While, for a variety of reason which do not necessarily pertain to the thesis of this essay, I believe that America is overall the greatest country still in existence on the earth today. However, this belief does not blind me to the fact that there are many issues within this country that are in need of improvement and a general rethinking; the nation’s education system is near the top of the list. Working to model America’s education system after that of the traditional Germany school system would beneficial for the following reasons. The German schools system better prepares students to enter the work force. The apprenticeship model Germany uses makes for a more stable society. I submit this thesis: American education system would be better
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Using this model has kept the German youth unemployment rate to 8 percent, which is about half of what it is for America, as reported by the German Embassy. As reported in a survey sponsored by the Lumina Foundation, 96 percent of American chief academic officers from higher education institutes said they believed that they were preparing their students for the workforce. However, only 11 percent of business executives said that their needs were being filled by the college graduates. As stated by Lankin, the German education system believes that its purpose is to “train you for a job.” Contrarily, many American students are leaving college unprepared for that …show more content…
Eric Westervelt, Education Correspondent for NPR, write that a lot of this company loyalty comes from how the German education system is tailored towards vocational training. The goal of many young Germans is to get an apprentice ship once they finish Hauptfach. The possibility of being hired permanently is a major drawing point, being hired after an apprenticeship is often viewed as a “job for life”. This school system which encourages students to look for vocational, job specific training, as opposed to a liberal arts education that has become popular in the Unites States, is the driving force behind Germany’s strong economy. Hans-Peter Meinhold runs Lufthansa’s vocational training. At the time Westervelt wrote his article Lufthansa was Germany’s largest airline. Meinhold says that they system apprenticeship system they use id vital to the German economy because it creates loyal, well-trained
Using this model has kept the German youth unemployment rate to 8 percent, which is about half of what it is for America, as reported by the German Embassy. As reported in a survey sponsored by the Lumina Foundation, 96 percent of American chief academic officers from higher education institutes said they believed that they were preparing their students for the workforce. However, only 11 percent of business executives said that their needs were being filled by the college graduates. As stated by Lankin, the German education system believes that its purpose is to “train you for a job.” Contrarily, many American students are leaving college unprepared for that …show more content…
Eric Westervelt, Education Correspondent for NPR, write that a lot of this company loyalty comes from how the German education system is tailored towards vocational training. The goal of many young Germans is to get an apprentice ship once they finish Hauptfach. The possibility of being hired permanently is a major drawing point, being hired after an apprenticeship is often viewed as a “job for life”. This school system which encourages students to look for vocational, job specific training, as opposed to a liberal arts education that has become popular in the Unites States, is the driving force behind Germany’s strong economy. Hans-Peter Meinhold runs Lufthansa’s vocational training. At the time Westervelt wrote his article Lufthansa was Germany’s largest airline. Meinhold says that they system apprenticeship system they use id vital to the German economy because it creates loyal, well-trained