University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Exploring the opportunities, challenges, and the processes for designing and delivering degree apprenticeships as perceived by key stakeholders of a community college

Voeller, Jooyoung

Content Files
VOELLER-DISSERTATION-2021.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113900

Description

Title
Exploring the opportunities, challenges, and the processes for designing and delivering degree apprenticeships as perceived by key stakeholders of a community college
Author(s)
Voeller, Jooyoung
Issue Date
2021-12-02
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Witt, Allison
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Witt, Allison
Committee Member(s)
  • Jacobs, Ron
  • Kuchinke, Peter
  • Hamilton, Setephen
Department of Study
Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
Discipline
Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2022-04-29T21:34:47Z
Keyword(s)
  • apprenticeships
  • vocational education and training
  • community college
  • degree apprenticeships
  • modern apprenticeships
  • school to work transition
  • work-based learning
Abstract
Driven by the forces of globalization and technology innovation, the 21st-century workplace has become much more complex, marked by the closely related trends of automation, digitalization, and robotification (CEDEFOP, 2018). This requires more skills and education for young adults to be successful in the workplace. For these reasons, young people spend most of their time in school preparing for their future (Larson, 2002) and pursue higher education, expecting that more academic achievement will enhance career preparedness (Lerman, 2013). However, employers often find it difficult to hire suitable candidates with the right soft and technical skills (Hart Research Associates, 2015; SHRM, 2019). In the midst of this, apprenticeships have re-emerged as an effective means of preparing young people for work, and especially, community colleges have been actively implementing apprenticeships within their degree programs by offering degree apprenticeships (DAs). The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the opportunities and challenges of DAs perceived by three primary stakeholder groups -- a community college, employers, and students. Additionally, this study explores the processes for designing and delivering DAs from four inter-connected dimensions of apprenticeships – occupational, pedagogical, relational, and aligned. By doing so, this study provides practical insights into designing and delivering such programs for the interested higher education institution. It also raises awareness among scholars and policy-makers about the recent movement to design better career pathways through DAs and suggests implications for apprenticeship research and policy. Harper College was chosen as the research site for this qualitative case study due to its well-established DA programs in modern occupations, such as insurance, banking, nursing, and IT. A total of twelve people participated in interviews, including initial members of the Harper apprenticeship team, faculty members, program coordinator, workplace mentors, and graduates. The study findings indicate that DAs present a win-win-win opportunity for all the stakeholder groups: DAs serve as a better tool for Harper to fulfill its core mission as a vocational education provider, while enabling employers to develop their own long-term talent acclimated to their own culture. For students, DAs provide real-world work experience, especially offering a tangible opportunity for those who do not thrive in academic schooling. However, implementing DAs comes with challenges since they require a paradigm shift for all stakeholders to participate in this non-traditional degree pathway. Designing and delivering DAs is summarized as the process of reconfiguration and coordination. A community college needs to reconfigure their existing resources to fulfill the apprenticeship framework and coordinates with various stakeholders to design and deliver the occupational, pedagogical, relational, and aligned dimensions of DAs.
Graduation Semester
2021-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113900
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2021 Jooyoung Voeller

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