Vocational education

Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi)

Vocational education (or Vocational Education and Training (VET), also called Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation. Generally, vocation and career are used interchangeably. Vocational education might be contrasted with education in a usually broader scientific field, which might concentrate on theory and abstract conceptual knowledge, characteristic of tertiary education. Vocational education can be at the secondary or post-secondary level and can interact with the apprenticeship system.

Vocational education has diversified over the 20th century and now exists in industries such as retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services and cosmetics, as well as in the traditional crafts and cottage industries.

History

Students at a vocational school in Poszów, Poland, are shown around an experimental mine.

The idea of vocational education can actually be traced to apprenticeships that have existed for thousands of years. Blacksmiths, carpenters, merchants and other trades have existed almost since the advent of civilization, and there has always been apprenticeship style relationships where specific techniques and trades have been passed down to members of the younger generation. Vocational education as we understand it today started in the early 20th century. The industrialized countries of the West were the first to notice that the benefits of having a specialized skilled work force and diverted funds to institutions that taught such skills. For most of the twentieth century, vocational education focused on specific trades such as for example, an automobile mechanic or welder, and was therefore associated with the activities of lower social classes. As a consequence, it attracted a level of stigma, as well as often looked upon as being of inferior quality to standard post-secondary education. However, as the labor market became more specialized and economies demanded higher levels of skill, governments and businesses increasingly invested in the future of vocational education through publicly funded training organizations and subsidized apprenticeship or traineeship initiatives for businesses.

Towards the end of the twentieth century a new trend helped further the appreciation of vocational education. Up until that time, most vocational education had taken place at vocational or technology schools, many of which were profit making institutions. However, community colleges soon started to offer vocational education courses granting certificates and associate degrees in specialized fields, usually at a lower cost and with comparable, if not better, cirrculums.

Philosophy

Auto Mechanic Technology is one of the most popular and oldest Vocational skill taught

The general philosophy of vocational education stands in stark contrast to the ideology of a liberal arts education. While a liberal arts style education strives to give its students a broad range of cross-discipline knowledge and appreciation and at the same time have a single focus (the student's choice of major), vocational education operates under the theory that only information pertinent to a specific trade is necessary for a person to enter the work force. Within the trade that is choosen, a student of a vocational program may learn less theory than his or her counterpart at a liberal arts school, but will probably obtain more direct experience as well be better suited to enter the workforce upon graduation. A vocational student will learn how to use the most update technology in the field he or she had chosen, will be taught about that industries' trends, the skills required to work in the field, possible places of employement and be ready to take any certification or registering tests that are required by local and/or regional governments.

Programs offered at the secondary education level operate under the philosophy that such programs are able to act as a supplement to students who may not necessarily have the skills required to go to a traditional post-secondary education or for students at high-risk, due to personal, economic and social situations. While a social stigma may be attached to such programs, these cirruculms are often looked at as alternatives, aimed at giving those with different learning styles and interests a chance to earn an education that can be just as beneficial as a non-vocational one.

Success and Criticism

Nursing has become one of the most succesful degrees to be incorporated into Vocational Education cirriculums

VET internationally

Australia

In Australia vocational education and training is mostly post-secondary and provided through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system and by Registered Training Organisations. This system encompasses both Government and private providers in a nationally recognised quality system based on agreed and consistent assessment standards.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research, or NCVER, is a not-for-profit company owned by the federal, state and territory ministers responsible for training. It is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing, evaluating and communicating research and statistics about vocational education and training (VET).

Finland

There are two kinds of vocational education, secondary and post-secondary. Secondary education at a vocational school (ammattikoulu) is usually taken immediately after primary school, at ages of 16-21. Some programmes, however, require a secondary academic degree (ylioppilastutkinto, or matriculation examination). The education is primarily vocational, and little academic general education is given.

With academic or vocational secondary education one can enter higher vocational schools (ammattikorkeakoulu, or AMK). AMK degrees take 3,5-4,5 years. Legally, they are not university degrees in Finland, although in foreign countries similar degrees may be called "university level." This is reflected by some Finnish schools giving English titles such as Bachelor of Science, with no Finnish translation.

