Nearly 40 students from Hartford Public High School spent their spring break preparing for future success. The 38 students dragged themselves out of bed every morning from April 8-12 to participate in the YES Academy.

YES stands for Youth Employability Skills, and for one week, students learned from professionals what to expect, and how to act and dress in the business world.

From résumé writing to interview skills, the students received practical advice from people who’ve been there. CBIA’s Education & Workforce Partnership began the YES Academy 15 years ago to provide students with the skills that help them to land and keep a job.

Skills, Attitude, Behavior
The problem, said partnership program manager Dayl Walker, is that many high school students don’t know how to act in the business world. “This helps them understand what employers expect in terms of skills, attitudes, and behaviors,” she said. Volunteers from Connecticut companies taught more than 20 workshops, preparing students for internships and other work-based learning opportunities that enhance the skills they need to be college and career ready.

Attorney Moy Ogilvie, managing partner of McCarter & English, spoke to the students about dressing as a professional—including on a jeans day. “As a black woman, I walk a fine line because if I were to dress my normal jeans day, I would not look like a lawyer or a professional, so I have a balance,” Ogilvie said.

“I wear jeans but I wear a nicer blouse with it so people still take me seriously in my role. You just have to use your judgment.

“They’ll give you guidelines on how to dress, but at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, ‘Do I look professional?'”

Teamwork
On the academy’s second day, students participated in an exercise—building a paper tower—that stresses the importance of teamwork. Students gathered in teams of three and four, then used recycled 8-by-11-inch sheets of white paper to build a tower. The exercise demonstrates the importance of working together and shows that communication also involves listening. Students bent and folded the paper in ways that allowed them to stack them—some all the way to the ceiling.‘Afterward, students spoke about what they learned. “Communication is the key,” said Damari Mitchell. “You need teamwork and to listen to each other. “And we didn’t give up. That’s the most important thing.”

Life Lessons
“We all worked together,” said Mirandy Tavares, member of a team whose tower reached the ceiling. “No one thought they were the leader. No one put blame on anyone when it didn’t go right. We only focused on getting the job done.”

CBIA president and CEO Joe Brennan told the students the lessons they learned from the paper tower challenge—teamwork, communication, cooperation, persistence can serve them throughout life. “The attributes you learned in this exercise are going to help you in any kind of job you go into,” Brennan said. “It will help you if you go to college, junior college or graduate school. The skills you learned today are applicable no matter what you do.”

“America lacks a national strategy that prioritizes youth apprenticeship as an effective talent pipeline to boost the sector’s competitiveness and spread economic opportunity across the country,” says Brent Parton, of New America. Jun 04, 2019

A large reason for the strength of Germany’s manufacturing sector can be attributed to its well-established and highly structured apprenticeship program. This model has been brought to the U.S. through German companies with divisions or has been adopted by American businesses.

Although U.S. programs have been successful in implementing apprenticeship programs, they usually only address the needs of specific companies or industries such as manufacturing. Even with support from the U.S. Department of Labor, including an official certification process, apprenticeship opportunities remain limited.

A broader, national strategy is needed.

“Like other countries, in the U.S. we have the same strong manufacturing tradition,” says Brent Parton, deputy director of the Center on Education & Skills, at New America, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. “But unlike those other countries, we lack a national strategy that prioritizes youth apprenticeship as an effective talent pipeline to boost the sector’s competitiveness and spread economic opportunity across the country.”

Providing economic opportunity through manufacturing historically was key to creating a middle class. Currently, that middle class is shrinking, and now policy leaders are turning their attention back to this field. Apprenticeships offer a direct route to economic prosperity according to New America.

“Apprenticeships can promote a more inclusive economy while also meeting the needs of business,” says Parton.

“How do you build equity pathways?” asks Parton. “It has to be done intentionally. You have to ensure that everyone is hearing the message about these opportunities. The message needs to be heard at an early age and then acted upon in high school. Guidance counselors need to point students in this direction. Employers need to be ready to support the success of young apprentices even if they don’t look like them or their current employees.”

And businesses have to be highly engaged, says Parton. Employers have to work with every type of academic organization. “Companies have to break out of the networks that they have always used and diversify the talent pool.”

There are many different types of future workers that can become involved in this program, which allows students to complete high school and start their postsecondary education at no cost. They can do this by working in the field while attending school. Additionally, they have the benefit of working with mentors which allows them to start along a path that broadens their options for the future.

It is for those reasons that this past October New American announced a program called the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA). It is a multi-year, collaborative initiative that will support programs in states and cities and then expand access to high-quality apprenticeship opportunities.

