Organizing Cooperative Education

1. Organizing Cooperative Education What it is! How to do it!

2. Work-Based Learning in Illinois • Work-based learning – academically and occupationally integrated learning activities and content needed to obtain and maintain employment in an occupational cluster

3. Work-Based Learning in Illinois • Work site learning – component coordinated and integrated with school-based learning • Learning at work site • Experiences ranging from occupational orientation through skill preparation

4. Work-Based Learning in Illinois • Occupational Cluster – includes a number of occupations with similar job skill requirements

5. Cooperative Education Definition • Program of occupational education for persons who, through written cooperative agreements between school and employers, receive instruction, including required academic courses and related classroom instruction by alternation of study in school with a job in any occupational field • Experiences planned and supervised by school

6. Cooperative Education Definition • Instructional method combining efforts and resources of employment community and LEA for purpose of providing students with learning experiences that lead to development of entry or intermediate level job skills (Illinois Handbook)

7. Cooperative Education Characteristics • Prepare students for realities of work • Help them adjust and make transition from school to work • Planned career development program, designed at a minimum to produce entry-level competence

8. Cooperative Education Characteristics • Opportunity for employers to assist in training – for themselves and for the occupational world • Method whereby instructors of in-school occupational courses can get feedback from potential employers of trainees

9. Cooperative Education Characteristics • Logical approach for pre-employment program designed to break poverty cycle of some youth • Means of providing realistic opportunities to apply and test skills and knowledge learning in school

10. Work-Based Career Education Plans • Cooperative Education—Used in agriculture; business, marketing, and management; FCS, health, and technology • Agricultural Cooperative Education (ACE) • Cooperative Office Occupations (OO) • Cooperative Marketing Occupations (MO) • Health Occupations (HO) • Home Economics and Related Occupations (HERO) • Industrial Cooperative Education (ICE)

11. Work-Based Career Education Plans • Work Experience and Career Exploration Program (WECEP)—For 14- and 15-year-old at-risk students • Special Education Coop—Allows special education students to acquire marketable skills and knowledge in an occupation

12. Work-Based Career Education Plans • Cooperative Work Training - Designed to give students work experience without specific career direction • Interrelated Cooperative Education - All career areas are included in same related class and are coordinated by one coordinator • Apprenticeship - Entry level employment training toward a career in cooperation with a labor union

13. Work-Based Career Education Plans • Internships – Work experience required in professional degree programs; for post-secondary programs • Job shadowing – School-sponsored and supervised program in which students are placed with one or more employers for short period of time; secondary and post-secondary students

14. Non-cooperative Work Programs • Work Observation • Observes different work for few weeks • Not paid • May or may not be tied to a class • Work Exploration • Briefly try out number of jobs • General Work Experience • No related class and limited school supervision

15. Decision Regarding Type of Program • What occupational areas provide greatest opportunity for student employment in region? • What occupations seem to be of greatest interest to students? • What type of cooperative education will best serve agency students?

16. Key Characteristics of Cooperative Plans • Refer to handout

17. History of Cooperative Education • 1906 - Started at University of Cincinnati in engineering • 1909 - HS cooperative education program started in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in cooperation with General Electric • 1910 – HS cooperative courses established in Cincinnati public schools

18. History of Cooperative Education • 1911 – Experimental HS program established in York, Pennsylvania • 1912 – First retail cooperative training program in Boston HS • 1914 – Cooperative instruction established in Dayton Cooperative High School • 1915 – Programs established in ten New York City schools

19. History of Cooperative Education • 1917 - Smith-Hughes Act • Provided $7 million for vocational education in agriculture, trades and industry, home economics, and teacher training • 1929 - George-Reed Act • Authorized an increase of $1 million annually for four years to expand voc ed in agriculture and home economics

20. History of Cooperative Education • 1934 - George-Ellzey Act • Replaced previous legislation. • Authorized an appropriation of $3 million annually for three years for agriculture, home economics, and trades and industry • 1936 - George-Deen Act • Authorized, on a continuing basis, an annual appropriation of $14 million for the previous three occupations, but added distributive occupations (marketing)

21. History of Cooperative Education • 1946 - George-Barden Act • Authorized larger appropriation ($29 million) for voc ed in agriculture, home economics, trades and industry, and distributive occupations • 1956 - George-Barden Amendments • Added practical nursing • Added fishery occupations

22. History of Cooperative Education • 1958 - National Defense Education Act • Funded technical occupations necessary to national defense • Response to Sputnik I • 1962 - Manpower Development Training Act • Eased dislocated workers • Assisted economically disadvantaged

23. History of Cooperative Education • 1963 - Vocational Education Act • Maintained, extended, and improved existing programs • Provided instruction so persons of all ages would have access to vocational training. • Added business education • 1968 – Vocational Education Amendments • Mandated programs for disadvantaged and handicapped • Provided consumer homemaking by contract

24. History of Cooperative Education • 1973 - Comprehensive Employment Training Act • Replaced Manpower Development Training Act • Transferred decision making from DC to local and state governments • 1976 - Vocational Education Amendments • Extend, improve, and maintain existing programs • Develop new programs • Develop programs to overcome sex discrimination and stereotyping

25. History of Cooperative Education • 1982 - Job Training Partnership Act • Establish programs to prepare youth and unskilled adults for entry into labor force • Afford job training to economically disadvantaged facing critical barriers to employment

