Joe D'Amico

Joe D'Amico, one of the hosts of NCREL's Rural Audio Journals, talks about how the confidence that students gain through successful apprenticeship experiences allows them to go farther in their education. Excerpted from NCREL's Rural Audio Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, From School to Work - and Back Again: Youth Apprenticeships in Wisconsin (NCREL, 1994).

"At least in Wisconsin, the youth apprenticeship program is not designed as a new way of tracking some students out of academic courses and into general or old style vocational education courses. Although the youth apprentices do learn the fundamental skills and knowledge base of their trade, sufficiently to be hired to do a relatively high skilled job, they are also strongly encouraged to consider themselves capable of post secondary education either in their trade or not as they choose. Indeed, proponents feel that the confidence gain through students' successful experiences on the job and in the job related classroom will allow them to go farther in their education than they might otherwise have done, and this is one of the important goals of the school to work concept."

This Critical Issue was researched and written by Kathleen Paris, Director, Leadership Institute for School-to-Work Transition, Center on Education and Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Date posted: 1995