School-to-Work Programs Every school board now offers school-to-work (STW) programs, which are designed to meet the needs of a large portion of today's students - those who are work-bound as soon as they graduate high school. Many of these programs allow students to enroll as apprentices and accumulate hours and experience towards a qualifying certificate in a specific profession while earning credits towards their high school graduation diploma, as well.

While advocates of such programs argue that they give additional relevance and meaning to the educational process as a whole and give students real opportunities to make connections between theory and actual practice, opponents believe that these types of programs are pervasive and prevent students from receiving a thorough and valuable education.

This paper supports the opposing viewpoint of school-to-work programs, arguing that education that concentrates on job training results in graduates who are less adaptable and less able to change occupations without retraining. Without training in liberal arts, many high school graduates have difficulty learning new skills and adjusting to new jobs.

About School-to-Work Programs

In 1994, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWO) was passed. According to supporters of the law, it "provided a national framework to broaden educational and career opportunities for all students by encouraging partnerships between business and educational institutions at the state and local levels." Basically, the law combined classroom instruction with work-based training in an effort to prepare students for...

Department of Education (2001), in order to create a national school-to-work system, the departments of labor and education provide start-up grants to states and local communities. In addition, the federal government, states and communities can build on programs such as vocational education, technology preparation, youth apprenticeship, career academics, school-based enterprises, job training programs, and cooperative education to create school-to-work systems and transform learning in high schools.
Problems with STW Programs

Supporters of school-to-work programs claim that they help students make a connection between what they learn in school and the opportunities that arise when they graduate. However, by the use of interest and ability inventories, these programs often guide students into careers they will not be happy with.

In addition, these programs encourage students to make career decisions when they are still in high school, guiding them to pursue educational paths that will support these decisions. However, few high school students have a firm idea of their goals for the future.

It can be argued that school-to-work programs place too much emphasis on the needs of businesses and ignore the rights of workers. Many educators feel that a curriculum that focuses on career skills deprives students of knowledge and activities that promote their growth as individuals.

School-to-work programs tend to transform the mission of high schools from teaching students knowledge and skills to training a workforce…