Education for Employment: The Ultimate School-Business Partnership.

Overview & Synopsis

Having determined that neither traditional vocational education nor basic skills alone prepare students adequately for jobs and lifelong learning, the Wisconsin Legislature enacted an Education for Employment Standard that required every school district to form a school-business partnership council. The council's purpose is to guide the integration of the practical application of basic skills and economics, an understanding of business operations and the need for employability skills and attitudes, and knowledge of careers and labor market trends into the K-12 curriculum. What makes Wisconsin's Education for Employment Standard unique is that all students from kindergarten through grade 12 receive instruction and experiences in these elements: (1) business and education partnerships; (2) school-supervised work experiences; (3) employability skills and attitudes; (4) career exploration and planning; (5) practical application of basic skills; and (6) business operations and economics. The community becomes the classroom as business and education partnerships extend beyond the school walls. The Wisconsin Education for Employment Standard refocused the mission of public education by recognizing the key role schools play in job preparation and economic development. (KC)