A . » Vol. XIX, No. 16 Clackamas Community College Oregon City, Oregon March 11, 1986 German academic visits College By Amy Doane Staff Writer Last Tuesday, March 4, the College was visited by Rudolf Herwig, head of the depart ment of professional educa tion for the Trades and Crafts chamber of Upper Bavaria, who is on a two week tour to study the apprenticeship pro grams and vocational educa tion programs in the United States. Herwig was accompanied by Bill Anton, director of the ap prenticeship program and training, and Wendy Roberts, state commissioner of the Bureau of Labor & Industries. Herwig’s tour of the educa tional areas on campus began around noon on Tuesday, stopping only for a brief inter view with reporters at 12:30 p.m. _ Lunch followed at 1:00 in the Community Center. Herwig felt that his visit was an important one stating “It’s very good to compare dif ferent systems.” Herwig said Germany’s ap prenticeship program had to many regulations to deal with as compared to the United State’s more flexible system, but summed up his com parison by saying, “Every system has its advantages and disadvantages.” Herwig, who is from Munich, West Germany, heads over 45,000 apprentices in Trades and Crafts in Upper Bavaria, which is only part of one West German state. West Germany, as a whole, has 1.5 million apprentices in all areas of apprenticeship. Kathy Whitehouse, from the Bureau of Labor & In dustries, points out in a background report on the ap prenticeship program in West Germany “that the high number of apprentices in Ger many is startling when you realize that America has some 300,000 apprentices at best.” Oregon has about 3,300. Herwig states in Whitehouse’s report that, in general, apprentices in West Germany out number Univer sity students two to one. In Tuesday’s interview with reporters, Herwig explained how the apprenticeship pro gram worked in West Ger many. The West German govern ment does not'play a part in the apprenticeship program in any way, which is not the case in the U.S. All businesses belong to a “chamber,” something similar to our Chamber of Commerce. “It is not a voluntary thing, it’s the law. Every business must pay a fee,” said Herwig. There are 52 chambers all together, the largest two being Trades and Crafts and In dustry and Commerce. Each chamber is responsible for a different region. Skilled training begins at an early age in West Germany. In elementary school, a child will make decisions to what kind of educational route they will follow. Every student must attend school for nine years (up until 15 years of age) and from there attend middle school and enter the apprenticeship pro gram or continue their educa tion further by taking an exam that will lead to college. A student may enter the ap prenticeship program at age 15, but about 50 percent of new apprentices are over 18. The apprenticeship program takes students ranging in age from 15 to 20 years. Apprenticeships in West Germany last from three years to three and a half years. In this time, apprentices make very little money, but learn a great deal about their chosen profession. Another law within the system rules that at least one apprentice must be placed amongst three skilled workers. About 70 percent of all ap prentices will be hired by their employers who helped them in their training. The College offers a variety of apprenticeship courses such as electrical apprenticeships, plumbing apprenticeships, painting apprenticeships, and sheet metal and tool & die ap prenticeships. Credits for these classes range from 2 to 6 credits max imum. Herwig’s visit to the U.S. was made possible by the Ger- man Marshall under which is an educational/cultural ex change program. Kudolt Herwig (leit) gets ideas about industrial mechanics from Jim Burrows (center) metal shop instructor and Kevin O’Donoghue (right), student. Photo by Dan Wheeler Eriksen resigns; discord with Jacobs cited telling the truth,” Eriksen said. Associated Student Govern Eriksen felt that she was ment Senator Tracey Eriksen overburdened with tasks from resigned her post as Activities Jacobs and didn’t have any Senator yesterday morning, time for her own life. “He saw citing, backstabbing and me as his top senator and distrust among ASG members, everything had to be 100 per and her own disintegrating cent ASG.” health as reasons for leaving Eriksen said that Jacobs had office. been working on a “power Eriksen, who handed in her play” within ASG since resignation to Student Pro November, and that he has gram Specialist Paul Kyllo, tried to keep a hand in all ASG said ASG Activities Director matters. Eriksen related in Breck Jacobs was both directly cidents of Jacobs behavior in and indirectly responsible for volving several matters. her self-decided resignation. “Working on ‘Festival ’86’ “I don’t know when he’s (a planned fundraiser for By Dave Holmes Editor-In-Chief Muscular Dystrophy), he told (Student Services Director) Debbie Baker that he’d done things that he hadn’t, such things as set up and the clear ing of contracts. He said he was even thinking of skimm ing off five percent of the pro fits for ASG and keeping two sets of books.” Eriksen resigned her post because she felt she couldn’t maintain respect for Jacobs and felt his dealings with peo ple unethical. She also said her erratic blood pressure had forced her out of office,but that the atmosphere in ASG was the decisive factor.