Work based learnng in policy and practice.

Voytek, Steve ; Zimmermann, Andrea

At its core, work-based learning (WU) is an instructional strategy to connect students---and sometimes educators--with industry or community prokssionals to foster deeper knowledge and understanding of a given career field or particular occupation. It can come in many shapes and sizes, from low-intensity career-awareness activities, such as a business leader speaking to students, to high-intensity career training, such as apprenticeships, and can begin as early as kindergarten and continue into adulthood.

For students, WBL links classroom learning and a real-world context by applying their academic knowledge and technical skills in a concrete way, as well as expanding their curiosity and interest in a given career field. Research shows that students who participate in VVBL have lower dropout rates and higher attendance, graduation and college enrollment rates than their peers who do not par-ticipate. (1) (2) (3) A study of British secondary school students found that four instances of A employer contact while in school increased the students' potential wage earnings by 18 percent, compared to their peers who did not have similar interactions. (4)

The benefits of work-based learning for employers are equally compelling. Many of the skills employers are clamoring for--leadership, communication and problem solving (5)--are the kind that are best learned by being in a work environment. Meaningful NA.BL experiences, developed through strong partnerships between career and technical education (CTE) programs and employers, can help accelerate student learning and provide opportunities to build those critical emvability skills (as well as the in-demandte.I mica! skills) in an authentic setting. VBL, in particular intensive programs like internships and apprenticeships, can also afford employers the opportunity to directly recruit the most talented potential employees before they ever enter the labor market.

Despite these benefits--supported by research and understood by the 62 percent of parents who believe students should experience an internship before graduating high school (6)--U.S. stildents spend the least amount of time lean ii in a work-based setting when compared to 12 other developed countries. (7) This begs the question orwhv and what can we do about it.

'Jo explore this question, as well as other ways states can foster employer engage-in CTE, the National Association of State Directors olCareer rtechnical Education Consortium (NASDCTEC) recently released the report "The State of Career Technical Education: Employer Engagement in CTE."The report is based on a survey of 47 state CTE directors and interviews with a dozen state leaders.

The State's Role in Supporting Work-based Learning

In many ways, work-based learning is a. local endeavor, with most programs and relationships forged between individual schools and companies. However, states can and do have a role in supporting and encouraging high-quality WBL by leveraging both federal and state policy.

On the federallevel, eight states are leveraging the federal investment in GTE. the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins), by requiring institutions to offer WBL opportunities in order to access these funds.

Beyond Perkins, states are tapping o a range of options, including state funding, legislation, rulemaking and guidance. Within secondary CTE programs, 17 states reported encouraging work-based learning as a statewide effort to engage employers, and 12 have statewide efforts at the postsecondary level.

In 2013, West Virginia launched a new program, Simulated Workplaces, to help students apply their academic, technical and employability skills by bringing he environment of a workplace inside the classroom and grounding student learning in a real-world context. Classrooms become "companies" and students become employees who must adhere to industry standards. The program was designed collaboratively with employers, K-12 and postsecondary educators, and state officials.

Employer partners make annual visits to inspect these classroom companies, and these partners provide actionable steps to help the student leaders improve. The state has established written agreements with its chamber of commerce and WorkForce West Virginia to outline their commitments and responsibilities to the Sinmlated Workplaces initiative.

In just two years, the pilot has grown from 64 to 240 sites across the state, with at least one program in each of the 16 Career Clusters.* With its success, state leaders believe Simulated Workplaces will become a permanent fixture on West Virginia's CITE landscape. (See sidebar.)

The Iowa legislature recently rededicated funding to a former state program that WS designed to increase WM.. opportunities for secondary students. Originally funded as a stand-alone program in 2010, it is now part of a larger package dedicated to improving education and workforce outcomes. Through a 31.45 million competitive grant, the re-focused program is using the state's 15 community college regions to create a statewide network of intermediaries that connects secondary, postsecondary, employers and other community stakeholders to develop relevant WBL activities, particularly in STEM.

These intermediaries serve as the one-stop point of contact for both educators and employers on the range of W81, opportunities, from internships to industry tours. These intermediaries also help develop WBL capacity with employers. To provide better support, the Iowa Department of Education is handling oversight and sustainability training lor grantees. The intermediary leaders also meet together regularly to share best practices.

