School-to-work programs and the neglect of liberal arts education

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 college or careers with a future.

According to the U.S. 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.

Conclusion

Learning about history, science, mathematics and the arts has intrinsic value that stretches beyond the work world to affect the personal, social and professional lives of people. Thus, schools have a responsibility to teach students about the roots of their freedom, and educate them on the social and economic opportunities that a democratic society offers. For this reason, school-to work programs are robbing students of a greater future by simply training them to be skilled at a specific trade.

School-to-work programs should be eliminated in favor of programs that teach both liberal arts and trades to students. As a result, students will have more choices and opportunities in their future that would not be afforded if they limit their education to one particular area. Basically, vocational education provides limited possibilities, while a comprehensive academic program will have vocational opportunities that stretch into many areas.

In conclusion, these types of programs endanger the future of high school students, as they do not meet the needs of a diverse population of students, who deserve the opportunity to exceed their teenage dreams and goals. This country must make an effort to provide an equal and thorough secondary education to its entire pool of young people, despite immediate employment concerns.