The Village School Apprenticeship is one of our most compelling signature learning experiences. The TVS Apprenticeship is our spin on the more conventional internship, typically offered to seniors in high school, if offered at all. At TVS we believe young people are capable of so much more than the world gives them credit for, so we naturally invite our middle schoolers, age 11-14 to step off campus and step into the “real world” to learn from experts in fields of their interests. The apprenticeship experience is a cornerstone of our school, as it draws on all three pillars of our learning design and puts our mission of empowering young people to discover their passions and share them with the world in action.
Over the past three years our middle schoolers have secured internships at the local farmers market, a costume design firm, a national accounting firm, a podcast recording company, the National Park Service, a local chocolatier, and the United States Senate.
There are now dozens of brave adults who have welcomed TVS middle schoolers into their place of business – and it seems to us like it was a risk they are all glad they took.
Below is the reflection of the CEO of a digital marketing firm who hosted a sixth grader for a 40 hour apprenticeship. We’re curious after reading their testimony about what you might say if a TVS learner reaches out to secure an apprenticeship with you…
We were excited at the prospect of hosting an apprentice from The Village School. While we weren’t sure exactly what to expect from such a young learner, we soon discovered that the apprentice we were working with was more mature than several college interns (and many adults) we’ve worked with in the past. We also found that it quickly became an overwhelmingly positive experience for our team.
The apprentice brought a great level of maturity and enthusiasm, as well as a fresh perspective. Their being brand new to the industry was a great eye opener, and helped us check our assumptions about things we sometimes consider “common knowledge” in our industry. Throughout the process they helped shape and create valuable insights and ideas to improve our process, and share our knowledge to make the process more accessible to both clients and employees new to the industry.
Supporting a young learner is not just an investment in their future – for us it was both an investment in our community, as well as a way for us each to pay forward the various training, education, and life lessons that had been shared with us when we were a similar age. I was also surprised to see what a positive impact the apprenticeship had, especially on the parents, aunts, and uncles in the team, who were thrilled to invite a learner and show them the ropes with the same intention, respect, and excitement as they would their own children, nieces, and nephews.
I highly recommend participating in The Village School’s apprenticeship program. It’s an incredibly rewarding program that benefits everyone involved – your business, your team members, your customers, the learner, The Village School, and society at large. And if that doesn’t sell you on it, consider the karma. Maybe participating in the apprenticeship program today gives lady luck the push she needs for a new customer or client to give your company a shot tomorrow.
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