The advisory committee is right of course... Look at the new-hire policy of your strongest advisory members and how it treats the first 6 months of employment.. This amount of time is about the same as a semester... How many unexcused days off do the employers allow? This number should be roughly the same for your course.
Here is a copy of what I used to use.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance will be taken twice a day, at the beginning of class by the instructor and at the end of class by the weekly shop foreman. (18 students--18 weeks---new foreman each week)
Each class period will be divided into two ½ days, if you are late or leave early, it will be considered a half day absent. (tardy)
In my opinion, this is why it is important to start each class with lecture (even if it's brief) and end classes the same way.. With a roll call and at least safety brief.
Two absences shall result in a referral to a student services representative for one on one counseling in order to help support student learners with whatever issues may be affecting attendance.
Three absences or shall result in a full letter grade drop in the course.
Four absences shall result in being dropped from the course with an earned grade of F. Students who have been dropped shall not return to class.
2 tardies shall weigh the same as 1 absence.
Students may be able to make up absent time that has been excused; this will be recorded and signed by the instructor on the student’s individual industrial professionalism performance log.
Students will receive regular feedback on their personal attendance in the form of a calendar report. They will receive 4 reports during the course of the semester. These reports will be provided on the following days:
1. Monday 28 January 2013
2. Monday 25 February 2013
3. Monday 25 March 2013
4. Monday 29 April 2013
Definitions:
• The scheduled or unscheduled time off from class that occurs when a student is not present at class during a normally scheduled period is called an absence. Absences cannot be made up.
• An excused absence is an absence that the student schedules with advance approval from his or her instructor or for which the student provides an acceptable reason upon return to class.
• An excused absence is scheduled in advance for such events as medical appointments, military service, jury duty, funerals and more. Generally, these are events that cannot be scheduled outside of regular class hours. Unscheduled emergencies may be excused at the discretion of the instructor at the time of student return to class.
• A tardy is defined by arrival after scheduled class time, by entry into the classroom or lab after a lecture or demonstration has begun or by leaving before attendance is taken at the end of class.
If a student misses the first week of class they may be dropped from the course at the Instructor and Dean’s discretion.
Plan your schedule so that you can be present for scheduled class sessions and manage your time so that you can complete your assignments and assessments on or before the date they are due.
If you do miss a class session, identify what you have missed and obtain handout or other learning materials that were distributed during your absence.
If the learning plan indicates that you missed interactive, applied, or group learning activities, discuss alternative learning activities with your instructor. (Better yet, propose an alternative.)
Contact your instructor in person, via email, or via voicemail message, explaining how you intend to make up missed work.
Complete work missed due to an absence within one week after your return.
If you know you will miss a class session, notify your instructor prior to the absence. Plan ahead to submit assignments or complete assessments that will be due during your absence prior to your absence.
Credit may be given for class time missed due to professional on the job training or professional welding work, if a prior arrangement has been made with the instructor.
As an employer and serving on two advisory boards I concur with Lawrence's concept 100%.
Nothing irritates me more than tardiness and excessive absence with no TRUE VALID excuses.
The students need to be learning responsibility and accountability prior to entering the work force. The educational system is letting them down by not insisting on attendance practices that are consistent with what SHOULD be required for grade school, high school, trade school, church, family dinners, and all of life.
Tardiness shows a total disrespect for the time and schedules of others. It shows me you don't care about my schedule needs and that YOU come first at the expense of all others around you. Sorry, not in my world.
He Is In Control, Have a Great Day, Brent
Lawrence there will be someone to say you maybe a little hard on your students but it's an introduction to the real world I think you are right on.
M.G.
Milt... It is hard.
This is why Safety nets, counselor appointments, regular updates and daily discussion are part of the plan.
Many of the students have never been held accountable for anything and so the change expected in behavior must be mentored, supported, and explained... The idea behind these strict objectives is SUCCESS and prosperity of both the student and the employer!
Hello dringge, I also teach at a community college and we also use a time clock and state up front that our program should be treated no differently than a "real job" and that includes punching in and out on a time clock.
As we don't have a formal job placement component to our program we explain that employers will often give us a call before they go to the unemployment office looking for work candidates and will inquire whether we have any job ready applicants. A part of our responses to them(the employers) will include our observations with regard to their punctuality, life skills, and technical prowess(just be sure that you have a written OK from the student before you provide any specific information on them to an employer).
As to specific time clock/computer software type systems, we use a basic electronic time clock that provides date and time, in and out and keeps a running tally on hours. We will probably be going to a newer biometric system in the future as these prevent any abuse by students having others clock hours for them. Good luck on your endeavor, I do believe that it is a good thing to incorporate into your program. Best regards, Allan
We also have a attendance policy that is based on percent time present and dropped letter grades.
10% Minus 1 letter grade
14% 2 letter grades
18% Dropped from the course
No excuses, but they can appeal to a higher council for funerals, sickness, etc.
And also time penalties for being late, forgetting to clock out, leaving early, etc.
We use the app TimeStation.
By Blaster 
Date 07-10-2015 00:26
Edited 07-10-2015 02:44
We use a whistle (electronic timer, compressed air, and big rig horn) to signal work start and stop.
I open the shop at 7:00 so they can get their leads and equipment laid out, get geared up, and so forth. At 7:28 a warning whistle blows to signal them to go to the classroom for role call. The beginning of class whistle blows at 7:30. Anyone not in the classroom at that time is late.
Break start and stop is also on the whistle with a second head count in the class room at the end of break.
Clean up is signaled by a whistle too. No one is permitted to leave the shop until my helper or I prop open the shop doors to allow them into the classroom. They then go into the classroom where they receive and sign themselves out on their daily point sheet.
In our program there are two grades to earn, a work habits grade (based on attendance, punctuality, properly completed homework turned in on time, and written test scores) and a shop grade (based on the completion of certain assignments for eligibility for a "C", more for a "B" and more yet for an "A"). Which ever of the two grades is lower becomes the student's grade for the quarter.
I too have taught for many moons before I retired due to multiple illnesses and I agree with everyone else in applying a time clock system for responsibility and accountability teaching which trades students must have prior to becoming ready to enter the workforce of today as well a the in the future... I'm personally quasi-sadistic in the sense that if I had my own way each and every one of my students would be wired to a network that has the capability to zap each and everyone of my students with a million or two volts and train them to learn the difference between being the one hit wonder golden arm not worth the weight of their own hiring sheet, to actually behaving like a good employee is expected to behave... Then again, in the world we live in this is not possible without starting an uproar so I'll just push that idea aside for now.
