Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request and a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on U.S. apprenticeship-type programs, focusing on cooperative education (co-op) programs that assist youth in the transition from school to work.
GAO found that: (1) during the 1989-90 school year, about 8 percent of high school juniors and seniors and less than 3 percent of community college students participated in co-op programs; (2) access to such programs is not uniform across rural, suburban, and inner-city areas; (3) key features shared by high-quality programs included written training plans that detailed specific learning objectives, student screening, selection of employers who provided high-quality training in occupations with career paths, and close supervision of students' training by school staff; (4) high school co-op programs offer general employability skills and specific occupational skills training, while community college programs concentrate more on specific occupational skills because these students typically are working toward a 2-year degree; (5) co-op students frequently rotate across a variety of jobs within an organization to gain a broader experience; (6) participation in high-quality co-op programs enhances the likelihood that participants will pursue further education and a majority of co-op employers offered participants permanent employment; (7) factors hindering expanded participation include lack of awareness of such programs, a negative perception of co-op at the high school level, and scheduling and transportation problems; (8) both students and employers express satisfaction with their participation in youth apprenticeship projects that enable participants to enter full-time apprenticeships upon graduation, leading to a certificate that confers journeyman's status; and (9) co-op shares many features with German youth apprenticeship, which is recognized as effective in preparing a skilled young work force.