This program is funded by foundations including Siemens, Joyce, Annie E. Casey and Bloomberg Philanthropies as well as companies like the Ballmer Group and JP Morgan Chase & Co. It also partners with workforce groups and programs across the country.

To ensure that the program is robust enough to become a national standard PAYA developed a set of guiding principles.

Career-Oriented –Learning is structured around knowledge, skills, and competencies that lead to careers with family-supporting wages.

Equitable –Learning is accessible to every student, with targeted supports for those adversely impacted by long-standing inequities in our education system and labor market.

Portable –Learning leads to postsecondary credentials and transferable college credit that expand options for students.

Adaptable –Learning is designed collaboratively to be recognized and valued across an industry or sector.

Accountable -Student, employer, and program outcomes are monitored using transparent metrics to support improvement.

To support states, cities, and regions working to make this vision a reality, PAYA is awarding grants to local, state, and regional partnerships from geographies both large and small, including towns and rural areas. Competitive partnerships will have leadership and support from a wide range of sectors, including K-12 and post-secondary institutions, government bodies, and local and regional businesses.

On May 29, The PAYA Grant Initiative awarded 4-8 grants (up to approx. $200,000 each) to support partnerships of employers, education institutions, community partners, and policy leaders who are working together to build high-quality youth apprenticeship programs to meet local economic needs.

Grantees will also receive technical assistance from the PAYA National Partners and will engage as a cohort in cross-site learning activities.

Along with the Grant Initiative, the Partnership announced the PAYA Network, a national community designed to link place-based partnerships that are working to launch, expand and improve apprenticeship opportunities for high-school aged youth. With the support of PAY, members of the Network will share best practices, co-develop solutions to shared challenges and participate in national working groups and virtual and in-person convening.

The goal of this comprehensive program is to enable communities to become part of a “visible national community of innovators at the forefront of the movement to expand participation in high-quality youth apprenticeship programs that produce equitable outcomes for students, employers, and communities.”

Programs like these are an important step in what needs to be a continuing process to create a comprehensive apprenticeship structure which will ensure a strong U.S. economy.

By Adrienne M. Selko

A bill reducing statutory disincentives for high schools to promote manufacturing and other technical trade credential programs is headed to the state Senate after gaining approval from a key legislative committee. March 20, 2019

The legislature’s Commerce Committee approved SB 854 unanimously March 14.

The bill promotes manufacturing careers to public school students and creates a task force to study the demand for career and technical education teachers.

The measure allows guidance counselors to provide materials on manufacturing, military, and law enforcement careers when discussing career options with students.

It encourages school districts to include in their statement of goals career placement objectives for students who do not pursue a college degree immediately after high school.

And it evaluates high schools on the rate of placement of graduates into full-time manufacturing positions as well as rates of enrollment and successful completion of manufacturing-related certificate programs.

Challenges
CBIA’s Eric Brown testified in favor of SB 854 on behalf of the Connecticut Manufacturers’ Collaborative.

“One of the most daunting challenges to ensuring Connecticut will remain a vibrant home to manufacturing is attracting more young people to manufacturing as a career,” Brown said.

“There are many reasons for this, but part of the problem is there are statutes that create disincentives for high school teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors to encourage manufacturing as a career choice.”

Brown was among more than a dozen people who spoke in favor of the bill, including several manufacturers and state Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell.

“The Department of Education fully supports increased access to career and technical education within our schools, as well as the promotion of careers in manufacturing,” Wentzell said.

By The Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Inc.

Tesla has launched a new automotive training program with colleges called ‘Tesla START’ to train a new generation of electric car technicians to work on their vehicles.

Until now, Tesla has mainly been recruiting technicians who have been working for other automakers or coming out of training programs where they mainly worked on internal combustion engines.

Of course, electric cars have several components in common with gas-powered cars, but the powertrains are completely different and it requires a significant amount of training to service them even for an experienced auto technician.

Tesla has been conducting that training internally for all its service technicians across over 100 service centers around the world.

Now the automaker is partnering with colleges to offer the training to students before starting to work at Tesla.

A spokesperson told Electrek today:

“We’re working with some of the best automotive education programs in the country to educate students on electric vehicle technology and our unique approach to customer service to prepare them for a career at Tesla. Students graduate with a full time job, certification and the skills necessary to succeed in the growing electric vehicle industry.”

The 12-week long training program is already underway at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the first class fo 13 students are going to graduate next week, and at Rio Hondo College in Whitter, California.

After the program, Tesla helps place graduates at service locations across North America.

