of

AD

A. C

reat

e m

anua

l, in

clud

ing

ques

tions

you

can

and

can

not a

sk jo

b ca

ndid

ates

.

Ben

efits

Man

ual w

ill b

e av

aila

ble

for

peop

le w

hoin

terv

iew

fut

ure

job

cand

idat

es.

How

sho

uld

over

loan

s be

cal

cula

ted

and

wha

tpr

oced

ures

sho

uld

be f

ollo

wed

with

them

?R

evie

w c

ases

in w

hich

pol

icy

hold

ers

have

borr

owed

mor

e th

an th

e va

lue

of th

eir

polic

y.St

anda

rdiz

e te

rms.

All

empl

oyee

s ca

n us

e th

e pr

oced

ure

man

ual,

stan

dard

spr

eads

heet

s, a

nd f

orm

lette

rs.

Wha

t are

the

key

deve

lopm

enta

l poi

nts

for

babi

es a

ndw

hat i

s th

eir

impa

ct o

n m

oms

duri

ng th

e fi

rst y

ear?

Rev

iew

pam

phle

ts, v

ideo

s, r

eadi

ngs.

Int

ervi

ewco

ach.

Dev

ise

cale

ndar

of

deve

lopm

enta

l eve

nts,

for

exam

ple,

bab

y's

firs

t too

th.

Dis

trib

ute

cale

ndar

to f

utur

e m

oms

and

new

MO

MS.

Wha

t res

ourc

es a

re a

vaila

ble

for

disa

bled

chi

ldre

n an

dho

w c

an p

aren

ts h

ave

easi

er a

cces

s?Id

entif

y or

gani

zatio

ns f

or p

aren

ts o

f ch

ildre

nw

ith d

isab

ilitie

s fr

om m

agaz

ines

. Wri

te 2

6 le

tters

of in

quir

y. D

o ph

one

inte

rvie

ws.

Org

aniz

ere

spon

ses

in a

com

pute

r da

taba

se. C

reat

e a

pam

phle

t.

Prov

ide

pare

nts

and

teac

hers

with

a p

am-

phle

t abo

ut a

ctiv

ities

and

opt

ions

for

child

ren

with

dis

abili

ties.

Wha

t is

Gui

llain

-Bar

re S

yndr

ome?

How

is it

trea

ted?

Wha

t is

the

psyc

hoso

cial

impa

ct o

n th

e pa

tient

?R

ead

med

ical

lite

ratu

re. I

nter

view

phy

sici

ans,

nurs

es, o

ccup

atio

nal t

hera

pist

s, a

nd p

hysi

cal

ther

apis

ts. I

nter

view

pat

ient

and

his

spo

use.

Prod

uce

vide

otap

e fo

r ed

ucat

ing

heal

thpr

ofes

sion

als,

pat

ient

s, a

nd th

eir

fam

ilies

abou

t the

dis

ease

.

Wha

t are

the

elec

tric

al p

ower

req

uire

men

ts f

oreq

uipm

ent i

n a

silv

er a

naly

sis

labo

rato

ry, a

long

with

the

gene

ral r

oom

pow

er a

nd li

ghtin

g?

89

Gat

her

info

rmat

ion:

rea

d eq

uipm

ent s

peci

fica

-tio

ns a

nd n

amep

late

dat

a, in

terv

iew

lab

tehn

icia

ns a

nd e

ngin

eers

, and

rev

iew

all

wor

kw

ith th

e fa

cilit

ies

proj

ect e

ngin

eer.

Des

ign:

app

ly in

form

atio

n to

siz

e el

ectr

ical

circ

uits

per

the

Nat

iona

l Ele

ctri

cal C

ode,

spe

cify

requ

ired

con

duit,

wir

e, c

ircu

it br

eake

rs, d

isco

n-ne

ct s

witc

hes,

etc

. Cal

cula

te li

ghtin

g le

vels

.

