How Youth Enrichment Programs Can Diversify Learning Experiences

After-school and youth enrichment programs have proven incredibly valuable in supporting student achievement. However, they may miss the mark for some students because of a lack of diversified learning experiences due to the limited topics and teaching styles that are offered. In other words, the future can't possibly be the same for every student. If they're only taught a few subjects in a few specific ways, they may not have as many opportunities to realize their interests, strengths, and the options that they have in life for post-secondary education or college preparedness when it comes time.

The typical scope of youth enrichment programs

The youth enrichment programs offered today hold value for many students, but they rarely include options that relate to the skilled trades. That means these programs are targeted toward preparedness for a four-year college degree, performing or visual arts, athletics, and technology instead of supporting options such as plumbing, electrical, construction, and other skilled trades.

These career paths can be surprisingly lucrative and pave the way for highly sought-after work-life flexibility, but they're being overlooked in most of the present enrichment programs. Why does that matter? It matters because the workforce is changing rapidly. The construction industry as an example is seeing a significant labor shortage that is only expected to grow as the current labor force is overwhelmingly aging without enough skilled workers to replace them as they retire and exit the workforce.

Additionally, by the time many students complete their high school education, up to 92% have growing fears that they won’t have sufficient funds to cover the cost of a four-year degree. Student debt has more than doubled in the last 20 years, and many students who complete an associate’s or bachelor's degree do not go on to find positions that pay high enough wages to support their living expenses and their debt repayment obligations.

Still, the stigma of skilled trades being somehow less than a white-collar job remains, and it is preventing many students from going into those fields and perceiving them as valuable despite the earning and growth potential they offer. Unfortunately, too many students grow up in academic and societal structures that promote a college education and an office job as the only way to earn a good income.

If we want to change this conversation, though, we can. With the educational opportunities we create for students in youth enrichment programs, we can work to remove that stigma and showcase the value of the skilled trades, the income they can produce, and their importance for our community’s future economic and infrastructural success.

Introducing practical skills training

By introducing practical skills training into youth enrichment programs, students can have an opportunity to learn these skills, such as welding, electrical, and basic carpentry, through tactile learning methodologies that engage them and boost their creativity. Not only can this help students improve in practical and art skills, but it can also help them realize their own self-efficacy and feel a sense of pride in accomplishing feats on their own.

Confidence is the one underlying factor that will propel students to perform better in any kind of job or project they undertake in the future. Whether they choose to go into a skilled trade, other vocational training, or towards a college degree, confident students are more willing to persevere through obstacles they encounter because they know they can accomplish feats that they’ve never tried before.

The earlier these hands-on projects find their way into students' educational journeys, the more likely those students will be to look past the stigma of so-called blue-collar work. That can make them much more confident about pursuing skilled work after high school, especially for students who aren't interested in going to college or may not be well-suited for that environment.

Many people enjoy working with their hands, but they don't necessarily feel that they could find a financially supportive career doing so. And yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Skilled tradespeople earn their living wiring and plumbing houses, building and flipping those houses, and constructing commercial buildings. Every day there are fewer skilled tradespeople in the workforce, yet the demand for their services is only increasing with time, making the space for disruption particularly ripe for youth with entrepreneurial spirits to innovate.

The responsibility lies with educators

Educators and program administrators have the inherent responsibility to ensure they vary and diversify the programs they offer to students. This allows children to be exposed to an array of potential interests and begin to identify their own early on in their educational pursuits. By affording young children this opportunity, they can decide whether they want to work in a skilled trade, pursue another vocation, or go on to a four-year college program.

Students without those types of learning opportunities in their youth enrichment programs may not even realize that they have the choice. When students have more options, though, and realize the value of those options, they feel more equipped to make choices that are right for their future. This not only leads to a better career but also to a higher level of engagement and happiness in life overall.

Take the next step for your students

Ready to add youth enrichment programs with practical skills to your curriculum? Introduce your students to practical skills training with our Do-It-Yourself (DIY) education. Elementary and Junior High students get the opportunity to be exposed to fundamental knowledge and skills in carpentry, electrical, and visual arts work, all while constructing a project that they get to take home and put on display for their families and friends to marvel at what they were able to accomplish.