TEAMWORK IN SCHOOL

Teamwork in School

Teamwork in School

P1: Introduction

Work-based learning (WBL) is part of planned programs where students are able to experience the workplace without having to commit to their employers for an extended period of time. Students learn about different aspects of an industry, an industry cluster, or a particular business and simultaneously acquire general workplace and employability skills. WBL employs situated cognition because it allows students to recognize the usefulness of what they are learning in school. To facilitate the transition from school to work for students, WBL includes work-based, school-based, and connecting activities that develop a link between vocational and academic knowledge and skills, between teachers and employers, and between high schools and various postsecondary institutions. Many different forms of work-based learning exist, and all have multiple benefits for both students and employers.

P2: Cooperative Education and Apprenticeships

Cooperative education involves school-related, paid work experience for high school or college students whose main objectives are career exploration; the development of employability skills like decision making, problem solving, and teamwork; and the mastery of specific job skills. Its most common form is cooperative work experience, which combines classroom instruction with employment. Students usually work part-time during the semester or full-time during their vacations. To make sure that the link with school-based learning is maintained, students, employers, and instructors sign an agreement, and instructors monitor and record skills development carefully.

P3: Depending on agreements between states, industry groups, and schools, some programs offer a cooperative skills certificate or certificate of proficiency, which allows students to enter the job market as skilled workers. A less common form of cooperative education is youth jobs, which is work experience not connected to a specific industry or to vocational courses and mainly designed to develop transferable employability skills.

Youth apprenticeship, also known as school-to-apprenticeship, is a two-year program for high school juniors and seniors to enhance their classroom knowledge while participating in registered apprenticeships and completing their high school graduation requirements at the same time. The programs usually follow state curricula and are designed to meet applicable state standards. At the completion of the program, students receive their high school diplomas as well as an occupational proficiency certificate. These credentials then give them the option of entering the workforce, a traditional apprenticeship, or a postsecondary institution. Hours earned during youth apprenticeships are often transferable to other programs.

Registered apprenticeships are part of a government credentialing system for developing occupation-specific skills and competencies. Apprentices, who are usually high school graduates, receive on-the-job training from a skilled worker and mentor along with theoretical instruction. Under the National Apprenticeship Act, all formal apprenticeships are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship Training to ensure that programs provide high-quality training and meet federal and state admission and certification standards. Apprenticeships last from one to six years depending on industry needs, and apprentices are paid a wage that increases with experience. After the successful completion of their programs, apprentices are given a nationally recognized certificate of ...