Education for Employment History

The education for employment concept grew out of the work of the Parker Project, a joint education/ business research effort between the Department of Public Instruction and the Parker Pen Foundation of Janesville, Wisconsin. The Parker Project was a cooperative effort initiated because of a growing concern over the number of youth who failed to make a successful transition from school to the world of work.

Begun in 1981, Phase I of the Parker Project was designed to provide the information base needed to assess schools' capacity to meet the needs of business, students, and society and to project future business needs. Using the research base developed in Phase I, the Parker Project brought business, labor, and education together in Phase II and Phase III.

It was in Phase II that the concept of education for employment emerged. Designed to concentrate on helping all students develop employability skills; an understanding of business operations and economics; and career exploration, planning, and decision-making skills, Education for Employment was never intended to focus solely on "at risk" students and those not immediately entering postsecondary education. All students, regardless of future career choices, need to be educated for eventual employment and careers whether they enter the workforce directly upon graduation from high school or at a later date. With this premise, the goals of education for employment were

• to create the finest, best educated, most skilled workforce in America, and
• to define and deliver what all youth need to become productive, economically self-sufficient citizens, thereby enabling them to contribute to Wisconsin's economic development.

In Phase III, the state legislature responded to the research and recommendations of the Parker Project. During the 1985-87 budget session, they enacted a law that established Education for Employment Standard (m) for all school districts and also created the Governor's Council on Business and Education Partnerships. The original Education for Employment Standard (m) embodied seven critical elements:

• business and education partnerships
• practical application of basic skills
• career exploration, planning and decision making
• employability skills and attitudes
• school-supervised work experience
• knowledge of business operations and economics
• contemporary vocational education programs

In 1994, Wisconsin became one of the first states in the nation to receive federal funding under the School to Work Opportunity Act of 1994. This effort re-established the foundation for education for employment and created an infrastructure for the youth apprenticeship program. About the same time, the federal Carl Perkins Technology Education Act provided federal funding for Tech Prep to align secondary career and technical education with postsecondary technical programming. These two dynamic changes precipitated a call for revision of the 1985 Education for Employment Standard (m). A state committee recommended changes in the standard to include Youth Apprenticeship, Tech Prep, and Youth Options. Elements were also included to strengthen district accountability and to ensure contemporary programming. While certain aspects of Standard (m) will be changed, effective July 1, 2004, the philosophy and intent remain constant. The seven building blocks of the revised Education for Employment Standard (m) are:

• coordination and partnerships
• skills for the future
• career guidance
• school-supervised work experience
• world economy and labor markets
• contemporary career and technical education
• accountability

These seven elements form the building blocks of a sound and responsive education system designed to prepare all youth for productive lives and for self-sufficiency in the 21st century. All youth should be able to connect what they learn in school, understand and plan for future careers, master human relations skills needed for effective communication and work, understand the fundamentals of work and our economy, apply and manage technology, and access contemporary technical training and school-supervised work experience. These elements, when combined, push education outside the four walls of the school and make the community a classroom.

Users must have a pdf reader installed and configured on their web browser to view pdf files. The Acrobat reader is available free at Adobe's web site.

For questions about this information, contact Sharon W. Wendt (608) 267-9251

Last updated on 3/24/2009 2:16:40 PM