The Daily Vanguard

Is Vocational Education Necessary?

Education is key to a bright future. Many young teenagers may be torn in making career choices at secondary school levels. Right career choice is important to every individual. It enables them to utilise their skills perfectly. Besides when someone likes their career, i.e., have a passion, they tend to do a tremendous job, this means growth and more profit to the company. Vocation schools provide a place for those who are unsure of which career path to choose.

Vocational education is training that equips the students with practical experience and technical skills in a specific type of field. Also known as Career and Technical Education (CTE), vocational education prepares learners for jobs in manual and practical activities. A learner develops an expertise in specific trades areas, crafts and careers. Craft vocational involves artisanry, craftmanship, welding, plumbing, agriculture amongst others. There are also high-end professions like engineering, accountancy, nursing, law, architecture.

Vocational education is offered at secondary, or post-secondary level constantly combines with the apprenticeship system.

One may ask, Is vocational education necessary? Yes it is and here is why

Job Opportunities

Employers prefer to hire people who have gone to vocational training since they are equipped with the necessary skills. They do not want employees to guide around, direct and teach them new skills. It saves the company a lot of dollars and time seeing as they do not need on job training unlike college graduates. Vocational training somehow guarantees employment. Companies realise improved gains when they hire a vocationally trained person than a college educated one. Vocational education enables students meet the demand of a working environment.

Skills and Expertise

Since the learners specialize in specific areas, they concentrate on it and learn as much as possible there is to know. This way, they become experts in that particular area and gain useful knowledge. They are known to deliver quality performance and good results. The students from professional colleges may have the degrees but lack the expertise or skills in that particular field.

Provides Opportunity for All at a Lesser Costs

Colleges are expensive, and a lot of students may not afford to join. It also requires good grades that many may not have qualified. Professional careers like the law or medicine require one to be brilliant; it may not be an option for a average student. Vocation training focuses on handy work rather than the mind. If they are good with manual work and have the skills, they may as well join the vocation schools regardless of the grades. The vocational school also supports the financially challenged through special programs. This way, every other person can access education then employment, meaning better livelihood and fewer crime rates and drug abuses by the youth. It provides a safer environment for all.

Time & Self-employment

Why is vocational education necessary? It takes less time. The students who did plumbing, hairdressing, welding, artisanry or craftmanship can start working right away. There many not be so many job opportunities out there; but since graduates from vocational schools have the skills, they can start their own practices and businesses easily like salons or workshops. They can further support themselves through school if they want to advance their education.

Flexibility

A student may take a four-year course, half way realizes they want to do something else. It is costly and takes time. Vocational training allows flexibility since time is short. If a student is not interested in one area, they can change swiftly without much cost implications.

Vocational training is an excellent idea for the teenagers but there are few drawbacks as well. Students are limited in area of study, they may not know much about lietrature, sociology or their roles in the society. Colleges provides broader experiences and knowledge.

A vocational trained person may not earn well as much as the college educated counterparts. The trick here is for them to advance their education as much as possible to be at par with their colleagues for a better livelihood.

There are several vocational training courses available, and one should be very informed  of them.

All in all, vocational education is important.