Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-192) and index.
Contents:
Introduction -- Qualifying for a calling : the philosophical rationale for vocational education -- Employer engagement : good for the bottom line, good for young people -- State-directed VET systems : formal public/private partnerships in action -- Journal essay: the German dual system : A U.S. observer reflects on a strong VET system / Robert B. Schwartz -- Workplace learning : "the school is not the center of the world" -- Journal essay: ordinary teenagers, extraordinary results : apprentices at work / Nancy Hoffman -- Changing the outcomes of youth left behind : policies and practices that protect and support -- Conclusion : possibilities in the United States.
Summary:
"Which non-American education systems best prepare young people for fulfilling jobs and successful adult lives? And what can the United States--where far too many young people currently enter adulthood without adequate preparation for the twenty-first-century job market--learn, adopt, and adapt from these other systems? More In Schooling in the Workplace, Nancy Hoffman addresses these questions head on, arguing that "the smartest and quickest route to a wide variety of occupations for the majority of young people in the successful countries--not a default for failing students--is a vocational program that integrates work and learning." As she notes, the programs that successfully integrate work and learning all share a fundamental commitment to helping young people find successful careers: "The purpose is not 'college for all,' as in the United States today, but rather to provide the education and training young people need to prepare for a career or calling." Schooling in the Workplace explores the vocational education programs in a wide range of countries, focusing in rich and useful detail on six in particular: Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. Framing these discussions, however, is a persistent focus on American circumstances and challenges. Far more than a survey of six "foreign" programs, this is a book prompted by and organized around the policy and practical challenges facing the United States."--Publisher's website.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.