I especially enjoyed the research for this feature on youth apprenticeship programs in the U.S., including an interview with the Swiss ambassador, Martin Dahinden. The article was published in ASCA School Counselors November/December 2016 issue.
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Excerpt

For the last thousand years, many young people seeking professional skills became apprentices. But if that word still evokes a plumbers’ union or a medieval guild hall, it’s time for a fresh look. Youth apprenticeship is an educational approach that is thriving in Europe and on the rise in the United States. To find the skilled workers they need, companies of all types are offering opportunities for high school students to learn in-demand skills while earning their diplomas. Participating in youth apprenticeship can help students clarify their objectives, burnish their college applications and gain an edge in the job market.

Wisconsin Snapshot: Co-op Program in Sheboygan

When the school counselors at Sheboygan South High School evaluated their national clearinghouse data, they learned that many of their graduates were not going on to college but were staying in the community. From local labor statistics, the school counseling department identified four primary employment sectors and laid the groundwork to build four pathways in the school’s curriculum. The new pathways would address a need in the community. “We can then, as a school, say with confidence to our community, ‘We’re helping to answer this labor issue,’” Schneider said. From this initiative, the new manufacturing co-op program was born. “Once we aligned our philosophies of our building with the community needs, then all we had to do was say to the community ‘We want to help you; let’s start talking,’” he said.