In a January 6, 2016, Chicago Tribune article, authors Mark Caro and Kathy Bergen explore how students might be best prepared for employability in the future. Referencing a Dalton, Georgia, school system that had to reorient its programs to a growing population of students from more diverse backgrounds, K-12 schools began technology-related programs linked to internships that place students directly into workplace opportunities while at the same time enhancing their efficacy in successfully completing university study. The article explained that many of the ideas behind this approach originate from Switzerland and Germany, countries where the focus on career preparation has long been a forte yielding the outcome of the lowest youth unemployment figures anywhere in the world. Zurich Insurance Chicago is recognized for offering the first U.S. insurance apprenticeship program partnered with local Chicago-based Harper College. As HR business partners head, Al Crook, explained, Zurich "hopes to create another pipeline of insurance talent" while addressing the broader issue of "removing any stigma that might exist if you don't go to college, or that where you go to college is a significant factor in your success in a professional career."
Being a resident of Chicago, I know up close and personal that unemployment, income inequality and work opportunity are challenges that befuddle government systems, particularly education. Chicago is a formidable international city with much to offer but it presently does not hold high-technology oriented professionals because of a lack of critical mass to support their work. Many other cities around the world have similar challenges and many of them are ramping up education systems to better prepare graduates so they can achieve greater economic prosperity for themselves and their countries. Chicago, the U.S., and perhaps a broader number of countries might want to consider the kind of partnerships advocated in this article - partnerships between K-12 schools, businesses, and colleges/universities that are intentionally focused on career preparation through progressive education and experience.
The other interesting aspect to the innovation proposed in this article is that it does not originate from the U.S. It relies on European models as well as higher education approaches in the Middle East and Asia.
Being a resident of Chicago, I know up close and personal that unemployment, income inequality and work opportunity are challenges that befuddle government systems, particularly education. Chicago is a formidable international city with much to offer but it presently does not hold high-technology oriented professionals because of a lack of critical mass to support their work. Many other cities around the world have similar challenges and many of them are ramping up education systems to better prepare graduates so they can achieve greater economic prosperity for themselves and their countries. Chicago, the U.S., and perhaps a broader number of countries might want to consider the kind of partnerships advocated in this article - partnerships between K-12 schools, businesses, and colleges/universities that are intentionally focused on career preparation through progressive education and experience.
The other interesting aspect to the innovation proposed in this article is that it does not originate from the U.S. It relies on European models as well as higher education approaches in the Middle East and Asia.
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