HFFI 2019/2020 Pilot at AHS
2019/2020
Albany High School, NY, United States
The occupation (manual trades) supplies the child with a genuine motive; it gives him firsthand experience; it brings him into contact with realities. ... In all this there was continual training of observation, of ingenuity, constructive imagination, of logical thought, and of the sense of reality acquired through firsthand contact with actualities. The educative forces of the domestic spinning and weaving, of the saw-mill, the grist-mill, the cooper shop, and the blacksmith forge, were continuously operative.
John Dewey, 1899.
In 2017 Big Picture Learning, with support from Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, designed a new form of apprenticeships for youths and young adults who show significant potential and passion for the traditional and contemporary trades. The apprenticeship program created; Harbor Freights Fellows Initiative, has since then provided youth across the country with exceptional opportunities to build deep and sustaining relationships with expert mentors and access to communities of practice in their area of passion.
The Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative provides young people with a $1,000 scholarship to engage in a 120 hour apprenticeship relationship with a mentor within a community of practice. The Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative (HFFI) is a movement for educational change that connects with young people who have an active curiosity and a developing aptitude in a trade or a craft, offering them support through their school to develop and pursue their interest in the trades in a real world setting. As HFFI has expanded, it now works with high school and community college students as well as youth who would benefit from a bridging experience to the world of work.
In the fall of 2019, Arts Letters & Numbers and Big Picture Learning brought the program to the Capital Region. The pilot version of the academic year 2019/2020 laid the foundation for further expansion of the program regionally.
If you are interest in bringing this opportunity to your school, please contact HFFI’s Regional Coordinator Frida Foberg.
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During the academic year of 2019/2020 Arts Letters & Numbers brought the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative (HFFI) to the Capital Region. This nationwide apprenticeship program, designed by Big Picture Learning and Harbor Freight Tools, is an alternative pathway for students whom show significant interest in the trades.
HFFIs National Director Charlie Plant and ALN’s Associate Director Frida Foberg worked with City School District of Albany’ Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams, and Albany High School’s Abrookin Career and Technical Centers teachers and staff to initiate a pilot version of HFFI. The regional pilot version gave four students from Abrookin, Albany High Schools Career and Technical Center the opportunity to experience one-on-one work with a professional crafts person, while getting school credits as well as a stipend.
Even with COVID-19 restrictions, several students met the requirements to finish their fellowships and received their stipend and money towards tools for their trade. Omair Siddiqui has worked at DeNooyer Chevrolet as a detail technician since the beginning of the school year. In the fall, Omair will continue working at DeNooyer while attending the automotive program at Hudson Valley Community College. Connor Joslin, who worked at DePaula Chevrolet, is in the process of finishing his fellowship while at home. After the COVID-19 shutdown, an alternative plan was created that allowed Connor to work on his family’s and friends’ cars and watch YouTube videos to hone his skills. Connor will be attending HVCC in the fall to study environmental and natural resource conservation. Dacoda Clemens spent most of the year working with the state Office of General Services maintenance department. Dacoda will attend HVCC in the fall to pursue a degree in electrical. Dacoda will also be taking an EMS class to qualify to be a firefighter.
The students worked hard to complete their hours and despite the pandemic, was able to reach the finish line with grace. Each of the students have been supported by an advisor at their school as well as a mentor who has guided them through the work and ethics of the work place. The pilot program was a success and an expansion for next year is currently being planned.
