Dive Brief:
- Minnesota is testing out Germany’s “dual system” education model, in which high school students spend a substantial amount of time in apprenticeships before graduation.
- Spearheaded by Democratic state Sen. Terri Bonoff, the program enables some participants to skip college entirely, going straight into the workforce having already acquired the skills they need.
- Referred to as the “Pipeline” — short for Private Investment, Public Education, Labor and Industry Experience — the concept for the pilot program passed the Minnesota legislature back in 2014, and Forbes reports that its second phase will see young employees take college classes with help from state tuition grants.
Dive Insight:
Advanced manufacturing, healthcare services, IT, and agriculture are four business sectors where job growth was projected by the program in Minnesota. The PIPELINE program had the state’s Department of Employment and Economic Development and Department of Labor and Industry establish industry councils, who then were tasked with creating competency standards for “at least three high-growth occupations in their sector.”
“Minnesota PIPELINE establishes a partnership among state agencies, higher education officials and employers that gives Minnesota residents the opportunity to acquire valuable academic and work skills in high-growth industries,” Forbes states. “Employers create apprentice positions in their companies and pay for on-the-job training while the state funds tuition grants for classroom instruction.”
The concept of a schools-to-jobs pipeline is one that hasn’t caught on in other states, but it can potentially help high school students avoid years of painful college tuition debt down the road. Private schools like the Cristo Rey chain have work-study programs, but Minnesota’s unique approach mandates collaboration between industry, universities, and future employees.