The automaker currently has over 150 service technician jobs opened on its website – many are for “mobile technician” jobs as part of Tesla’s growing mobile service program.

Here’s Tesla’s list of requirements for the Tesla START program:

• Valid driver’s license, clean driving record with at least 2 years of driving experience and insurable
• Great work ethic & team player
• Ability to lift 50 – 60 pounds
• High School Diploma or GED and post-secondary automotive education level acceptable to Tesla
• Maintained a minimum of 3.5 grade point average in post-secondary education
• Achieve a documents minimum 95% attendance during their post-secondary education
• Be willing to relocate
• Accept employment at a Tesla Service Center within 30 days of graduation from the program for a period no less than 2 years
• Pass a written general automotive exam not specific to Tesla vehicles
• Some professional experience of working in the automotive service environment required
• Minimum 40 hours a week dedicated to training and service center support
• Maintain a 100% attendance percentage throughout the 12 week program

You can apply through Tesla’s website where they are also taking applications from colleges to be part of the program.

Electrek’s Take

Other automakers have launched similar programs to train technicians specifically for their vehicles, but Tesla’s vehicles are arguably much more different overall which can specifically make this program more interesting to students.

I’ve talked to a few veteran service technicians who ended up working at Tesla and while they admitted that things can get crazy busy at times, they also say that the overall experience is completely different from your average auto dealer.

Of course, there’s the lack of oil changes, fuel filter, spark plug replacements, emission checks, etc, but there’s also the fact that Tesla’s vehicles are highly connected and can offer some advanced diagnostic tools.

They can focus on more interesting issues and now there’s also the mobile service which can offer an interesting change of pace for technicians.

From Tesla’s perspective, it’s certainly a smart move to get trained employees from the start and expand their training program.

By Fred Lamber at Electreck

When college is held up as the one true path to success, parents—especially highly educated ones—might worry when their children opt for vocational school instead.

Toren Reesman knew from a young age that he and his brothers were expected to attend college and obtain a high-level degree. As a radiologist—a profession that requires 12 years of schooling—his father made clear what he wanted for his boys: “Keep your grades up, get into a good college, get a good degree,” as Reesman recalls it. Of the four Reesman children, one brother has followed this path so far, going to school for dentistry. Reesman attempted to meet this expectation, as well. He enrolled in college after graduating from high school. With his good grades, he got into West Virginia University—but he began his freshman year with dread. He had spent his summers in high school working for his pastor at a custom-cabinetry company. He looked forward each year to honing his woodworking skills, and took joy in creating beautiful things. School did not excite him in the same way. After his first year of college, he decided not to return.

He says pursuing custom woodworking as his lifelong trade was disappointing to his father, but Reesman stood firm in his decision, and became a cabinetmaker. He says his father is now proud and supportive, but breaking with family expectations in order to pursue his passion was a difficult choice for Reesman—one that many young people are facing in the changing job market.

Traditional-college enrollment rates in the United States have risen this century, from 13.2 million students enrolled in 2000 to 16.9 million students in 2016. This is an increase of 28 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Meanwhile, trade-school enrollment has also risen, from 9.6 million students in 1999 to 16 million in 2014. This resurgence came after a decline in vocational education in the 1980s and ’90s. That dip created a shortage of skilled workers and tradespeople.

Many jobs now require specialized training in technology that bachelor’s programs are usually too broad to address, leading to more “last mile”–type vocational-education programs after the completion of a degree. Programs such as Galvanize aim to teach specific software and coding skills; Always Hired offers a “tech-sales bootcamp” to graduates. The manufacturing, infrastructure, and transportation fields are all expected to grow in the coming years—and many of those jobs likely won’t require a four-year degree.

This shift in the job and education markets can leave parents feeling unsure about the career path their children choose to pursue. Lack of knowledge and misconceptions about the trades can lead parents to steer their kids away from these programs, when vocational training might be a surer path to a stable job.

Raised in a family of truck drivers, farmers, and office workers, Erin Funk was the first in her family to attend college, obtaining a master’s in education and going on to teach second grade for two decades. Her husband, Caleb, is a first-generation college graduate in his family, as well. He first went to trade school, graduating in 1997, and later decided to strengthen his résumé following the Great Recession. He began his bachelor’s degree in 2009, finishing in 2016. The Funks now live in Toledo, Ohio, and have a 16-year-old son, a senior in high school, who is already enrolled in vocational school for the 2019–20 school year. The idea that their son might not attend a traditional college worried Erin and Caleb at first. “Vocational schools where we grew up seemed to be reserved for people who weren’t making it in ‘real’ school, so we weren’t completely sure how we felt about our son attending one,” Erin says. Both Erin and Caleb worked hard to be the first in their families to obtain college degrees, and wanted the same opportunity for their three children. After touring the video-production-design program at Penta Career Center, though, they could see the draw for their son. Despite their initial misgivings, after learning more about the program and seeing how excited their son was about it, they’ve thrown their support behind his decision.

