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Youth Apprenticeships
Youth Apprenticeship Scheme (YAS)
Message from Jocelyn Anton, 11 December, 2008
Greetings everyone...All
schools now have their implementation packs and the amount of positive
feedback indicates the material is proving to be both useful and
enlightening..read on>>
Radio NZ Podcast re schools' approaches to YAS
Nicolette Pako from Whangaroa College has supplied a link to a Radio NZ media file containing an
interview between Kathryn Ryan and Guy Claxton. This interview is very
interesting and offers strong support for the approach taken by YAS in terms of
making schools more responsive to student needs and increasing relevancy.
Thanks to Nicolette for taking time to do this.
The
link to the Radio NZ site will be included in the wiki, but in the meantime if
you're interested you can download the interview by using the following link:
Youth Apprenticeship Resources can be found on the Ministry's website at
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/educationSectors/Schools/Initiatives/YouthApprenticeships.aspx
Q
& A's on Youth Apprenticeships Scheme
YAS aims to build
clear industry related pathways within secondary schooling that link to modern
apprenticeships (1) so
students can move through school in a coherent way to careers in industry.
Industry in this context relates to the 40 Industry Training Organisations and
the wide range of career options that link to them.
How do schools implement YAS?
Schools have been given the freedom to
implement Youth Apprenticeships in a way that best suits them and their
community and which offers the best opportunity to develop a range of possible
pathways for their students.
For some this
approach may be challenging as there is no template, for others it offers an
exciting opportunity to further develop activity already begun within their
school.
What will YAS look like?
YAS will look
different in each school. As mentioned above, each school will develop a model
of YAS that best suits them, their students and their community.
Examples of possible
YAS components could be:
- Widening the careers education
programme to include industry based career information and activity
- Including the Real Game as a career
activity and linking it to pathway options within the school
- Adjusting the STAR programme so
students in the junior school have the opportunity to make work place
visits, have 2-3 day work experience or undertake short courses with a
tertiary provider
- Using STAR as a clear step in the work
readiness and career understanding of students and their progression into
Gateway
- Connecting to other activity within
the school such as Education for
- Targeting students who have clear
career aspirations linked to industry and developing a pathway using both
STAR and Gateway to NCEA level 2 and an apprenticeship (2)
- Adding a second year to the Gateway
experience which is more targeted and aligned to industry careers and
apprenticeships (3)
Isn't YAS just another
Gateway?
Youth Apprenticeships incorporates existing
school-based resources which includes Gateway. The others are the Careers
Information Grant (CIG), the Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR) and
Section 71 of the Education Act.
YAS requires schools to re-evaluate their
use of these resources to better meet the needs of their students with a mix of
both in-school and out-of-school learning. For some schools this may mean
extending their Gateway activity, for others it may mean re-focusing their
careers education and/or STAR programmes.
We've been told there is a
lot of extra work involved. Is this true?
As mentioned, schools are able to implement
Youth Apprenticeships in ways to better support and enhance their current use
of the resources (CIG, STAR, Gateway and Section 71) and linked industry
related activity.
All schools will approach their
implementation differently. YAS requires discussion and curriculum based
planning rather than creating new structures. The amount of work this equates
to will vary between schools and is dependent on their starting point and the
goals being set as part of the implementation.
The ministry has
deliberately kept reporting to a minimum. Schools are asked to complete the
Action Plan and then an Update report in mid year to assist their
implementation of YAS. While these documents are primarily to inform
implementation of YAS within the school, both will also be sent to the ministry
and form the base reporting documents. Reporting on student workplace activity
and outcomes will be completed using the normal Gateway channels. Schools will
use an identifier as part of Gateway reporting for those students considered
YAS students. TEC will advise details on this at the start of the year.
We have been asked to identify 5 students, how do we
do this?
It is at the schools
discretion how they choose students to participate in YAS, however it is
expected that choice of students will directly link to the school
implementation plan for the scheme. Some schools may choose to focus on senior
students only, while other schools may decide to include a mixture of junior
and senior students.
If senior students
are used, then designating one or more of the Gateway students as YAS students
is a suggestion. For schools using this option a successful outcome is
identified as being 3 out of the 5 students moving into a structured workplace
learning (apprenticeship, cadetship, traineeship) or a tertiary course forming
part of a structured workplace learning agreement (4)
What can we spend the YAS funding on?
Schools involved in YAS in 2009 receive
funding of $5000 (incl GST). The funding is given to assist schools in
developing or amending the systems they have in place and in particular to
assist in the paid work component of YAS. Schools do not have to account for
the spending of this money. The only requirement asked is that schools do not
pay students from the YAS funding. Schools should be wary of using the funds in
ways that will require an on-gong financial commitment.
Examples of how the money could be spent
include:
- Purchasing resources that allow better contact
between school, student and workplace
- Undertaking staff PD to assist in better
curriculum planning to develop an industry related pathway
- Amending the hours of the Gateway Co-ordinator
and/or Administrator to allow student contact during term breaks
- Purchasing resources that allow better management
of student pathway activity
The paid work component
of YAS asks that students experience a two week period where they are paid for work
with their employer.
In many schools Gateway
students regularly get offered part time work as employers identify students
with the required skill set and attitude. The paid work component of YAS is an
extension of this situation with the school becoming involved in the discussion
around employment.
While it is
expected that students undertake a two week paid work period, there is
sufficient flexibility for the school, student and employer to negotiate an
alternative approach that suits all parties.
Such activity
requires strong and mutually respectful relationships. It is advisable for
schools to engage in conversations around the paid work component early in the
process and to allow the student/employer relationship to fully develop with
the student proving their worth to the workplace. Because of the time needed to
establish such relationships, it is expected that most paid work would be
undertaken later in the school year, probably between term 3 and 4.
It is not known how changes to the economy will affect
businesses or local communities. While some industries may respond by reducing
their workforce, others may also be in positions where they increase or expand
their business activities.
It is always sensible to have an A & B plan when
discussing student career aspirations and workplace connections.
Research on workforce requirements continue to
emphasis the need for skilled and trained employees. This research covers all
the major workforce sectors and indicates proactive workplaces will continue to
train new staff so that these employers are better positioned to take advantage
of positive changes to the economy.
How does YAS link with all
the other stuff that the ministry is asking of schools?
YAS has strong links to the
Greater flexibility in the way students
interact with and are able to access learning, along with stronger links to
personalising learning opportunities are key features shared by Youth
Apprenticeships and the new curriculum. For example the skills obtained and
developed through a learning programme containing both in-school and
out-of-school provision is evidence-in-practice of the key competencies (5)
Where
can I get more information?
http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/
[1] Modern Apprenticeships include apprenticeships, cadetships and traineeships
[2] & [2] Including cadetships and traineeships
[4] Examples could be undertaking an employer directed national certificate course considered as the recruitment entry point by that employer.
[5] Key Competencies - Thinking, Managing self, Relating to others, Participating and Contributing, Using language, symbols and texts. NZC 2007 (page 12-13)