I was very surprised that a news article last week out of Great Britain didn’t cause more of a stir here in the U.S. It should have been a topic of discussion at least in education and business circles. I didn’t see or hear anything about it except on the BBC or Web sites based in the United Kingdom.

The news was Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing that three companies and one government entity have been authorized to offer education programs and diplomas. McDonald’s, Network Rail and Flybe Airline now will be able to use their training programs to offer their employees qualifications that can be recognized beyond the specific job and company. The British Department of Defense also has been authorized to offer the General Certificate of Secondary Education up to Level 3.

Level 3 certificates are the equivalent of A-levels that are used for university entrance exams. Roughly translating this to the American system of education would make this span similar to the General Equivalency Diploma up through a high school diploma with an honors citation and-or a fifth-year college preparatory program.

Brown has said that this development is the result of conversations between business leaders and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The business leaders reported that many young adults are not prepared for working in the real world. There also will be an increase in the number of students in apprenticeship programs. Brown hopes that one in five students will participate. Both of these programs look to combine theory and practice for students.

Maybe this news story didn’t cause much discussion because we already practice forms of alternative ways of earning credits and degrees. We have the GED, which can be earned by passing a series of tests. Preparation for these can be done on your own, through an adult education class, or in tutoring programs both face-to-face and online.

Fourteen states, including Maine, and the District of Columbia, recognize an external diploma program or external credit option that allows learners to demonstrate their knowledge of basic high school skills by completing weekly tasks that are evaluated by an instructor and corrected, if needed. Washington County Community College offers up to six college credits for life learning experiences. The University of Maine offers college classes to high school juniors and seniors through the Academ-e program. Students earn both high school and college credit.

Our technical high schools and colleges also offer a combination of practical experience combined with classroom work. If you haven’t sampled a meal from United Technologies Center, you are missing a treat. I was there recently for a professional development presentation and had a delicious meal complete with a decadent chocolate dessert garnished with raspberry sauce and served by a friendly and capable student-cook-waitress.

Many of our high schools have a service learning requirement for graduation. These requirements get students out of the classroom and into the community creating and completing real projects that provide real learning experiences. Student teachers get to practice in the classroom and receive college credit. Many student teachers express wonderment at how much they learn in a single week as a student teacher in comparison to the quantity of what they learn in a college classroom.

Other occupations offer internships that provide practical experience and sometimes cash scholarships and-or credit. The New England Chapter of Geographic Information and Technology Association offers several internships-scholarships every year. These college students complete a specific project for a company or government agency using geographic information systems technologies.

Would we welcome it if McDonald’s and other large corporations were allowed to certify the attainment of a certain level of skills? I hope we would. As much as large corporations are problematic to local and global economies, some people learn best when given the incentive of a paycheck, or when given the opportunity to understand the reason for being able to use math skills through a real project, or after experiencing what hard work really involves.

Large corporations and small family businesses can provide another route to the skills and knowledge education provides. This approach also helps break down the artificial barriers between classrooms and the world of work. Students are in school to prepare for life as productive, civilized citizens. Being a part of that life while learning is an effective way to increase the educational levels of all of our students.

What do you think? Should businesses be allowed to grant credits that can be used to earn academic degrees? Where do you learn best – in a classroom or on the job? Let’s continue this conversation. E-mail me at conversationswithateacher@gmail.com.