A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The Emergence of Tech-Prep at the State and Local Levels - 1995

Role Of Business, Industry, And Labor In Tech-Prep

Business, industry, and labor involvement in the development of Tech-Prep was given some prominence by the Perkins Tech-Prep Education Act in 1990. The act encouraged educational agencies and institutions to consult with these groups, but did not mandate their participation as a requirement for funding or specify any particular role for them in Tech-Prep planning and implementation. With the passage of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, signed by President Clinton in May 1994, however, many Tech-Prep consortia may attempt to solidify and expand business and industry support for their school efforts. We expect to observe changes in this aspect of Tech-Prep during the next three years of the survey.

The general model promoted by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, in which federal grants are awarded to states and local partnerships to promote a system of integrated school- and work-based learning programs, requires substantial commitment from business, industry, and labor. Programs receiving school-to-work grants must ensure that students receive "a planned program of job training and work experience" that is related to their "career majors" in school. Localities applying for these grants must demonstrate, in their grant applications, strong evidence of employer involvement and must clarify the specific roles of business, industry, and labor.

In anticipation that the School-to-Work Opportunities Act would be enacted, and in recognition of federal government interest in the roles of business, industry, and labor in preparing youth for transitions to productive careers, we included survey questions about the involvement of these groups in Tech-Prep development. Specifically, we asked about the types of support that individual businesses and corporations, business or trade associations, and labor organizations gave each consortium in FY 1993. The survey listed 18 categories of support and gave respondents the opportunity to provide other answers as well. The responses yield an overall impression of the types of contributions made by these groups to Tech-Prep, but are not a measure of the extent of their involvement.3

Most consortia receive support from the private sector or labor groups

Business and labor groups appear to play a role in many Tech-Prep consortia. More than three-fourths of the consortia reported receiving some type of support from individual businesses or corporations, business/industry or trade associations, or labor organizations in FY 1993 (Figure IV.2). One hundred seventy consortia (25 percent) reported receiving no assistance from these groups, yet about half of these 170 consortia reported including businesses, associations, or labor unions as consortium members. This pattern may indicate that in some consortia these organizations are represented by individuals sitting on governing boards or steering committees, but the organizations themselves are not involved any further.

Established consortia are more likely than newer consortia to be receiving active support from business, industry, and labor. About 80 percent of consortia that received their first Title IIIE grant in FY 1992 reported receiving support, compared with 60 percent of consortia that received their first grant in FY 1993.

The main contribution of business, industry, and labor is assisting Tech-Prep staff to develop the program

Business, industry, and labor can assist Tech-Prep development in a number of ways. These groups can (1) work with students, by providing facility tours, job-shadowing opportunities, or part-time employment; (2) work with staff, for example, on curriculum development and review, marketing, or staff development; and (3) provide material resources, such as student scholarships or classroom equipment.

Consortia reported that business, industry, and labor work most often with Tech-Prep staff on program development (Figure IV.2). Almost 60 percent of all consortia reported receiving assistance from business and labor in developing curricula, including identifying competencies, listing relevant tasks and objectives, or creating laboratory or other contextual learning activities. About half reported that these groups helped to define program outcomes, or to promote and market Tech-Prep. In 16 percent of all consortia, representatives from these groups taught some classes in consortium schools. 

                                  FIGURE IV.2            TYPES OF SUPPORT RECEIVED FROM BUSINESSES, CORPORATIONS,                  TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS  TYPE OF SUPPORT                      None ------------->24%  Working with Staff ------------------   Curriculum Development ------------------------------>57%      Outcomes Definition -------------------------->49% Identifying Career Areas ------------------->36%      Marketing Tech-Prep ---------------------------->53%        Staff Development ----------------------->44%          Provide Speakers -------------------------->49%  Working with Students ---------------------         Career Awareness ------------------------->47%       Employees Teaching ------->16%                Mentoring ---------->20%           Facility Tours ------------------------->47%      Work-Based Learning ----------------->32%          Apprenticeships ----->11%          Priority Hiring -->6%  Material Resources ------------------      Awards for Students --------->18%      Awards for Teachers -->6%                Equipment ---------------->29%          Classroom Space ------->16%                          +----------+----------+----------+----------+                          0          20         40         60         80                                     PERCENTAGE OF CONSORTIA  SOURCE: Inventory of Local Tech-Prep Planning and Implementation, Fall 1993

Work-based learning opportunities are not currently a major area of business, industry, and labor Tech-Prep support

Approximately one-third of all Tech-Prep consortia reported that business and industry provided work-based learning opportunities for students in FY 1993. These reported opportunities for work-based learning may include a variety of activities, because the questionnaire did not define the term. Therefore, the data should not be interpreted as a measure of the incidence of work-based learning as it is promoted in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act--that is, a "planned program of job training and work experience."

In many consortia, area businesses offer Tech-Prep students workplace exposure activities

Slightly fewer than half of the consortia reported that businesses and corporations provided career awareness opportunities for students, or arranged for student tours of their facilities. Students in 20 percent of consortia had access to a workplace mentor.

Material support from business, industry, and labor is not very prevalent

Business, industry, and labor do not seem to consider provision of material resources to be a major method of support for Tech-Prep development, relative to other types. In FY 1993, fewer than one-third of the consortia reported receiving equipment or other materials from these groups, and fewer than 20 percent received physical space for classrooms or special activities. In a few consortia, business and industry gave awards and scholarships to students or teachers.

3 These organizations may have focused these reported activities only on some schools or districts in a consortium.
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