Func

tiona

l des

ign

pack

age

for

elec

tric

alse

rvic

es in

a n

ew s

ilver

ana

lysi

s la

bora

tory

:in

clud

es a

rchi

tect

ural

pla

n-vi

ew d

raw

ing

with

ass

ocia

ted

elev

atio

n vi

ews,

sch

emat

ics,

and

sing

le-l

ine

diag

ram

s, b

ill o

f m

ater

ials

,st

anda

rd c

onst

ruct

ion

note

s, a

nd s

cope

of

wor

k. A

ll dr

awin

g do

ne o

n A

utoC

AD

.

http

://w

ww

.hum

an.c

orne

ll.ed

u/yo

uthw

ork/

ptoo

ls/

0

0

0

Guide to Evaluating Social and Personal Competence

Social Competence: Participate in an organization

Systems: Understand the organization

Understand roles of people in a department

Understand connections between departments

Understand relations with patients, clients, customers,and other organizations

Know from whom and when to access information

Rules: Adhere to professional norms

Commit to professional ethics

Be trustworthy and honest

Maintain confidentiality

Protect product (industrial secrets)

Protect company (employer's proprietary rights)

Protect client's privacy

Use discretion

Observe safety precautions

Around chemicals

In laboratory

Around machines, equipment, vehicles (knowrestrictions)

Wear safety clothing when specified (jacket, gloves,mask, shoes)

Know accident procedures

Attend safety courses and use what is taught

Observe good workspace techniques

Keep work area clean and organized

Restock supplies (e.g., parts, solutions)

Dispose of waste properly (recycle)

Maintain schedule

Be punctual and reliable

Inform supervisor if late or absent

Work efficiently

Dress appropriately

Teamwork: Cooperate with others

Work with others in a professional manner

Meer team goals and help others to meet their goals

Participate in group meetings

Fulfill obligations

Communication: Give clear messages

Use appropriate technical, medical, or business vocabulary

Write clear and accurate reports, letters, documents

Listen actively to understand information or directions

Ask questions to learn, clarify, and solve problems

Personal Competence: Act responsibly

Self-confidence

Act with measured assurance

Have courage to ask for help

Convey competence to co-workers, patients/clients

Take time to do things right

Initiative

Ask questions in a timely fashion

Work independently when appropriate

Identify next tasks to be done

Suggest improvements

Identify potential problems

Seek help with problems

Motivation

Be eager to learn new tasks

Be pleased with achievement

Stay involved

Continuous improvement

Take responsibility for continued learning

Respond to suggestions for improvement

Seek and accept constructive criticism

Recognize mistakes

Career planning

Seek counsel about career options and pathways

Inquire about pathway requirements

Pursue rigorous academic courses to qualify for further education

Chart timeline: college applications, financial aid

EORIALLYOUTH ANDWORK

ROGAM

http://www.human.cornell.edulyouthworklptoolsIgespc.htm

BEST PY AVAILABLE


U

You& AppTeniAceotip AmauniccememRTitle: Administration and Office Technology Openings: 4-8 Fall 1995

Where? The Raymond CorporationCorporate HeadquartersGreene, NY 13778

The Raymond Corporation manufactures equipment used in the storage and retrieval of goods inwarehouse and production facilities. Many of the technologies, products and processes nowconsidered industry standards in the narrow aisle material handling market were developed by TheRaymond Corporation.

Raymond products are distributed worldwide. The corporation is committed to consistently providingcustomers quality products and services and continues aggressive research and development to assurea position of technological leadership in the industry.

lime? During the fall and spring semesters, apprentices will report to their assigned locations during school daysfor 10-12 hours per week. Pan-time or full-time employment may be an option during the summer afterjunior year.

How do you apply? Contact the Apprenticeship Coordinator at your school for further information and toschedule a tour and a career-shadowing opportunity.

What would you do? Apprentices will be trained to perform activities of increasing complexity in non-produc-tion and office work areas at Raymond. As apprentices learn to use office equipment such as the phone, faxand computer, they will also gain information-handling competencies. Departments include finance, market-ing, human resources, leasing, and the office resource group.

