Exploring Systems for Comprehensive Youth Employment Preparation in Switzerland, Western Austria and Germany (Bavaria)
This report is the second in a series of Impressions from a Study Mission. It summaries the observations of a bipartisan group of Congressional policy aides and senior U.S. civil servants in the fields of education and training for employment as they examined systems of comprehensive youth employment preparation in a small geographical area of Europe encompassing Switzerland, Western Austria and the German state of Bavaria. The study mission was organized by the American Youth Policy Forum in late 1996 at a time when efforts were gearing up in the Congress to reform this nation's job training and workforce development system.
Impressions of the European approaches are characterized by concepts such as: shared commitment; faith in young people; a focus on the future; the power of the work place as a learning environment; enlightened business and supportive government policies; seamless unity of education and training; extensive involvement of business and control over matters of training; and development of creative thinkers, problem-solvers and young people who can cope in a stressful, fast-changing world. According to one participant, "These eye-opening experiences make us not only more knowledgeable about different alternatives to education and training for young people, but allow us to see the inadequacies of our own U.S. education and training system and at the same time its strengths and uniqueness."
Participants noted that unlike the U.S. where policy and practice often create "arbitrary" distinctions between education, training and youth development, the three European employment preparation systems attempt to meld them into a unified approach that includes youth development methods emphasizing individual and group achievements and linking learning and work. The Americans learned about high quality apprenticeships designed to give the young person a comprehensive education that includes not only knowledge of the technical aspects of the career area, but also the broader skills of an independent and knowledgeable employee capable of informed decision making, creative thinking and problem solving, coping in an often stressful, fast-changing work environment, and contributing to the success of the firm. They found that commitment to keep the youth fully engaged in learning and work and in constructive leisure-time activities appears to be widespread and long-standing. They also noted that skill standards and credentialing are widely understood and accepted by employers, labor unions, government, parents and students/trainees, and that European employers take seriously their role in preparing youth for employment and life roles.
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