Lessons from Abroad: What can we learn from Germany and Switzerland to create opportunities for students in West Valley

Lessons from Abroad:  The German Dual-Vocational Education System.

In September of 2016, exactly two years ago, I boarded a flight destined to Berlin, Germany for what was going to be one of the most transformative educational experiences of my educational career.  In this tour we spent five days in Berlin and one week in Thuringia to see both urban approaches to the German dual vocational education system or as we call it, Youth Apprenticeship.  

Our trip was planned and organized by the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA).   The goal of our trip was to combine a closer connection to the American and German education through student experiences, language, and culture.  The goal was undoubtedly achieved.

Berlin

While in Berlin we toured two different schools, the Max-von-Laue-Oberschule, an integrated secondary school, and Peter-Lenne Schule, a dual-vocational school for agriculture.  During the Max-Von-Laue school visit we saw how eighth and ninth grade students are engaged in a series of career interest surveys, job shadows, and job exploration activities which are paired with their academic studies.  School counselors are attuned to vocational plans of all their students.  Most unique was the wine make program which is in high demand among all ninth grade students. 

Grapes being grown for the wine making program.

The corner of the building of Max-von-Laue Oberschule

At Peter-Lenne Schule we saw an urban approach to agricultural education.  Students only attend school one week a month while participating in apprenticeships the other three.  Students are employed around Berlin working as landscapers, zoo keepers for the Berlin Zoo, and turf management for golf courses.  Course time was devoted to German language, math, social studies, as well as teaching specific skills students will need in the upcoming weeks at their apprenticeships.  The skills learned were essential to their success during their apprenticeships.

Greenhouse plans at Perer-Lenne Schule.

Animals kept at Peter-Lenne Schule.

Thuringia

Following our time in Berlin, we took a train to the German state of Thuringia.  Our time in Thuringia was the most bountiful where we saw Thuringia Energy AG, a public utility training center for youth apprentices, and Walter-Gropius Schule, a dual-vocational school for technical trades, 

Thuringia Energy AG is a training center for public utility apprentices.  Students have advanced training opportunities in where they can find leaks in gas lines, break apart types of ground paving to access electrical wires beneath, and climb electrical poles to fix power lines.  These are training opportunities not available to students in the United States until they have completed high school.  Instead of protecting German students from entering the adult world, there are transitions where students can use their public education to practice before entering the job site. 

Utility pole training center for students to practice.

German public utility apprentices re-wiring a circuit board.

Training center for utility gas lines.  Students can make connections and diagnose gas leaks.

Various forms of ground students break apart to access subterranean utilities.

Walter-Gropius Schule functioned much like Peter-Lenne Schule from Berlin.  Students attend classes one week a month and go to their paid apprenticeships three weeks a month.  Vocational classes at Walter-Gropius are built for an entirely different function then vocational programs in American schools.  Because students will get real world experiences while on the job, classrooms are built to be advanced learning labs.  A plumbing program lab is built with transparent pipes with all of the different configurations students can expect to see in the field.  A painting program is built for students to layout color pallets, and a carpenter program has students building small houses. 

High school plumbing program where student diagnose a variety of plumbing issues through transparent pipes.

School professional painting program where students test a variety of color combinations.

High school carpentry program where students build houses to scale.

Takeaways:

1. Begin career exploration as early as the seventh and eighth grade.
2. Connect lessons in school to skills students need in the working world.
3. Create partnerships between business and education to provide resources for students.
4. Place students in the workforce so they can make immediate connections to the relevance of the skills learned in school. 

To learn more about the West Valley Youth Apprenticeship program, email me at nesmithc@wvsd208.org or follow me on Twitter:  @NesmithEDU