THE WORK-STUDY APPROACH
Places of Learning Work-study programs make use of two distinct places of learning: the school and the workplace. The approach is based on the premise that some environments are more conducive than others to acquiring occupational competencies and, particularly, that alternating learning activities between these two contexts makes for a more efficient training process. It is this alternation between the school and the workplace that characterizes the work-study approach.
Cooperation between Schools and Businesses The work-study approach is based on true cooperation between schools and businesses and cannot be reduced to the mere use of two places of learning. The approach involves close cooperation in the attainment of a common objective, the implementation of a training process designed to benefit from both places of learning, with a view to preparing as qualified a labour force as possible. This partnership must be based on the complementarity of schools and businesses, and their interaction, as well as on mutual respect for their roles and particular characteristics. Work-study programs require a coherent and sequential arrangement of periods in school and in the workplace. In this integrated training process, the learning acquired in one environment is applied and reinvested in the other.
The Work-Study Approach as an Educational Strategy The work-study approach is an educational strategy. It is a means of providing training. Therefore, it may be used in various paths of learning for different target groups and objectives. By tailoring work-study programs to specific needs and objectives of students and programs, the work-study approach may be used for initial training or continuing education. It is applicable at all educational levels and in all programs, for example: - the life skills education and work skills education programs (Insertion socioprofessionnelle des jeunes); - the Experimental Program for Offering a Greater Variety of Options to Young People in Vocational Education (5 sections); - the apprenticeship program leading to vocational certification (the Régime d’apprentissage); - the program to qualify workers for advancement in their trade (the Régime de qualification); - programs leading to vocational certification: Secondary School Vocational Diploma (SSVD) or Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS), or to technical certification: Diplôme d'études collégiales (DEC) or Attestation d'études collégiales (AEC). Because the work-study approach is an educational strategy, the decision to apply it belongs to the educational institution, which has the autonomy and the latitude required to select the learning approaches and activities it deems the most appropriate in order to attain given learning objectives. This decision is made on the basis of an analysis of training needs and the ability of businesses to receive student trainees. In some cases the work-study approach may be prescribed by the ministère de l'Éducation when the school cannot provide the conditions for the acquisition of the required competencies.
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