What will you learn? Apprentices will gain a working knowledge of multiple aspects of a manufacturing com-pany leading to career opportunities and related college study in this field. The activities will also provideopportunities for apprentices to gain competencies related to rules, principles, systems, communication,computer use, responsibility, teamwork, and excellence. Apprentices should continue a strong academicprogram in high school.

What other rewards will you receive? Apprentices will receive minimum wage salary for training 10-20 hoursper week on school clays during the fall and spring semesters of their junior year. Those who complete thisperiod satisfactorily may be eligible for employment at Raymond during the summer months.

What qualities will we look for in applicants? Applicants should be responsible, reliable, flexible, honest,punctual, and enjoy working around others. They should be willing to take initiative to make things betterand ask for help when necessary. Appropriate dress is required. Students are expected to continue studies inmath, English, public speaking, and possibly accounting or business courses, Basic keyboarding skills aredesirable.

Career Pathways Administration and Office Technology

What does this apprenticeship lead to?

High SchoolRegents or Basic

Secretary Data Entry Clerk

Community College Executive Secretary Systems Analyst

Associate Human Resource Administrator Data AnalystAdministrative Assistant Marketingi Analyst

College Human Resource Specialist Systems Administrator MarketingBaccalaureate Sales

AccountantParalegal Clerk

1-41

Accountant

Cornell Youth Apprenticeship Demonstration PrefectFebning 22, 1995

http://www.human.cornell.edu/youthwork/ptools/recruit/position/officera.htm

Appendix 87

e03:1ELLycluyEi ANDWORK

Krbr Am P.,.................

Mutual Expectations AgreementCornell Youth Apprenticeship Demonstration Project

1. Parties to the agreement

Rebecca Gray Madison High SchoolAPPRENTICE NAME SCHOOL

Manufacturing and engineering technology Hampton IndustriesAPPRENTICESHIP TITLE EMPLOYER

Janice GrayPARENUGILUWIAN

2. Expectations for apprenticesThe apprentice agrees to

complete assigned work tasksabide by company policy (e.g., to notify manager if late or absent)seek assistance for personal and workplace problemsparticipate in the academic components of the apprenticeship offered by the school and the workplace, including to

continue to pursue related academic coursesparticipate in an advisory groupcomplete a special project in the senior yearmaintain a journalmaintain a training notebook

ask coordinator at the firm for approval of any additional paid employment (including current jobs)

3. Expectations for the schoolThe school agrees to

offer a school-based curriculum for apprentices that enriches their learning, including:academic courses related to the apprenticeshiphelp with special projectsregular meeting with advisory group

assist with course selection, time use, scheduling, and career pathway decisionsassign a school apprenticeship coordinator who will foster effective communication links among the school, parents andguardians, and the apprenticeassist in solving problems

4. Expectations for the employerThe employer agrees to

structure learning by assigning appropriate work tasksenable the apprentice to learn the occupational area described in an attached training documentevaluate the apprentice's progress periodically each year, sending at least one progress report to the school and toCornell each semesteraccord the apprentice equal opportunity in all phases of the apprenticeship employment and training, without discrimi-nation because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, disability, or marital status

5. Expectations for parents and guardiansThe parent or guardian agrees to

support the apprentice's efforthelp him or her meet the terms of the contract (e.g., attendance, attire, academic courses, etc.)

BEST .11 PY AVAII LAKE

88 .9 3 Learning Well at Work

U

U

9 4

CORM. TOOTH APPRERTICESHIP DEMONSTRATION PROJECT mtrnma. EXPECTATIONS AGREEMENT

6. TerminationTheAnOrdinarily,

7. SpecialThe

8. Hours,

Start

Holidaysse,

ApprenticesThey

9. CompensationPayvalue

Is.

Other

employer may terminate an apprentice for any reason.apprentice may terminate his or her employment for any reason.

termination will only occur after serious efforts by all parties to resolve difficulties.

