Indiana is making significant strides in expanding its apprenticeship programs, drawing inspiration from Switzerland’s widely regarded “gold standard” model. In this episode of the FutureU Podcast, hosts Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo continue their conversation on apprenticeships with Claire Fiddian-Green, president and CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. A longtime leader in Indiana’s education reform efforts, Claire discusses the state’s progress in adapting key elements of the Swiss approach.
To address employers’ workforce challenges, Claire and her team set out to strengthen Indiana’s career and technical education system using Switzerland’s model as a blueprint. Pilot programs launched in 2019 encountered early hurdles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, rigid class schedules, transportation barriers, and gaps in career readiness. Still, the initiative is gaining momentum.
One major shift on the horizon: Indiana schools may soon be able to revise graduation requirements to better align with apprenticeships. This would allow students to focus more on career-specific coursework and spend three to four days a week on the job with employer partners. Claire emphasizes that employer leadership is the cornerstone of the Swiss system: “The key is having employers lead and creating the capacity that actually allows them to do that in a systematic way, not in a one off way.”