When you think of apprenticeship, you might envision anything from Donald Trump to an eighteenth-century blacksmith’s assistant working the bellows in the forge. On today’s Home School Heartbeat with HSLDA President Mike Smith, guest Dr. Gene Edward Veith gives a clearer picture of modern-day apprenticeship.
Mike Smith:
Dr. Veith, on our last program, you described the historical connection between vocation and apprenticeship. Are these concepts still useful for today?
Dr. Veith:
Oh, I really think so! Here at Patrick Henry, we’re putting that into practice, at Patrick Henry College. What we do, we give our students a wide classical education, to develop all of their skills, all of their talents, and prepare them for the other vocations they have—things like their callings in the church, their callings in the family, their callings in the culture—because God also calls us to be good citizens where we are.
But then, when the student develops his major, a big part of our program is our apprenticeship program, where students get internships in Capitol Hill and the think tanks and law enforcement agencies. And they get actual, on-the-job experience. And very often, those internships, because our students, because they have such a good preparation then do very well in them, that often leads to callings from these different companies and different agencies, then leading to full-time employment after they graduate.
Mike:
Thank you for explaining that to us. On our next program, we’ll discuss how this can help homeschool families. And until then, I’m Mike Smith.
