By Joellen Kralik
The New Mexico Legislative Education Study Commission (LESC) is meeting in Santa Fe this week, and much of the agenda is dedicated to learning about high quality systems of career and technical education (CTE), both abroad and in the United States.
This Wednesday, members of the New Mexico LESC had the opportunity to learn about one state’s innovative approach to implementing a modern youth-apprenticeship system: Colorado’s CareerWise. CareerWise is a nongovernmental, nonprofit intermediary that is rooted in a strong partnership between business, community, government and education.
CareerWise high school apprentices spend three days a week at school and two days a week at their apprenticeship sites, where they earn at least minimum wage. More than 40 Colorado employers have hired student apprentices to work in four different career paths including advanced manufacturing, information technology, financial services and business operations. Only about 100 students are participating in CareerWise’s first cohort, but the organization has an expansion strategy to reach 10 percent of all Colorado high school students within its 10th year…
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