Kinsley
High School
Kinsley,
Kansas
Teacher:
Dr. Galen R. Boehme
Counseling
As Youth Apprenticeship Program
By
Patricia Rodriguez
Even
though the drawbacks of fewer school hours and not enough counselors exist, a
youth apprenticeship program focusing upon peer counseling would benefit the
seniors of Kinsley High School at least three ways: Being involved with
students, helping the students, and gaining more background in counseling.
Many
educators and policy makers have viewed youth apprenticeship programs as an
option for preparing youth for transition from school-to-work. Youth
apprenticeship programs are designed to combine on-the-job training with
classroom instruction. The youth apprenticeship gives seniors the chance to
work in the field of counseling. The seniors are allowed to work with the
underclassmen, under the supervision of the counselor.
To
take a role in the local program the student must be a high school senior who
has the correct number of credits, who is on the schedule to graduate, and who
maintains a GPA of 2.5. The school also plays a big role in the program.
The school has to provide the program for the students to work with the
counselors at the high school and the middle school levels. The school has to
realize that the program is for the student’s benefits. The youth
apprenticeship program for counseling gives the seniors the opportunity to
work with the underclassmen. The student has the chance to make a difference
in the lives of the other students. The program will give the seniors a chance
to see what the field of counseling is like before they decide if they want to
go to pursue that field. While in the program the student will learn about the
various techniques of counseling that are used and the differences of the
students who work with counselors. Not
all students are going to be the same and the program will show the seniors
what to expect and to realize that not all of those they counsel will be the
same. It is not only a program but it is also a learning tool to help the
seniors prepare themselves.
The
youth apprenticeship program benefits the students in several ways. The
program allows the students to be involved with the other students in peer
counseling. The seniors work with either the high school or the junior high
students as peer counselors and also seniors receive credit for participating
in the program. The seniors have
the chance to help the other students. The apprentice helps the students not
only with their problems but also listens to the underclassmen. The apprentice
listens to the underclassmen at the same level they are on. While in the
counseling program the apprentice will learn more about the field they are
using the program to get into. It
is a good opportunity for the students to learn what a counselor does.
The
local youth apprenticeship program in peer counseling is a good learning
experience but it also has its drawbacks in peer counseling.
The seniors have a choice to take the program in the morning for two
hours or the last two hours of the day, which takes away two hours of their
learning in the classroom. The students may miss two hours but those two hours
are spent learning about the field they are entering. Another problem is that
there is one counselor for the high school and the middle school. In order for
a senior to counsel another student he/she must have so many hours of
supervised counseling before he/she can counsel without the counselor sitting
in. The counselors have to make sure the students know how to do tasks and
know how to deal with the underclassmen. While the counselor has to take time
to supervise the seniors, the counselor has to take time out of his day to
give the correct training. The third drawback is that the program is unable to
take place in the summer because school is not in session, so the seniors
cannot receive the full feel of the peer counseling. The apprentices are
unable to work with the underclassmen in the summer.
In
order to overcome these obstacles we should set guidelines that have to be met
in order for the high school seniors to enter the program. If the apprentices
are unable to follow the guidelines then the apprentices will have to enter
into classes for the hours they are in the program and another student should
be given the chance to take the program. Another way is to hire more than one
counselor for the high school and the middle school so that more students have
the chance to use the program. Since Kinsley High School does not have another
counselor then the youth apprenticeship program should be offered more then
just two hours in the morning and the last two hours of the day.
That would give more seniors the chance to pursue the program.
In
conclusion, in order for the youth apprenticeship program to work in the field
of peer counseling, the program will require a lot of support form the school
and the counselor.
Responses
To Questions
1.
Our town is in a rural area. It is really nice that local employers
work with our school and allow us to work as interns. Our interns either work
for two hours in the morning or at the end of the day. Some of our interns are
paid and some are not. The interns are required to keep a journal and turn in
their time clock hours. Our principal keeps in contact with the businesses and
make sure we fulfill out duties and represent our school properly.
Medicalodge, a nursing home, has an internship with our school. We have
had several students do their internships at Medicalodge. They go out there
and work as they do when they normally work their schedule. Internship gives
them more time to become familiar with their job and the residents that they
work with. Duckwall’s, a variety store, also provides an intern for one of
our students at Kinsley High School. She works in the morning for two hours,
and gets paid for her duties such as stocking, running the cash register, and
sweeping the floor. She keeps a journal of what she does everyday and turns it
in every two weeks for a grade. Our principal keeps in contact with the
business to find out how she is doing. She is also required to turn in her
time clock sheet. Midway Auto Body has also worked with our school with
internships. One former student used to work there for two hours at the end of
the school day. He was able to use hands on training and work with vehicles or
projects the company had for him to do. He was also paid for the work that he
did.
One
other business that works with our school is A-1 Computers. This store allows
students in training to work hands-on. The owner of the business allows her to
so jobs that they assign her, to see whether she is receiving the right
training. Before she worked hands on, she was taught the basics and had to
prove to then that she was able to fulfill the task that was set before her.
2.
Kansas has a least two programs using the school to work philosophy.
The Cisco System Inc. has a program called “Cisco Network Academy
Program.” It is one-year-old. The program takes place at 1,043 high schools
and colleges in 49 states. The program hopes to create Cisco employees and
make the company grow. Cisco is a cost free program for students. The program
is also for the training of teachers. “Cisco is putting millions of dollars
into the program says, “ Scott Knell.
There
were 40 high school students that started the Cisco program, but out of the
students only 20 of them finished the course.
