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Greenville City Schools
Pre-Apprenticeships as a Pathway to Graduation and a Career
Andrea D. Townsend, Director of Career Technical and Special Education
November 18, 2019
I have said many times that Greenville is so lucky to have a Career
Technical Education Center as a part of Greenville High School. It is
true! Career Technical Education has many positive effects on students
and the community. The recently released Career Tech report card for
Greenville shows that students at Greenville C- TEC graduated at higher
rates (98.4%) and were engaged in college, career or the military
within 6 months of graduating at high rates as well (94.4%)! These
benefits are realized by students and their families, but also by our
community and economy. It is such an honor to be a part of Greenville
Career Technical Education.
Recently Career Technical Education has moved into the spotlight of the
graduation debate in Ohio. Ohio’s graduation requirements have become
something of a challenge to law-makers, educational leaders, schools,
students and families. Graduation is so important to the future of high
school students. The economical impact and opportunities that come with
a high school diploma can make life changing impacts on students. Yet,
it is important that a high school diploma is the result of rigorous
learning that ensures that graduates are prepared for the challenges of
college and career. Over the last 4 years law-makers in Ohio have
struggled to find the correct balance of rigor and impact.
One option for graduation that seems to answer this argument is the
Pre-Apprenticeship option. For many years, the apprenticeship model has
been successful in preparing individuals in the skilled trades for
highly successful careers in high demand fields. Pre-Apprenticeship is
an opportunity to provide a similar learning structure to high school
students so that they can combine traditional classroom learning with
invaluable on- the-job training resulting in a student who has academic
skills and work experience. Now Pre-Apprenticeships are also a part of
Ohio’s New Graduation Requirements.
A Pre-Apprenticeship Program is a formalized training program that
combines on-the-job training and related classroom instruction under
the supervision of Career and Technical Educators and skilled
professionals that result in the acquisition of skills and experience
preparing students for an occupation and further training. According to
the US Department of Labor, “Pre-apprenticeships are valuable
work-based learning opportunities that can provide high school students
with academic and workplace skills that lead to postsecondary education
opportunities and careers.” Approved Pre-apprenticeship programs have
been registered and recognized by the Ohio State Apprenticeship Council
for well over a decade. The Pre- Apprenticeship program teaches basic
technical and job-readiness skills for a designated apprentice
occupation or sector to prepare students for a formal Registered
Apprenticeship training program.
Historically, Apprenticeship has been a highly desirable form of
training for workers because it is learning job skills while earning an
income often with wage progression. Most of the time, apprentices earn
a widely recognized and portable certificate of completion and
proficiency. Currently, both the public and private sectors operate
apprenticeship programs. Recent changes to the policies for
Pre-Apprenticeships have allowed community colleges to take on the
leadership role for Pre-Apprenticeships and Apprenticeships but
employers, employer associations and labor-management committees can
also sponsor and operate apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship
sponsors typically pay the training costs, but recently funding and tax
credits have been offered for employers as financial incentives.
There are two major components of a pre-apprenticeship. First is
related instruction. Related instruction is commonly provided in the
classroom, but other types of instruction, such as on-line learning and
individualized instruction are also permitted. Federal rules recommend
that apprentices complete at least 144 hours of related instruction per
year, which many apprenticeship programs choose to require. In many
apprenticeship programs, the related instruction can also lead to a
college degree, thereby providing the individual with an opportunity to
earn both academic and occupational credentials simultaneously,
including college credit. Greenville is so lucky, because we have
related instruction happening in our Career Technical Education Center
each day.
The second component of a pre-apprenticeship is on-the-job training.
Businesses can benefit from the work of the student while they offer
them learning experiences that build skills outlined in the training
plan. This is commonly achieved by offering a mentor to the student
worker. The US Department of Labor lists the benefits of the
Pre-Apprenticeship to businesses by helping to recruit and develop a
highly skilled workforce, improve productivity and the bottom line,
provides opportunities for tax credits and employee tuition benefits in
some states, reduces turnover costs and increases employee retention,
and creates industry-driven and flexible training solution to meet
national and local needs.
Both of these components of a pre-apprenticeship are outlined in a plan
that both the employer and the educational entity agree upon. The plan
is important to ensure that the instructional design is aligned with
prevailing industry standards for the targeted occupation and presents
an evaluation methodology detailing the selection and use of skill
assessment tools to be used before, during, and at the end of training.
This plan is then approved by Ohio Apprenticeship Council.
Pre-apprenticeship experiences empower young people to start on their
career while finishing up high school. They reap the benefits of
increased graduation rates, increased post program placement and higher
earning potential over their career. “Individuals enjoy an 8% to 22%
ROI (Return on Investment) in their apprenticeship programs based on
the time and the occupational path,” according to the Ohio
Apprenticeship Council. Employers get to recruit and retain employees
with technical skills and interest in the career field. The model is
time tested and can be replicated. Research indicates that businesses
enjoy profitable outcomes as well. According to The Ohio Apprenticeship
Council, “For every $1 an industry invests in an apprentice, the
company receives over $4 back in production after the first year.”
Pre-apprenticeship as a pathway to graduation is a win-win for our
students, local businesses and our community. If you would like to
learn more about pre-apprenticeship experiences to build your business
or support student success or both, please reach out to Andrea Townsend
at Greenville City Schools at atownsend@gcswave.com or research more at
apprentice.ohio.gov.
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