Anthony
Williams for Mayor

Improving School-to-Work Transition in the District

Today, 85 percent of the nation's jobs require special training or education beyond high school. This means that traditional approaches to education and employment are no longer good enough.

The District needs new approaches for keeping students engaged in their education and improving their prospects for college and employment. I support School-to-Work because I believe it moves us toward both of these goals and presents the public and private sector workforces with a significant pool of talented and trained employees.

As Mayor, I will make School-to-Work initiatives a priority and will foster partnerships with labor, the public and private sectors, and nonprofit organizations to give our young adults the best opportunities to attain marketable skills and experiences that will successfully carry them into the workforce of the 21st century.

WHAT IS SCHOOL-TO-WORK AND WHY DO WE NEED IT?

Too many of the District's young people leave school without the skills necessary to succeed in our modern, competitive economy. Many students don't see the link between the classroom and their potential workplaces and believe their performance in school is irrelevant. The result? Low academic achievement, high drop-out rates, and too few skilled workers.

School-to-work is an important educational approach that connects education to the world of work by allowing students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life work situations, and to learn about potential careers while getting school credit. More than vocational education, School-to-Work provides relevant education, marketable skills and valued credentials to all young people, whether in school or out, or whether they intend to go to college or directly to work. More specifically, school-to-work means:

• Career awareness
• Education and Training
• Encouragement and counseling
• Opportunities for on-the-job experiences
• Credentials

As the District's Chief Financial Officer, I pledged my support to the successful implementation of the School-to-Careers state-wide system, which is a partnership including the D.C. Public Schools, the Department of Employment Services, DC Agenda, the Chamber of Commerce and the city's largest employers: Washington Gas, Bell Atlantic, Fannie Mae, PEPCO, and the AFL-CIO.

PRINCIPLES

My school-to-work plan centers around three objectives, achieved through collaboration among multiple stakeholders:

• workforce development,
• education reform, and
• economic development

1. Workforce development means making stronger connections between youth — primarily for those students who may not attend college — and high wage/high skill jobs. It means showing students at an early age that work doesn't have to mean a fast-food job, and that their opportunities also include skilled trades, health care, communications, and business. We will pay particular attention to out-of-school youth by providing targeted, enhanced services to meet their specific needs.

2. My school-to-work strategy goes hand in hand with my education reform proposals that demand high academic achievement from all students. For our strategy to succeed, employers must be confident that our students have received the best possible education, and have performed to the highest standard of academic achievement.

3. School-to-work also fosters economic development, by channeling more resources toward economic growth sectors. For example, the District's ability to strengthen our high- tech industry is limited by the numbers of local students receiving adequate technology training. Providing better education and training in science and computers will help. Our goal is to create an educational system that responds to the needs of a competitive economy.

A crucial part of my school-to-work strategy is strong collaborative partnerships among stakeholders. The Mayor's office, the private sector, the DC Public Schools, and the Department of Employment Services will work closely with each other, and with the Chamber of Commerce, labor unions, local colleges and universities, parent associations, and community-based organizations. Every one of these groups will benefit from higher student achievement and a stronger, better trained workforce.

MY POLICY PROPOSALS

My school-to-work policies are divided into three categories: school-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting activities. My specific proposals include:

School-Based Learning

Integrate Learning — Academic subjects will be more closely connected to their applications in the real world. An elementary math class might emphasize practical exercises like counting change. A high school English class might write a technical manual. Exercises like these will show students how academic lessons are used in the working world, helping to make school more interesting. Teachers will also be encouraged to spend time during the summers with employers, gathering useful insight into skills that are needed on the job and integrating curriculum with skills-building programs.

Career Majors — We will organize all D.C. senior high schools around smaller learning communities and several career majors. Each high school will offer programs of study that focus on a career pathway or-an industry, such as the business and finance academy at Woodson High School, or the Pre-Engineering School at Dunbar High School. Other majors might include health care, technology, or public service. Students will be allowed to choose or change majors, and, upon graduation will earn a Certificate of Mastery that will help demonstrate their education, skills and training to colleges and employers.

School-Based Enterprises — We will develop structured opportunities for high school students to run businesses in their schools. These might include a school supply store or bookstore, a crafts operation, a bank, or an accounting firm. Running an enterprise will allow students to learn by doing, and increase their problem-solving skills. These start-up businesses could serve each other, as well as customers in the local area, including community business partners.

Work-Based Learning

Internships — Structured internships will provide the best opportunities for sampling careers and acquiring marketable skills. Our school-to-work internships will teach higher level skills to high school students and provide better chances to explore specific interests and demonstrate and skills to future employers. Those internships that pay stipends will also give students a financial incentive to keep up their attendance and grades. Within the first two years, our goal will be to recruit at least 20 businesses in the District to generate a total of 200 or more new, paid internships to high school students.

Job Shadowing — Many companies may be willing to sponsor day-long shadowing opportunities for students. These will allow students to observe professionals and get first- hand experience in a particular career or industry. Since the number of students who want internships will probably exceed the available slots, job shadowing will be an important element in our work-based learning strategy. We expect to recruit enough employers to provide at least 1,500 job shadowing experiences per year.

Connecting Activities

Apprenticeship Program — Apprenticeships provide young adults the opportunity to work in a trade such as electronics, engineering, or masonry. The program 'will be open to juniors and seniors who may not immediately attend college. The young adults will receive classroom credit while receiving real-life, on-the-job experience during school hours — one-half day is spent in the classroom, the other half on the job. My administration will partner with the private sector and labor to establish qualified apprenticeship programs in the areas of health care, technology, building trades, and hospitality. Students will receive a stipend funded — the District and the private sector.

Within the first two years, our goal will be to recruit at least 40 businesses in the District to generate 300 or more new paid apprenticeships.

Students completing the apprenticeship program will be eligible for employment with the sponsoring organization. In cities that have established apprenticeship programs, large majorities of the students receive offers of employment.

Intermediaries — To coordinate the experiences of students and the needs of the various stakeholders, a handful of District employees will serve as liaisons. The professionals' most important duty will be to talk regularly with school-based staff and workplace supervisors to ensure that classroom and on-the-job lessons complement and reinforce each other.

Counseling and Placement — Guidance and career counselors will be an important resource as students consider their career- and college-related options.

Community-Based Organizations — Groups such as the United Way, Rotary Club, and Girls' and Boys' club could help by providing employment opportunities, mentors, sponsorships, and scholarships. Partnerships with other organizations that provide education and training services, such as Job Corps, will also help build our comprehensive school-to-work system.

Funding Facts for Apprenticeship Program

Several options are available to fund the apprenticeship program:

1. DCPS and District of Columbia staff will coordinate the program. The program will be funded in part by a recently awarded federal school-to-work grant. This funding will help hire a coordinator in each high school to facilitate the work of the schools, employers, students, and parents.
2. Private sector employers will contribute wages for paid apprenticeships and staff to train and mentor the students on the job.
3. District funds will supplement federal and private monies, to support more apprenticeships in the coming years.
4. Private sector corporations and foundations will be encouraged to provide additional financial and in-kind support.

Detailed Cost Analysis

1. The Program will initially offer apprenticeships to 100 students, with this number growing in subsequent years
2. The cost for the Apprenticeship Program will be $450,000, mostly representing apprenticeship wages and transportation costs
3. Costs to the District will be offset by wages paid to the students directly by the corporations
4. As Mayor, I will build partnerships with America Online, MCI, Bell Atlantic, major hotels, and local hospitals and universities.