Arrangementsfollowing documents are attached:Apprenticeship training document 4es noEmployer policies and procedures ljes noOrientation materials Pir yes no

Duration

date tS10.441.101f 01616177 Program length )4 tleiu-.5, Hours per week 15

0 riatizetiro (14.1141ool vacation 'fll a Mal ed Summer hours --ID 66airaltri

may choose not to attend work during special exams (e.g., SAT), snow days, etc.should notify their employer in advance about schedule changes.

and progression [Pay progression is not automatic; it depends upon apprentice's skills and increasingto employer.]

ivicreAmt,v4s based et, p&vOn-vvlamee.t year 4 q. 15 2nd year 3rd year 4th year

compensation (benefits, tuition assistance, etc.) Cal, 5r)/10/4.4'6144e aim; 1,2491 e..

ofiAb. Lie/Kt-6-K As ARN/floed An 66velery BefAats.

10. Signatures

01111;%...... 1 12..ai4 ik1 l" :tie ...AP NTI E / SCHOOL APPRENTICE . e 0 NATOR

?hi 140,5 Li rive_ c.171()O I 6-t- .UEAD ADDRESS

Aire/214 fi /..73i/j tileffrOpOtAls Nil 12--At--

Amivr // /9.9: 860freAdefr /99.52/) DATE

PARE OR GUARDIA6n FIRM ( 4 E COO NATO(

I I AtIfies PRI ue 'z,, 7 "f 4;-, 7/.ADDRESS ADDRESS /

P4elropoti5 Ny 12 34 6- gi7/ ,,,/ // /Z/ Yr-4 .sie_ ,,

Set- Ig 1 qq3 r/Z/1,/IDATE DATE

el Ha c. re,cled Par.,. MOM:. 31 ME 199:

http://www.human.cornell.edu/youthworklptoolslresponselmut-exp.htm

BEST PY AVAILABLE

Appendix 89

Ompacts off AppTetazezh5p, on EnciloyeesWho Uea6 'nun

Seventy coaches, coordinators, mentors, and managers were asked the question:"What have you learned from your involvement with the apprenticeship program aboutyourself, about youth, about your workplace?" We interviewed 24 adults at the end of thefirst program year and 46 at the end of the fourth. The numbers in parentheses indicate howmany interviewees mentioned a category. Because each person could give more than oneresponse, totals exceed 70.

Improved skills (66) inPersonal competence (62) learned that I enjoy youth, gained self-confidence,gained self-esteem

Social competence (32) how to work with other people, to value human interactions,strengthened supervisory skills with peers

Technical competence (17) analytical thinking, understanding of own job,strengthened technical skills

Improved understanding of youth (56)Work ethic (36) willingness to work, willingness to be productive, responsible,interest

Learning values (25) questioning attitude, curiosity, willingness to learn

Socioeconomic environment (15) coping/not coping with postponing gratification,health, jobs, economy, family

Future expectations (13) ability of good program to raise level of achievement (tocollege)

Builds community relationships (9)Learning to collaborate with schools and community organizations (7)

Prestige of contributing to a regional, state, and national movement (3)

Positive image for company (2)

http://www.human.cornell.edulyouthworkIrtoolslintvwcdelimpc_cde.htm


OwnidzatIonad Supports Heeded ff© EmpdayeesWho 'reach Voull

Seventy coaches, coordinators, mentors, and managers were asked three questions aboutsupports needed to teach youth in the workplace:1. "What should new coaches (or person in your role as coordinator, mentor, manager)

know before they start?"2. "What kinds of supports, information, and training do you think would help make

people better coaches (or coordinators, mentors, managers)?"3. "What other thoughts or ideas do you have for improving the way the program runs?"We interviewed 24 adults at the end of the first program year and 46 at the end of thefourth. The numbers in parentheses indicate how many interviewees mentioned acategory. Because each person could give more than one response, totals exceed 70.

