Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos left on a 10-day tour of Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to include school visits, meetings with education stakeholders and the delivery of the keynote address at the International Congress on Vocational and Professional Education and Training.
While in Europe, she planned to visit a variety of educational programs and schools, including several technical education centers and apprenticeship sites. Speaking at the International Congress, she praised the Swiss training and apprenticeship system and highlighted both the depth and breadth of its reach – “The Swiss approach is one from which we can all learn a great deal. It is so interesting that more than two-thirds of current students pursue their education through apprenticeships. Of course apprenticeships include those for welders and carpenters — which, in my country, is more common. But apprenticeships here include many options in every sector of the economy, including health care, finance and law.”
She also highlighted the need to personalize education, and her desire for a wide variety of postsecondary credentials to be valued: “All of these are valid pursuits. Each should be embraced as such. If it’s the right fit for the student, then it’s the right education. And importantly, no stigma should stand in the way of a student’s journey to success."
Sec. DeVos followed her speech by posting on the Department of Education’s Homeroom blog, where she outlined more of her thoughts on how the United States could learn from the Swiss apprenticeship system. ACTE has an ongoing partnership with the Swiss Embassy to help do just that – you can read more about some of the activities here. You can also read more about Sec. DeVos’s trip in EdWeek, where ACTE was quoted in an article discussing what it would take to bring elements of the European system to the United States.
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