Is Vocational Education the Future of our Youth?
By: Lauren Trell and Jonathan Sawits
There has been much debate about the degree to which we push our students in the United States to succeed in high school and pursue a four-year college degree. Many believe that by educating our students in this fashion we neglect those students who would be better suited for a less academic career in the long run.
One suggestion that many scholars have proposed is to reinforce the opportunity for vocational schooling. On its face, this sounds promising. This would provide students the choice to advance to a vocational high school and pursue a less academic career path that could be very fitting for many students. Additionally, educational leaders at Harvard University have suggested to increase the availability of vocational-type instruction earlier on in adolescents’ lives. This would provide the framework for a well-prepared workforce in fields like carpentry and electricity, among others. The article from Education Week, titled “Harvard Report Questions Value of ‘College for All,’” can be found at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/02/02/20career.h30.html?tkn=LVUFVsN38nfVib8KKQ8+e7oxGQBKo948GTe1&cmp=clp-edweek.
The article also mentions some very meaningful statistics regarding future salaries and level of education. Back in the 1970’s, it was commonplace to be hired with only a high school diploma, however today, less than 40% hired only have high school diplomas. So, you can see that furthering your education after high school is economically beneficial. However, “half the jobs created in the next decade will be well matched to those with associate’s degrees or vocational or technical training, including “middle skills” jobs such as construction manager or dental hygienist, it says. Many of those jobs pay more than jobs typically held by workers with only high school diplomas, and some even pay more than the average job held by a four-year college graduate (Article).” This would support the notion that it is vital to expose high-school age adolescents to vocational-type instruction in their school.
On the other hand, various issues have arisen with this argument. Some believe that by creating more vocational schools and different “tracks” throughout high school would ultimately lead to making the vocational schools “dumping grounds for students tracked with weaker academic skills” (Article). This has potential to cause serious behavioral and other issues within those schools. Many suggest that the different standards and tracks the students take would not only remove a sense of unity amongst the student body, but could potentially categorize certain students into different tracks dependent on their race, culture, and socio – economic background.
Another important point to consider is the current state of these programs in Europe compared to the United States. Europe has been using the vocational education system for many years. They pride themselves on being able to give a more complete education, by preparing students for their career jobs at an earlier age. We also believe that this system is far superior.
It’s clear that not all of the country’s youth are destined for the well-marketed undergraduate/ graduate level path. Many differing societal reasons determine why this is, however, this is just reality. We think it would be extremely beneficial to prepare our youth for those careers that lack much of our society’s spotlight, and clearly lack the punch to claim a large portion of a federal or state education budget. The proposed movement to lump vocational education in our schools would not only give these students options, it would provide them an edge when applying for positions. In turn, these businesses would also benefit by hiring not only vocationally-educated workers, but would also provide dividends on their bottom lines. Learning curves would be shorter, and consumers would be more satisfied with their services.
With respect to providing our schools with more vocational training, we have considered both viewpoints. On one hand, there may be certain side-effects, however, the benefits far outweigh them. As noted above, the next generation of American workers will have much more of an opportunity to choose from a larger selection of vocational careers. The quantity of these positions will rival those of more traditional professions. So it begs us to ask, as a nation, how we will compete with the rest of the world. A more robust adolescent vocational educational system, we feel, will distinguish the future United States workforce.
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yes.
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I believe that a vocational style of learning is a good thing. Not everyone is cut out for school. If students had a choice to focus on a particular skill they were good at and enhance it, and become an expert, they should be able to do so without the pressure of attending a four year institution. Students should have options. It shouldnt be all or one. This provides a happy medium.
Great article, thanks for posting it. I have given this topic a lot of thought since my own children entered high school with various strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Our society, especially our local area, makes it very difficult for children to even consider NOT going AWAY to a 4-year college.
While I agree that tracking can become a ‘dumping ground’ we need to understand that our society needs a variety of skills in order to keep our economy growing. Maybe our Associates degree program can be revamped to help with more specific skills. Students interests can also be better matched to their future careers.
We, as a society also need to not look down on people making a honest living to support themselves and their families. They do not do this in Europe. We complain about illegal immigrants being here but they have filled a void left by our youth, working in the fast food restaurants etc and as landscapers,builders and the like. We have also seen most manufacturing jobs leave the US.
College has become an extension of HS. I believe that one size does not fit all and we need to evaluate alternate choices.
I just moved to this area, I am from two hours upstate, and this type of curriculum is normal where I am from. While about half of my high school population does move onto the typical undergraduate/graduate degree path, the other half follows the vocational school path. Starting as juniors in high school you have the option to just take a full course load of “regular classes” or you can go half day to a vocational school.
