<p>I don’t think the intention of the NH program is to get kids into college sooner, but rather to get kids who aren’t really that well served by college into other vocational programs. This sounds a lot like what exists in much of Europe where many 16 year olds are out of regular high schools and have started other programs. We had two draftsmen in our office who spent part of the week in our office, but also some time getting training. Sometimes it works well - one draftsman was happy with the job, the other was inspired to do better in school and go back to the college track. Other times it’s a disaster. I had a friend who was steered to being a bank teller and she hated it. She had a facility for languages, but had a hard time getting jobs and training that matched her interests and abilities. She worked for a travel agency, went back to school and for the last ten years or so has been working as a secretary at a language school. She’s probably have had better options in our country.</p>