Because universities have been failing our students, and racking up huge debt on their heads, but often producing little actual lifetime value, there must be a better means to promote education at a grass roots level.
Most communities have any number of trades, professions and other work positions in their areas. A program should be established that would tap into not only the existing and ongoing businesses in the local area, but most especially, with the retired experts in the various fields who would be willing to share their trade skills.
The concept of “apprecenticeships” has be in long disuse in America, but could be re-established for various reasons.
Kids need to be able to get a “taste” of the many choices they could make rather than depending solely on college which doesn’t allow for this experience. Of course, college or university courses are required for certains trades, like medical training, but the vast majority of positions could well be learned through “on-the-job” experience.
Because kids often do not know what their real talents are, or what they might thoroughly enjoy doing for a living, having never experienced any of it, having an opportunity to work side by side with professionals in any given field would be invaluable, not just in awakening their interests and talents, but in allowing them to gain a working understanding of existing trades and positions in the world which they will likely be interacting with at various levels throughout their lives.
Experience is a great help when needing someone to work on your own home, washer or dryer, electric system, vehicle, etc., and provide a level of understanding of what is expected of those they hire and what those they hire face in doing their jobs. This builds confidence in our kids.
Another element of an apprecenticeship program is to tap the experience of those who have already retired and would love to work with our kids and pass on often eventually lost trades and expertise.
Seeing, for example, a master wood crafter retiring, and his or her expertise no longer available, and lost when they pass. That is a social tragedy, for many reasons.
This program could be locally established with public schools, private schools and home school programs, and local businesses and experts as they would agree to.
Perhaps a small monetary exchange could be set up that would go towards the minimal program expenses, especially where students are providing repeated help in an area of their choice.
The schools would make this a mandatory class, with a certain number of necessary work experiences, along with those they personally choose.
This would help build community social circles and friendships, and even promote business contacts in the community.