But not everyone in the Funks’ lives understands this decision. Erin says she ran into a friend recently, and “as we were catching up, I mentioned that my eldest had decided to go to the vocational-technical school in our city. Her first reaction was, ‘Oh, is he having problems at school?’ I am finding as I talk about this that there is an attitude out there that the only reason you would go to a vo-tech is if there’s some kind of problem at a traditional school.” The Funks’ son has a 3.95 GPA. He was simply more interested in the program at Penta Career Center. “He just doesn’t care what anyone thinks,” his mom says.

The Funks are not alone in their initial gut reaction to the idea of vocational and technical education. Negative attitudes and misconceptions persist even in the face of the positive statistical outlook for the job market for these middle-skill careers. “It is considered a second choice, second-class. We really need to change how people see vocational and technical education,” Patricia Hsieh, the president of a community college in the San Diego area, said in a speech at the 2017 conference for the American Association of Community Colleges. European nations prioritize vocational training for many students, with half of secondary students (the equivalent of U.S. high-school students) participating in vocational programs. In the United States, since the passage of the 1944 GI Bill, college has been pushed over vocational education. This college-for-all narrative has been emphasized for decades as the pathway to success and stability; parents might worry about the future of their children who choose a different path.

Dennis Deslippe and Alison Kibler are both college professors at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, so it was a mental shift for them when, after high school, their son John chose to attend the masonry program at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, a two-year accredited technical school. John was always interested in working with his hands, Deslippe and Kibler say—building, creating, and repairing, all things that his academic parents are not good at, by their own confession.

Deslippe explains, “One gap between us as professor parents and John’s experience is that we do not really understand how Thaddeus Stevens works in the same way that we understand a liberal-arts college or university. We don’t have much advice to give. Initially, we needed some clarity about what masonry exactly was. Does it include pouring concrete, for example?” (Since their son is studying brick masonry, his training will likely not include concrete work.) Deslippe’s grandfather was a painter, and Kibler’s grandfather was a woodworker, but three of their four parents were college grads. “It’s been a long-standing idea that the next generation goes to college and moves out of ‘working with your hands,’” Kibler muses. “Perhaps we are in an era where that formula of rising out of trades through education doesn’t make sense?”

College doesn’t make sense is the message that many trade schools and apprenticeship programs are using to entice new students. What specifically doesn’t make sense, they claim, is the amount of debt many young Americans take on to chase those coveted bachelor’s degrees. There is $1.5 trillion in student debt outstanding as of 2018, according to the Federal Reserve. Four in 10 adults under the age of 30 have student-loan debt, according to the Pew Research Center. Master’s and doctorate degrees often lead to even more debt. Earning potential does not always offset the cost of these loans, and only two-thirds of those with degrees think that the debt was worth it for the education they received. Vocational and technical education tends to cost significantly less than a traditional four-year degree.

This stability is appealing to Marsha Landis, who lives with her cabinetmaker husband and two children outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Landis has a four-year degree from a liberal-arts college, and when she met her husband while living in Washington, D.C., she found his profession to be a refreshing change from the typical men she met in the Capitol Hill dating scene. “He could work with his hands, create,” she says. “He wasn’t pretentious and wrapped up in the idea of degrees. And he came to the marriage with no debt and a marketable skill, something that has benefited our family in huge ways.” She says that she has seen debt sink many of their friends, and that she would support their children if they wanted to pursue a trade like their father.

In the United States, college has been painted as the pathway to success for generations, and it can be, for many. Many people who graduate from college make more money than those who do not. But the rigidity of this narrative could lead parents and students alike to be shortsighted as they plan for their future careers. Yes, many college graduates make more money—but less than half of students finish the degrees they start. This number drops as low as 10 percent for students in poverty. The ever sought-after college-acceptance letter isn’t a guarantee of a stable future if students aren’t given the support they need to complete a degree. If students are exposed to the possibility of vocational training early on, that might help remove some of the stigma, and help students and parents alike see a variety of paths to a successful future.

By Meg St-Esprit of The Atlantic
Photo: MUHAMMAD HAMED / REUTERS