Address Issues and Challenges (69)Secure authorization (48) for

time (38)management support (20)

Train mentors (41) inhow to make rules and expectations clear (24) about

negative behaviors (e.g., lack of assertiveness, poor attendance, weakcommitment, dislike of work area, poor relationship with coach) (14)cultural expectations (e.g., dress code, time card) (3)

how to understand teenage perspective and frame of reference (17)how to build relationships (talk through problems, build good rapport) (12)how to overcome own prejudices (4)

Build external linkages (40) to improvecommunication lines about apprentice development (21)school schedules (increase time at work, summer preparation, fit into firm'swork flow) (15)school-based learning (course selection, school performance) (11)let other companies know of the program's success (5)

Clarify program structures (36), such asevaluation procedures (expectations of students and adults, frequency,paperwork, access portfolios) (21)rotation (when and how often, rationale for department choices and typeof work, breadth) (16)recruiting youth into the program (8)

Train coaches (31) inhow to give constructive feedback (21)how to identify work tasks (consider youth's interest, the place of menial andrepetitive tasks, the work pace, how meaningful the tasks are) (20)

Ways to get information and address issues (41)Meet (33) for training, workshops, committees, and orientation within own firm andoutsideNetwork (15) about ideas that work, anxieties, issues, how to handle problemsRead (11) packets, guides, letters, newslettersObserve (1) coaches and apprentices in firm and in other firms

hap://www.human.cornell.edulyouthworkIrtoolslintvwcdelsupp_cde.htm

Appendix 91iJr 9 6

Table 6Relationship of Participants' PostHigh School Career Paths to Their

Apprenticeship, Classes of '93 and '94

Continuous Redirected Exploratory Undirected Other'

1st year after HS 36 22 61.1 7 19.4 3 8.3 3 8.3 1 2.8

2nd year after HS 36 17 47.2 9 25.0 2 5.6 7 19.4 1 2.8

' The person coded as Other continued in the occupational area but in an unskilled job.

Table 7

Participants' Progress toward a Degree after High School Graduation,

Classes of '93 and '94

Progress No Progress'

n Continuous Redirected Exploratory % Continuous Redirected Exploratory Undirected %

1st year after HS 36

2nd year after HS 36

20

16

6

8

2

1

77.8

69.4

2

1

1

1

1

1

3

7

19.4

27.8

Other' Ill

' No Progress includes youth who did not enroll or enrolled but did not make progress toward a college degree: one youthdropped out during the first year; two youth during their second year.

'The person coded as Other continued in the occupational area but in an unskilled job.

92


1

1

U

U

Netscape: Cornell Youth. and Work Program II L

Homect,

Reload

r...,

Find Stop430Back

oc.Forwerd

tImages

#

.Open Print

Location : Ihttp ://www.human.cornell.edayouthwork/

'What's New? I What's Cool? Handbook Net Search Net Directory Software

gORNMI /CoYOUT ANDwE02g,

1PROGRAM JPREPARING

_etoe o

YOUTH FOR

-Thuilmalla Ece

THE FUTURE

ow.''''

vAletit70

-:;t

0.5,

,..Z,t-,)

il

Cornell University

%a,r ti7 ,,

40`1G 'o..t, 0...-G.6 0"catio'(`°

ic.0o,.vi'ch lo\o°

0 Welcome to the CornellYouth and Work Program

The Cornell Youth and Work Programfosters the transition of youth to adulthoodthrough research and development onschool-to-work opportunities. We focus onthe quality of work-based learning.

Our products include program tools,research tools, and publications. You may

read these documents, download them, andadapt their tools for your own purposes. Abulletin board encourages communicationwith us and with other users.