The Autodeck Foundation is funded by the Autodeck Inc. which the
company pays 70 percent of the funds. In 1993 the program offered high school
students a number of on-the-job IT experiences. The program includes
shadowing. The program Autodesk pays the interns an average of $7 per hour or
the students are able to work for school credits. If the student chooses to
work for school credits, it reduces the cost of training. For the program to
work the intern as well as the company managers must know their own
responsibilities. Morgan says, even though all of the students may not finish
the program some will and they likely will remain on the staff.2
The program has been successful in many students that worked for their credit
hours and then went to work for the company.1,2
“School-to-Work” Computerworld-1999
Profile.
http://198.112.59.30/home/print.nsf/(frames)/9902229156?OpenDocument&-f
3.
The School-to-Work Opportunities Act happened in the year 1994. This
act is a national framework that was developed within the stated and
communities and developed School-to-Work opportunities. The program is to
prepare students for their first job and they are able to further their
education. The federal legislation was the seed that gave money in order for
the state and communities to develop the program. It includes work-based
learning, school-based learning, and activities that go with the program. The
school-to-work program may provide students with a diploma, a certificate, and
may get them a job or the students may choose to further their education.
The program “Goals 2000: Educate America Act” is there to improve
in learning, and in teaching. This program comes from the federal legislation.
The federal legislation developed a program that worked with the schools and
businesses. The program developed and adopted a voluntary system.
4.
Medicalodge, a nursing home, is one of the businesses that takes
partnership with our school and introduces our students to the work place. We
have had several students work with Medicalodge while going to school.
Medicalodge provides students a place to work and train while still attending
high school. Our interns work for the first two hours of the day, and then
come to school. They call this school-to-work program “youth
apprenticeship.” Students not only receive an education but may also receive
a certificate through Medicalodge. The students are able to take classes and
work for their certified nurse’s aide license. Our interns are certified
nurse’s aides or have a higher certificate. The business pays the students
while the students are working and also pays for their classes. They receive a
$200 sign-on bonus. Medicalodge is very cooperative with our school in the
youth apprenticeship program. We are privileged to have them work with out
school district.
5.
Outcome-based means that if students go through the training, they are
taught to practice the required trade. When they finish, they should be able
to so the trade skillfully. If they are not able to fulfill the requirements,
then they should not be put in the position of the job. They should then be
required to attend school until they can work productively.
Illustration: Apprenticeships must be outcome-based like a power
lineman. When the learners finish, they must be able to climb poles, fix power
lines, and not just say they have completed 1,000 hours of training. The
output of the students will show how well they were taught and how well they
learned.
6.
There are three reasons the AFL-CIO members might oppose the youth
development program: They oppose efforts to undercut child labor laws, they
argue about the meaning of the word “apprentice,” and they wonder why we
need the programs if the workers only last three to five years. Concerning
child labor laws, the AFL-CIO says that “we support the efforts to
facilitate the transition from school to work: however, we oppose efforts to
undercut child labor laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act under the guise of
promoting youth apprentice programs.” However, the union likes the program,
but why waste time on it when there are laws that say when and how long the
children are able to work? The law already states how long the student can
work.
Second, the union feels that the word “apprentice” could have the
wrong meaning. The union and the government argue over the meaning of the term
and believe that it was taken form “registered apprentice” is defined by
federal and state regulations. The union already had 43,000 highly structured,
multi-year training programs around the country. That leads the AFL-CIO to
believe that apprenticeship programs are substandard programs. The AFL-CIO
feels that businesses are somewhat wasting their time on this program because
student workers usually last three to five years. Registered apprentices are
allowed to apply to 800 apprenticeable occupations. There are 300,000 jobs for
them nationwide with their average age 29 years. Plus if these students have
to work 2,000 hours with supervisors at the journey level, these students
usually last three to five years with little carry over in help. Union then
wonders what is the point in having these apprenticeship programs.
7.
Three reasons exist why the employers could oppose youth apprenticeship
programs. Employers believe that high school students are too frequently
immature, are costly, and frequently create a conflict between worker role and
the learner role. When businesses are looking for workers, they are looking
for a three-to-four year commitment, preferably from college graduates. The
employers do not believe that the high school students are usually mature
enough to handle these jobs.
Second, employers are trying to upgrade their work forces and they
cannot so that with the students who are starting. The employers want the
workers who know what is going on to stay in position and learn the new ways.
So employers prefer to hire less costly part-timers and use the workers who
already know what is going on instead of teaching and using students who have
different levels of skills. That leads to the third area, a problem of a
conflict between the worker and the learner. Conflict comes because the
workers have to take time out of their days to teach the learner which take
away form the productivity. Therefore, workers are unable to fulfill their
regular routine because the workers have to teach the learners.
8.
There are many programs, which are work-related to teach or prepare
students. They are organized high school programs around industrial or
occupational areas. These areas offer many opportunities for the students, and
a wide range of curriculum. The programs also offer work for teachers.
Programs can now be found in vocational high schools in the larger cities. One
is the Aviation High School in New York City, and other high schools like
Agricultural and Technology schools in Chicago.1 Many schools have opened up
to schools-within-schools.
9.
Many ways of learning exist: contextual learning, applied learning,
community-based learning, and experiential learning. Contextual learning is
whatever we learn from a textbook. It is the knowledge that we learn from out
of a book. Applied learning is when we learn from hands on. We work with our
hands to learn. Community-based learning is when we deal with internships. The
internships teach us how to deal with situations and how we work hands on to
learn skills. Experiential learning is actually participating in the actual
job. It allows us to learn more
as we work. All of these learning
methods are good. They are there
to help those who have different learning abilities.
10.
The government’s role was described in one word and it was catalyst.
The purpose of the catalyst is to act and to push an action forward.
The programs have to gain creditability before critics are able to
prove that the program will work and they have to prove how and when.
The sponsors have to prove and show what they are wanting out of the
program not just write it down and expect it to go into effect.
The sponsors have to slow down and take their time to make sure that
the program works, before showing it.