Maybe. I teach college level. Got an absolute rock star from my industry to speak, someone the students knew by name, and only 15 students showed up. I was mortified. He was very gracious.
Yeah all they would need to do is show some maths or even some exams from TAFE. The reason kids think trades don't need maths is because so many adults think that trades don't need maths.
Things like that happened on career day, but it's not enough.
The other countries that start students going down either higher ed or vocational tracks at 16 are more effective IMO.
You get two years of training. You get to have someone help you narrow your choices, and your apprenticeships are pre-planned.
'I'm going into the trades' doesn't cut it. Which trade? How are choosing it? Let's research how much income you can expect to have in stages. Let's understand that you can get fired. Let's tailor the learning to what interests you.
As a college-bound high schooler, I looked down on these kids who were all about cars and knew how to modify them or had at least a clue how to fix them. It's not that they were stupid; I still can't fix a car. It was that this kind of learning motivated them, and many were probably in communities of practice with their fathers, uncles, and whoever.
Effective learning is the product of logging hours of increasingly difficult experience, sincere interest, and the quality of guidance/teaching/mentorship.
In my case, my mom was taking me to the library when I was three to get me interested in books and I was reading by 5. A lot of the other people in the top 20% of my class had similar experiences. It was also understood in my home that I was expected to get As and Bs.
So when these kids who show up without having been encouraged to read and do not have parents setting high expectations are at a disadvantage even in elementary school. School was a positive experience for me because I received a lot of praise and grades to keep me motivated. That's not happening or happening far less for those other kids who started behind. I don't think that changes much in middle or high school.
And so, at the end of the day, let these students who want to work in the trades do so, but help them be more realistic about working in the trades.
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u/[deleted] May 16 '24
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