26. History of Cooperative Education • 1984 - Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act • Expanded and enlarged existing programs and programmatic opportunities • Economic goal – improve skills of labor force and prepare adults for job opportunities • Social goal – provide equal opportunities for adults in vocational education • Switched from expanding programs to improving programs and addressing at-risk populations

27. History of Cooperative Education • 1990 - Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act • Emphasized: • Integration of academic and vocational education • Articulation between segments of education • Closer linkages between school and work • Requires states to develop systems of performance measures and standards

28. History of Cooperative Education • 1994 - School-to-Work Opportunities Act • Addressed national skills shortage • Emphasized preparing students with knowledge, skills, abilities and information about occupations and labor market to help make transition from school to employment • Elements included: collaborative partnerships, integrated curriculum, technological advances, adaptable workers, career guidance, work-based learning

29. History of Cooperative Education • 1998 - Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act • Encourage career and technical education reform, innovation, and improvement • Tech prep was reauthorized • Strengthen academic, vocational, and technical skills • Provide students with strong experience in and understanding all aspects of an industry • Develop, expand, or improve use of technology • New accountability measures - performance

30. History of Cooperative Education • Each year, the appropriation is in jeopardy and career and technical educators fight for their existence.

31. Cooperative Education • Time for a question and answer break

32. Cooperative Education • Shifting gears!!

33. Some Purposes of CE • Career orientation • Work exploration • Economic awareness • Work adjustment and/or personal life adjustment • Skill development • Upgrading skills • Skill application • Job placement

34. Advantages of Cooperative Education • For the Student • Provides closer integration of theory and practice • Increases student motivation • Develops responsibility and maturity • Provides closer association with adults • Establishes a base of occupational experience • Develops work skills that can’t be developed in school

35. Advantages of Cooperative Education • For the Student (cont.) • Augments financial resources • Improves job entry and advancement • Decreases number of early school leavers • Enables some students to stay in school • Offers organized plan of training in actual business settings • Eases transition from school to work • Offers career exploration • Provides awareness of civil and social responsibilities

36. Advantages of Cooperative Education • For the Employer • Provides source for full-time employees • Benefits from tax dollars expended • Provides direct input into training programs • Could reduce employee turnover • Reduces costs of training • Improves image and prestige • Increases student buying power, thus sales base

37. Advantages of Cooperative Education • For Labor • Enables labor to help guide program with representation on advisory committee • Helps assure labor market isn’t flooded • Offers pre-apprenticeship training • Opens opportunities for part-time and evening classes for apprentices and journey people

38. Advantages of Cooperative Education • For the School • Increases working relationships with business community • Adds relevance to the on-going program • Provides facilities and equipment not in LEA • Improves placement of program completers • Helps to ensure program validity with regard to labor market demand • Develops partnerships between community and LEA • Expands the curriculum

39. Advantages of Cooperative Education • For the Community • May keep graduates in home community • Involves community in meeting own training needs • Reduces community problems by reducing dropout rates • Produces more responsible citizens • Improves economic climate by increasing student buying power • Improves school-community relationships

40. The Teacher-Coordinator • Effective teacher-coordinators • Are self-starters who plan their work • Organize time and manage resources to achieve objectives identified in planning process • Bring about action to achieve those objectives • Evaluate to determine if objectives are being achieved • Manage several diverse functions simultaneously

41. The Teacher-Coordinator • Responsible for: • Planning, • Developing, • Implementing, • Operating, • Evaluating, and • Adjusting cooperative education plans • AND

42. The Teacher-Coordinator • Describing and interpreting cooperative education to: • Administrators, • Faculty, • Students, • Staff, • Parents, and • The Community

43. The Teacher-Coordinator • Administrative Duties • Conduct annual follow-up surveys of students • Conduct community surveys • Complete forms and reports • Organize and participate on advisory committees

44. The Teacher-Coordinator • Coordination Activities • Locate training stations • Evaluate prospective training stations • Student placement • Visit training stations • Develop training plans • Assess student performance • Keep log of coordination activities • Prepare students for employment interviews

45. The Teacher-Coordinator • Coordination Activities (cont.) • Write letters of recommendation • Conduct home visits if needed • Solve student problems

46. The Teacher-Coordinator • Public Relations Activities • Inform civic and business groups about program • Implement a training sponsor program • Inform students about program • Develop and disseminate promotional materials • Prepare news releases • Conduct employer-employee activity • Complete annual reports on students

47. Teacher-Coordinator Qualifications • Valid teaching certificate • 24 hours in area of specialization including a methods course • 2,000 hours work experience in related occupation • Licensure, if required by law • Six semester hours of CE coursework

48. Starting a New Program

49. New Program Activities • Initial Planning • Timeline for planning will be about one year • Secure administrative approval • Determine needs and interest in program • Appoint steering committee • Ascertain student interest • Evaluate employer need, interest, and support • Identify employment trends • Review existing programs • Make a decision

50. Planning a CE Program • Step I - Secure administrative approval to investigate need • Step II - Appoint steering/advisory committee • Step III - Determine needs and wants of students • Step IV - Determine employer needs, interests, and support • Step V - Determine labor market demands and trends • Step VI – Consider current programs in the region