The State of the Union address reconfirmed to the nation why vocational learning pathways are necessary for a productive and competitive economy. The President said in his address, “As tax cuts create new jobs, let us invest in workforce development and job training. Let us open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential.”
Every weekday morning, a group of young men and women, mostly in their early 20s, arrive at a state-of-the-art assembly plant doing just that. Some begin the day in the plant’s training facility, where they learn mechanical, electronic, computer and controls systems, machining, pneumatics, robotics, and more under the watchful eyes of master tradesmen. Others may report to the adjacent production floor, where they apply newly acquired skills. Other days involve post-secondary classroom coursework that will lead to a technical qualification in automation mechatronics. These young people are mastering a vocational pathway through apprenticeship at the Volkswagen Group of America facility outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. All are immersed in work-based learning that is demonstrably the most cost-effective approach to supplying companies with the human talent they need to compete. And these young people may be in the vanguard of a renaissance in a time-honored approach to learning.
