| Germany's "dual system" of integrated work-based/school-based programs has received prolonged interest by American education reform proponents. American states, including Minnesota, have adapted the German model as "youth apprenticeship." Federal legislation--specially the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act--seeks to preserve youth apprenticeship as it promotes a broader transition system.; Proponents of youth apprenticeship and school-to-work admit that underlying policies allocate restricted funding, offer few guidelines, establish no standards, and provide few consequences for lack of progress. Some criticize the lack of definition that results when formal policy extends leeway to preserve the local individualization. Given the absence of policy direction, this study has sought to identify the successes and challenges of youth apprenticeship from the perspectives of program implementers. Comparison with the German education system contributes to the analysis.; Three Minnesota youth apprenticeship efforts were venues for this multiple-case study: a semi-rural heavy manufacturing program, a suburban precision manufacturing program, and an urban health care careers program. Program implementers provided information during open-ended and semi-structured interviews; documents and observations provided supplementary evidence.; The research suggests that programs can benefit from policy latitude. Deference to local initiative preserves the role of champions--whose visions helped establish each program--and encourages use of existing resources and development of innovative solutions. Additional successes included businesses' direct support for schools, "indirect production" roles for apprentices, affective progress by participants, and recognition of the social importance of school. Challenges included maintaining decision-makers' direct involvement, and recruiting students due to the stigmatization of youth apprenticeship as low status and to perceptions that participation might inhibit progress toward college. Other challenges implicated government roles: postsecondary articulation, and timing of grant disbursements.; This study's major finding is that collaborative partnerships necessary for a youth apprenticeship venture are themselves successes. The associations have generated social capital by establishing and harnessing considerable reciprocation, collective action, and broader social identities. A positive implication: youth apprenticeship and school-to-work may help repair social trust. A negative implication: restoring social trust has not been the impetus for participation, and bolstering and maintaining collaborative efforts may therefore be difficult. |
