01-25-1993 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

In add;tion to assuring that no child is left behind in their early years, we must begin to address the job training needs of our young adults. Which brings me to the next major part of our proposal this evening, and it has to do with how we prepare our young people for the high-skill, high-wage jobs of tomoriow. I PROPOSE THAT MINNESOTA MOVE AGGRESSIVELY TO CREATE OUR OWN SYSTEM OF YOUTH APPRENTICESHIPS - THAT WE FORGE A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH BUSINESS, EDUCATION, LABOR AND GO\ ERNMENT THAT WILL WIDEN THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO OUH YOUNG PEOPLE. I am proposing tonight that we commit to giving our young people more meaningful options while they are in high school - options that wi’l compe them to stay in school, work hard, gain hands-on training in a high-sldll occupation and, a: the end of four years, secure a well paying job. To the 20 percent of Minnesotans who complete a four-year degree, our education system may appear to be working just fine, but 80 percent of Minnesotans never complete such a degree. We need a new focus on the 16- to 20-year-olds who are at risk of leaving the education system without the skills needed lo enter a secure high-wage career. We need to place a special emphasis on reaching out to our at-risk youth — children of color, children in poverty, children who learn best in a hands-on environment, children who now arc falling through the cracks of our system into a future of despair. With a youth apprenticeship program in place, students will have the option of pursuing college preparation courses or a combination of academic classes and hands-on job training during their last two years of high school. Will this kind of learning program trap our kids into making narrow, one-way choices? Absolutely nc* W'U it give all teenagers and young adults more options? You bet. Work-based learning will put a solid floor under a young person’s career. Many will take this experience and go on to a college or university later. That is how it works in Europe. For example, one third of all practicing engineers in Germany went through apprenticeship programs first, and then went on to the university for further education.