Recently, I was named to the Business, Marketing and Information Technology (BM&IT) Advisory Council through the Department of Public Instruction. The purposes of the council are to promote the recognition of BM&IT coursework as students transition to Wisconsin colleges and universities, support work-based learning as an integral part of the business and marketing education curriculum, promote business and marketing education, and endorse career and technical student organizations.
At a meeting of the Council, apprenticeships for high school juniors and seniors were discussed. This may be of interest to Wisconsin radio and TV stations especially in the area of marketing and engineering. If you find this program of interest, please contact me via email ksbeno@gmail.com.
Below is an explanation of the Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program from Coordinator Amy Phillips.
Wisconsin’s YA program is a work-based learning program that integrates on-the-job training with classroom learning, which enables students to gain real world applications for what they learn in school. After students go through an interview at a broadcast station, he/she can acquire entry-level, career ready skills in employability and in technical occupations of their choice.
The Wisconsin YA program offers 11 of the 16 national Career and Technical Education Clusters, including a marketing program with career pathways in Professional Sales, Merchandising, Marketing Communication, Marketing Research / Competitive Intelligence, and Marketing Management / Leadership.
Later this year, we will begin overhauling and modernizing the YA program curriculum so there will be opportunity to expand to additional pathways as determined by employer and industry needs. These include the Arts, A/V Technology & Communications program that could potentially have an A/V Technology Career Pathway added to it if there is enough employer and industry interest and support.
A student may participate in a one year program that requires 450 work hours with two semesters of related instruction, or a two year program that requires 900 work hours with four semesters of related instruction. Participating students must enroll in YA related classes and be available to work between 10 to 15 hours of work per week during the school year. Students are paid minimum wage or higher by the employer. If agreeable with their employers, students may work more hours during the summer and school breaks. Upon successful completion of the program, a student may earn a Certificate of Occupational Proficiency that is issued by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
Each YA student must achieve certain skill competencies on the worksite and in the classroom, and these competencies are reviewed and approved by industry focus groups held throughout the state.
The instruction in the classroom is meant to reinforce concepts learned on the worksite and vice-versa. We require that a majority of the work hours take place during the school year, so that the course is linked to work. Students often get school release for part of the day to attend classes, and will get academic credit for the work-based learning.
Ken Beno, WBA Education Committee Chair
