When federal funding for the initiative expired in 2001 despite the overwhelmingly positive effects (“School to Work”), some states passively allowed the School-to-Work momentum to slow while other states took initiative to continue investing in vocational education. South Carolina, for example, began an initiative called Apprenticeship Carolina that gave one million dollars to the state’s technical college and offered a one thousand dollar subsidy per apprentice per year to businesses willing to start apprenticeship programs. The state has now doubled the number of apprentices and expanded apprenticeships to even more occupations, such as advanced manufacturing, health care, and informational technology. One of the best outcomes has been the
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After World War II, international organizations such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) and the International Labor Organization began urging nations around the world to create VET programs (Agrawal 16). Nations use different titles to refer to vocational education. For example, America’s vocational education system is actually called Career and Technical Education (CTE). For sake of clarity, I will use the term VET to refer to all vocational education programs, as this is the common usage in Europe (Agrawal 15). There are three basic models for vocational education: the dual model, the schooling model, and the mixed model. The dual model, most commonly represented by Germany, allows students to graduate earlier and enroll in apprenticeships while continuing education separate from the job. The schooling model, which is the sporadically integrated model for North America, provides vocational education in schools up until age eighteen. Some countries that use the schooling model have separate vocational schools, such as France, whereas others combined academic and vocational education in one institution. Lastly, the mixed model provides vocational education away from school in the non-formal sector (Winch 125). The mixed model has also been referred …show more content…
Singapore, China, and the region of South Asia provide vivid examples along the continuum. Singapore’s VET system has become “world-class” since Singapore has the third-highest Gross Domestic Product per capita and the world’s 40th largest economy with only five million people on the island. In 2010, Singapore had the third-highest production growth rate in the world at twenty-five percent. (Tucker 3). CEO of National Center on Education and Economy Marc Tucker describes the history of Singapore’s VET system and the secrets of its success. He begins by highlighting their determination to implement the best practices by studying the best strategies and policies in other countries and adopting them. He also notes that the stable government that responds to the needs of the people laid an important foundation. Singapore wisely invested in VET in cycles, aligning the goals of VET with the economy each step of the way (40). Fostered collaboration between businesses and the VET system was also of strategic importance. The realization that a VET system is only as strong as the compulsory education beneath it led to excellent classrooms for young children (41). Finally, one of the most interesting successes Tucker notes is that Singapore made large investments in order to “rebrand” VET in the eyes of the public as a respected option to
After World War II, international organizations such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) and the International Labor Organization began urging nations around the world to create VET programs (Agrawal 16). Nations use different titles to refer to vocational education. For example, America’s vocational education system is actually called Career and Technical Education (CTE). For sake of clarity, I will use the term VET to refer to all vocational education programs, as this is the common usage in Europe (Agrawal 15). There are three basic models for vocational education: the dual model, the schooling model, and the mixed model. The dual model, most commonly represented by Germany, allows students to graduate earlier and enroll in apprenticeships while continuing education separate from the job. The schooling model, which is the sporadically integrated model for North America, provides vocational education in schools up until age eighteen. Some countries that use the schooling model have separate vocational schools, such as France, whereas others combined academic and vocational education in one institution. Lastly, the mixed model provides vocational education away from school in the non-formal sector (Winch 125). The mixed model has also been referred …show more content…
Singapore, China, and the region of South Asia provide vivid examples along the continuum. Singapore’s VET system has become “world-class” since Singapore has the third-highest Gross Domestic Product per capita and the world’s 40th largest economy with only five million people on the island. In 2010, Singapore had the third-highest production growth rate in the world at twenty-five percent. (Tucker 3). CEO of National Center on Education and Economy Marc Tucker describes the history of Singapore’s VET system and the secrets of its success. He begins by highlighting their determination to implement the best practices by studying the best strategies and policies in other countries and adopting them. He also notes that the stable government that responds to the needs of the people laid an important foundation. Singapore wisely invested in VET in cycles, aligning the goals of VET with the economy each step of the way (40). Fostered collaboration between businesses and the VET system was also of strategic importance. The realization that a VET system is only as strong as the compulsory education beneath it led to excellent classrooms for young children (41). Finally, one of the most interesting successes Tucker notes is that Singapore made large investments in order to “rebrand” VET in the eyes of the public as a respected option to