States can also use their office to provide leadership and guidance to local school districts without needing legislative or regulatory action. In lndiana., state leaders have created a course framework For the many WBL models, as well as a manual to help educators structure the best experience for students. Vermont, North Carolina and New Jersey, to name a few, have similar manuals.

Finally, public reporting and accountability can be another lever for states. South Carolina is the only state that currently uses its school-level report carols as a way to track the percentage ofstudents who participate in WBL. Maryland issues an annual report which shares information on students' work-based learning experiences such as capstone experiences, service learing and internships--drawn from surveys of participating students and employers."

Work-based Learning: Not Just for Students

Educators are often overlooked as potential participants in WBL programs. As a form of professional development, extern-ships can provide instructors wit Ii direct exposure to the modern workplace, which they can then bring back to the classroom to help make studentlearning more relevant. Given the important role that educators play ii identifying and developing student WBL opportunities, teacher externships can help nun tire strong relationships with employers, and therein lead to more opportunities For students."

NASDCTEc's new report on employer engagement found that 23 states are involving employers in professional development activities, including externships." In Tennessee, for example, secondary school teachers can participate in a statewide weeklong summer externship program to learn about current technologies and applied skills in industries such as aerospace, energy technology, manufacturing and health care.

In 2014, the state encouraged school districts to nominate two teachers'--one from CTE and one from general edu-cation--to participate together in the program and create a coordinated, cross-disciplinary project to be used in the classroom during the following school year.

Ensuring High-quality Programs for All

It's true that WB1, is in many ways a local endeavor, but states clearly have a role to play. While states WBL approach the challenge of support in scalingor developing WBL programs differently, what's most important is that leaders identify those leverage points that will have the greatest impact on both the quality and quantity of work-based learning experiences in their states, to the benefit of students and employers alike.

ENDNOTES

(1.) National Academy Foundation. (2012). A guide to work-based learning: A continuum of activities and experiences. New York, NY: Author,

(2.) Colley, D. A., & Jamison, D. (1998). Post school results for youth with disabilities: Key indicators and policy implications. Career Development tor Exceptional Individuals, 21(2), 145-160. Retrieved from: http://cde.sagepub.com/content/21/2/145.full.pdf+html

(3.) Center for Advanced Research and Technology. (2011). Model for success: CART'S Linked Learning program increases college enrollment. Clovis, CA: Author. Retrieved from: http://irvine.org/images/stories/pdf/grantmaking/cart%20findings%20report%20final.pdf

(4.) Mann, A., & Percy, C. (2013). Employer engagement in British secondary education: Wage earning outcomes experienced by young adults. Journal of Education and Work, 27(5). Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13639080.2013.76967111.VFoJx_nF9Gg

(5.) Accenture. (2013). Accenture 2013 skills and employment trends survey: Perspectives on training. Retrieved from: www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-2013-Skills.And-Employment-Trends-Survey-Perspectives-On-training.pdf

(6.) PDK International and Gallup. (2014). PDK/Gallup 46th annual poll 0f the public's attitudes toward the public schools. Retrieved from: http://pdkpoll.pdkintl.org

(7.) Hoffman, N. (2011). Schooling in the workplace: How six of the world's best vocational education systems prepare young people for lobs and life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

(8.) National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (2014). The state of career technical education: Employer engagement in CTE. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from: www.careertech.org/papers

(9.) Achieve and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (2014). Making career readiness count. Washington, DC: Achieve. Retrieved from: www.careertech.org/sites/default/files/MakingCareerReadinessCount-2014.pdf

(10.) Kantrov, I. (2014). Exterriships and beyond: Work-based learning for teachers as a promising strategy for increasing the relevance of secondary education. Waltham, MA: Education Development Center, Inc. Retrieved from: http://ltd.edc.org/sites/ltd.edc.org/files/KantrovWhitePaperapdf

(11.) National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (2014). The state of career technical education: Employer engagement in GTE.

(12.) Jobs for the Future. (2014). The pathways to prosperity network: A state progress report, 2012-2014. Boston, MA: Author. Retrieved from: http://www.jft.org/sites/default/files/publications/materials/Pathways-to-Prosperity-for-Americas-youth-080514.pdf

Steve Voytek is the government relations manager for NASDCTEc. E-mail him at svoytek@careertech.org.

Andrea Zimmermann is the state policy associate for NASDCTEc. She can be reached at azimmermann@careertech.org.