In the early 1980s, two trends collided in American culture. The first was the birth of the information age. As the personal computer appeared on the scene, businesses began to transform themselves into information-based entities. The goods and services they produced required highly skilled, adaptable workers, whose knowledge base increased daily. The second trend was a crisis in American education. A series of studies was published that bemoaned the state of education in America, among them the highly influential 1983 government study, A Nation at Risk, which identified several problems: low performing schools, fractured curricula, under-prepared students. As these two trends intersected, business leaders and education professionals realized that a closer collaboration between the two could be mutually beneficial. By providing technical support to schools, businesses filled a gap in the nation’s educational infrastructure; by providing real-world experiences to students, businesses filled a need in the educational model. In return the business community would get well-prepared, better educated workers ready to tackle the challenges of a changing economy.
The relationship between business and education is not new —such partnerships date back to the 1800s when schools turned out well-trained workers to the factories and production lines of the burgeoning industrial economy. Since the 1980s, however, the relationship has grown dramatically. “Between 1983/84 and 1987/88, the number of business/education partnerships rose from 42,200 to 140,800,” (Grobe et.al. 1993). Since then, the number has increased more than twofold. In addition, the relationship has begun to change. Many businesses continue to provide work experience in traditional partnership venues: retail, customer service, and vocational careers like food service (see the article on culinary education in this issue), cosmetology, or automotive repair. Now, however, many businesses are responding to the call for well-trained, adaptable workers who will become leaders in business, industry, and public service.
Henrico County Public Schools has long been an advocate of business-education partnerships. For years, students in the County have had the opportunity to pursue vocational education. Also, in business departments around the County, students may enroll in Co-Op programs where they take classes that focus on business skills, marketing, business ethics, and basic economic principles. Concurrent with the class, students are hired into a paid work experience where they go to work during and after school hours. Two academic credits and a paycheck: a great deal for many students. Several local and national companies have been consistent partners with Henrico County’s Co-Op program over the years, including Ukrop’s Supermarkets, Puritan Cleaners, Westbury Pharmacy, Saxon Shoes, and Sears. The purpose of the program is to give students real-world experiences and give them skills that they can carry forward beyond the four walls of the school. Students get real world experience and businesses get good workers. Bill Broyles, Assistant Principal and former Teacher/Coordinator in Career and Technical Education at Douglas Freeman High School says, “It’s a perfect partnership. The business gains something more than a traditional part-time employee. They get a high school student that is supervised by a teacher and whose grade is tied into their job performance. The employer and the Teacher/Coordinator work collectively to create a student employee who is motivated and is held accountable for their performance at work and in the classroom. It’s a win win.”