My father was one of the students who took advantage of this. He took plumbing in high school and went on to a post high school vocational school for the same craft. He comes from a family where it is not typical to graduate high school, and this program allowed him to study a trade that aided in his graduation and current success in life.
Being both a parent of 2 artistic children and a teacher at a Performing Arts HS this subject is near and dear to my heart. I have taught thousands of students over the past 20 years and I can say first-hand that our HS does not only prepare students for a career in the arts it also helps them get into college and many times with healthy scholarships.
I am all for vocational schools! Not every child is “book smart” but that same child may possess some kind of talent or skill that will be the key to open the door to their future. It is true that these schools do help children that don’t do well in a traditional school setting but, we also have students that excel academically and also have a passion for something other than the academic subjects.
I don’t understand why people would consider these types of schools as a “dumping ground” It is a place for these children to feel comfortable and feel like they are good at something. What will become of these students if there is no outlet all alternative for them? Not only do these schools provide an alternative education they save lives.
I am a firm believer that vocational schooling is overlooked and we need to address that some people are just not the traditional “school-type” people. Vocational schools are so very important for so many reasons. First and foremost, these “hands-on” careers are necessary and help make the world go ’round. When a student has a talent or strong interest in a specific vocation, he or she should be encouraged to pursue it and have the necessary education to go along with it. This includes actual skilled hands-on training. Also, it is definitely true- this will only help our nation as a whole. It is a fact that not everyone is born to be doctors, lawyers, teachers etc. Why is there so much of a push in this direction with traditional schooling? Especially when these days more and more students are continuing on to higher education and there are less “traditional” jobs available.
As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine is a hairstylist, and she has been saying for years that they vocational schooling needs to expand and needs more support. She absolutely loves what she does, and said that she “could not imagine seeing herself doing anything else for a living.” She attended a vocational school during her high school years and says she used it as “a stepping stone” to advance her career. Traditional high school is not for everybody. When pursuing certain careers such as in carpentry and construction, the traditional high school experience does not give you the necessary “hands-on” experience that vocational school would. Undoubtedly, there needs to be more of a push in the both the expansion and the amount of students who have access to vocational schooling.
Vocational education should not be looked at an easy way out for students who cannot keep up with the standard curriculum. While it is true that not all students are interested in graduate school or even undergrad, many have the mental capacity to, but lack the motivation or the economic means to. Therefore, their potential should not be disregarded, but redirected into an area where they have already displayed some talent or interest.
Life skills should be taught in conjunction with the vocational training they are receiving to better prepare them for the harsh realities of the real world. With a strong comprehension of life skills, these students not only receive job training, but also become moral, productive citizens that can make a difference in their communities. It is also important to incorporate a strong liberal arts foundation in case after some time in their vocational careers these students want to go back to school and receive a higher degree. Finally, if Europe’s vocational education system is working so well, perhaps we should study it further and employ a similar system here.
I feel our society is saturated in certain areas of expertise. And we do need alternative. We absolutely need to look at other countries like Europe, They look at the the students strengths and help place them in jobs that would best suit their ablilities. Vocational training is a necessity for our country. We need a tracking system at an early age to better prepare students for the future.
I like the idea of vocational school since many students will have the opportunity to really know what they want to do with their live and not just go to college because their parents make them go or society says that you have to go. But at the same time, many students will find this as a easy way out. they will go to a vocational school, learn what is necessary and get a job. I think that it all depends on the education that their parents provide to their children from a very young age; well educated children will can to pursuit their education and become a professional and will decide to go to college.
I just moved to this area, I am from two hours upstate, and this type of curriculum is normal where I am from. While about half of my high school population does move onto the typical undergraduate/graduate degree path, the other half follows the vocational school path. Starting as juniors in high school you have the option to just take a full course load of “regular classes” or you can go half day to a vocational school.
My father was one of the students who took advantage of this. He took plumbing in high school and went on to a post high school vocational school for the same craft. He comes from a family where it is not typical to graduate high school, and this program allowed him to study a trade that aided in his graduation and current success in life.
I think vocational schooling is an excellent idea. Not meant for all- but an option. There are some people who are not cut out for the traditional school setting. I never enjoyed high school– but there are people who really hated it. There were the ones who hated it and dropped out, and never was able to make anything of themselves. And then there was the few that knew high school wasn’t for them- so they chose to do something about it. BOCES was the option for them to experience real-life experience. test the waters.
These students were able to get a degree from a vocational school in a specialized subject. They knew what they wanted to do and continued after high school. Its wonderful. Schools like this help all become good and productive citizens that can make a difference.