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“Getting an inside edge by using help from family and friends is a powerful, hidden force driving inequality in the United States.” Does this affect employment in certain racial groups?

According to Nancy DiTomaso, it does. A researcher at Rutgers University, Ms. DiTomaso authored a recent NYTimes article entitled, How Social Networks Drive Black Unemployment (5/6/13) , Why this is true, according to Ms. DiTomaso, is because the help we receive from family and friends, through our social networks has a strong racial component.

While the article is lean on data to support its claim, a certain truth that caught my attention: our city’s corporate culture is less diverse than our public schools. For many underserved students of color, the landscape of Boston’s downtown skyline is a wilderness. Students don’t know what happens inside the city’s notable buildings, such as 60 State Street, the Hancock Tower, the Federal Reserve Building, or the financial institutions on Federal Street. These office buildings and many more like them are unexplored regions.

What’s missing is the social capital–the connections to adults that help families introduce their children to wider career opportunities. Apprentice Learning hopes to close that gap by helping students venture into these places just as they might venture out into the wilderness on an Outward Bound expedition.

Ultimately, our goal is that the  students’ view of Boston’s skyline be marked with familiarity. All students should dream about their place in vibrant cultures of commerce, medicine, law, biotechnology, innovation, and technology. Especially when these opportunities are within walking distance from their homes.

Apprenticeships give students the chance to work alongside of professionals who can show them the ropes, share their personal stories and come to know students as individuals with the potential to contribute. In turn, Apprentices have an experience that reshapes an unfamiliar environment into one where they can imagine themselves. Experiences like these contribute and strengthen a young person’s social network, academic motivation and ultimately, develop into the type of support so important to landing a highly competitive job.

The Commonwealth Corporation released a report last week, entitled, Signaling Success: Boosting Teen Employment Rates.

The employment news is dismal for teens. In 2012, only 27% of youth 16-19 years old were employed, down from 54% in 1999. Why? Teens are being displaced by older workers. It’s the economy….!

The good news is that Commonwealth Corp offered some salient strategies to help teens gain an edge in the employment market. These tips supported the work we are already doing in AL; strengthening a student’s presentation skills, the traits such as eye contact, learning to ask questions, dressing appropriately and being prepared. The research also supported what we already know: that these types of behavioral traits and proficiencies matter at all levels of employment, whether you are an entry level employee or the CEO.

Thanks Commonwealth Corp for your great research! To access the report:
(http://commcorp.org)

Apprenticeships are often thought about as an old-fashioned way to learn something. One might think about a of shoemaker (they do still exist!) or a fine woodworker who learns at the elbow of a master. 

As I consider what has drawn me to use the term ‘apprentice’, it is the understanding that there is something to be learned that goes beyond reading instructions. ‘Apprenticing’ means being in relationship with someone charged with teaching you to become a skillful, situational problem solver.  It is fundamentally social learning.

Cognitive apprenticeships appeal to me because they teach a mindset: the master craftsperson narrates their thought processes. What’s is behind the action? why might someone choose A, not B? It is a powerful way to teach someone how to think critically! 

Here’s a great article describing cognitive apprentice learning:  Cognitive Apprenticeship: Making Thinking Visible « The 21st Century Learning Initiative.