Article of “The Chronicle”: Apprenticeships make a comeback in the United States – Common in Europe, partnerships with employers get graduates into jobs fast
Germany has one of the lowest participation levels in higher education among developed countries, a deficit attributed to the large number of young people who take part in apprenticeships. Such an approach would be unthinkable in the United States, where earning a college degree is the ambition for growing numbers of young people and their families, and vocational education has long been stigmatized.
Those working on adapting the dual system in the United States are hoping that the new generation of apprenticeships will shatter the stereotype that vocational education is only for students who can't get into traditional higher education. "In today's world, students have to go on to postsecondary education," says Ms. Mezera of Tennessee's state education department. "Yes, we have some ghosts of the past that we have to get over. But the only way we're going to be able to do that is to focus on what is needed in the here and now."