UKL: http://www.human.cornell.edu/youthwork/ 98e-mail: cywpacornell.edu

tzi--11 Document : Done. IP0:1 M

Run

'1

SCHOOLTOWORK9DEptp9RzysNITIoS

III ogeoll L the HAtkleall Schorta.toMotik Officeto &we Awn:mama km= Reamedtin the orhuoko.watik amovetwan,

publication made possible

The Pew CC the TtuotstBellSouth Qwpotattkon

ell Ecturgellouill Foulaaadon

The llBk4ll Commotion

CORNELLU N I V ER SIT Y

99

Ia

N

Ua

IpU

U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI)

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

REPRODUCTION RELEASE

I. DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION:

(Specific Document)

if

Flu

C.679363

Title:

Le con, \ Alr) L2L. cut LuorK.: C...J,1 D icas for-nes 1-64/IAA-AI-Ili Sitp\ien CoeYtiAuthor(s): tstaitj

Corporate Source: Publication Date:

1cM 7

II. REPRODUCTION RELEASE:In order to disseminate as widely as possible timely and significant materials of interest to the educational community, documents announced

in the monthly abstract journal of the ERIC system, Resources in Education (RIE), are usually made available to users in microfiche, reproducedpaper copy, and electronic/optical media, and sold through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS) or other ERIC vendors. Credit isgiven to the source of each document, and, if reproduction release is granted, one of the following notices is affixed to the document.

If permission is granted to reproduce and disseminate the identified document, please CHECK ONE of the following two options and sign atthe bottom of the page.

tCheck here

For Level 1 Release:Permitting reproduction inmicrofiche (4" x 6" film) orother ERIC archival media(e.g., electronic or optical)and paper copy.

The sample sticker shown below will beaffixed to all Level 1 documents

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

Level 1

The sample sticker shown below will beaffixed to all Level 2 documents

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS

MATERIAL IN OTHER THAN PAPERCOPY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

q4°TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

Level 2

Documents will be processed as indicated provided reproduction quality permits. If permissionto reproduce is granted, but neither box is checked, documents will be processed at Level 1.

Check hereFor Level 2 Release:Permitting reproduction inmicrofiche (r x 6" film) orother ERIC archival media(e.g., electronic or optical),but not in paper copy.

I hereby grant to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) nonexclusive permission to reproduce and disseminatethis document as indicated above. Reproduction from the ERIC microfiche or electronic/optical media by persons other thanERIC employees and its system contractors requires permission from the copyright holder. Exception is made for non-profitreproduction by libraries and other service agencies to satisfy information needs of educators in response to discrete inquiries."

Sign Signature:

here)please 0-"Mt

Organization/A- ress:CiDrne.,11 `lem.tv% t kAa=e14. gogrekkv14u-reta-ri beue.kapvtien+ t F12-iqi; ly Bloch -44CoIlLte 0+ itc.A.rvian Ecdoyy

2.eisUta i vctu=eajasese9

IftAcke4L, NY 19853 --ti go/

Printed Name/Position/Title: tiary FicjitOS 140.ro i/1SSczc2alt. ZoirectozrSevNi 0 c RASears.r.N &SS° ae

Telephone:

(601.) ex341E-Mail Address:

!--tAvk tsabcomei edk.

ra:(C::a) z5S -374,9Date:

9/21/417(over)

III. DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY INFORMATION (FROM NON-ERIC SOURCE):

If permission to reproduce is not granted to ERIC, or, if you wish ERIC to cite the availability of the document from another source,please provide the following information regarding the availability of the document. (ERIC will not announce a document unless it ispublicly available, and a dependable source can be specified. Contributors should also be aware that ERIC selection 'criteria aresignificantly more stringent for documents that cannot be made available through EDRS.)

Publisher/Distributor:

Address:

Price:

IV. REFERRAL OF ERIC TO COPYRIGHT /REPRODUCTION RIGHTS HOLDER:

If the right to grant reproduction release is held by someone other than the addressee, please provide the appropriate name and address:

Name:

Address:

V. WHERE TO SEND THIS FORM:

Send this form to the following ERIC Clearinghouse:

Associate Director for Database DevelopmentERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education

Center on Education and Training for Employment1900 Kenny Road

Columbus, OH 43210-1090

However, if solicited by the ERIC Facility, or if making an unsolicited contribution to ERIC, return this form (and the document beingcontributed) to:

(Rev. 6/96)