German language areas

Vocational education is an important part of the education systems in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (including the French speaking part of the country).

For example, in Germany a law (the Berufsausbildungsgesetz) was passed in 1969 which regulated and unified the vocational training system and codified the shared responsibility of the state, the unions, associations and chambers of trade and industry. The system is very popular in modern Germany: in 2001, two thirds of young people aged under 22 began an apprenticeship, and 78% of them completed it, meaning that approximately 51% of all young people under 22 have completed an apprenticeship. One in three companies offered apprenticeships in 2003; in 2004 the government signed a pledge with industrial unions that all companies except very small ones must take on apprentices.

The vocational education systems in the other German speaking countries are very similar to the German system and a vocational qualification from one country is generally also recognized in the other states within this area.

Additionally there is the Fachhochschule (FH) since the 1970s in West Germany and since the 1990s in Austria, former East Germany, Liechtenstein and in Switzerland. Historically, Fachhochschulen were meant as a way of academic qualification for people who went through an apprenticeship, especially in technical professions. This is called Zweiter Bildungsweg (rough literal translation: second educational path), i.e., an alternative to the classical academic career path from Gymnasium (school) to a university. However, nowadays Fachhochschule have become a fixture in German higher education and a considerably percentage of the FH studentes do not have an apprenticeship, but rather enter the FH straight after secondary school. Until recently, Fachhochschulen only offered Diplom (FH) degrees (e.g., a diploma in engineering of social work) in programs which stretched over 7 or 8 semesters, and typically include one semester or so of industrial internship. More recently, many Fachhochschulen switched to a system where they offer Bachelor's and Master's degrees.

New Zealand

New Zealand is served by 41 Industry Training Organsiations(ITO). The unique element is that ITOs purchase training as well as set standards and aggregate industry opinion about skills in the labour market. Industry Training, as organised by ITOs, has expanded from apprenticeships to a more true life long learning situation with, for example, over 10% of trainees aged 50 or over. Moreover much of the training is generic. This challenges the prevailing idea of vocational education and the standard layperson view that it focuses on apprenticeships.

The best source for information in New Zealand is through the Industry Training Federation: www.itf.org.nz.

Polytechnics, Private Training Establishments, Wananga and others also deliver vocational training, amongst other areas.

United States

In the United States, the approach is varied from state to state. Most of the technical and vocational courses are offered by Community Colleges, though several states have their own institutes of technology which are on an equal accreditational footing with other state universities.

Historically, junior high schools and high schools have offered vocational courses such as home economics, wood and metal shop, typing, business courses, drafting and auto repair, though schools have put more emphasis on academics for all students because of standards based education reform. School to Work is a series of federal and state initiatives to link academics to work, sometimes including spending time during the day on a job site without pay.

Federal involvement is principally carried out through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Accountability requirements tied to the receipt of federal funds under this Act help provide some overall leadership. The Office of Vocational and Adult Education within the US Department of Education also supervises activities funded by the Act.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the largest private association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers. Its members include CTE teachers, administrators, and researchers.

India

Vocational training in India is provided on a full time as well as part time basis. Full time programs are generally offered through industrial training institutes. Part time programs are offered through state technical education boards or universities who also offer full-time courses. Vocational training has been successful in India only in industrial training institutes and that too in engineering trades. There are many private institutes in India which offer courses in vocational training and finishing, but most of them have not been recognized by the Government of India. India is a pioneer in vocational training in Film & Television, and Information Technology.AAFT

Footnotes

References

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• Achilles, C. M.; Lintz, M.N.; and Wayson, W.W. "Observations on Building Public Confidence in Education." EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS 11 no. 3 (1989): 275-284.
• Banach, Banach, and Cassidy. THE ABC COMPLETE BOOK OF SCHOOL MARKETING. Ray Township, MI: Author, 1996.
• Brodhead, C. W. "Image 2000: A Vision for Vocational Education." VOCATIONAL EDUCATION JOURNAL 66, no. 1 (January 1991): 22-25.
• Buzzell, C.H. "Let Our Image Reflect Our Pride." VOCATIONAL EDUCATION JOURNAL 62, no. 8 (November-December 1987): 10.
• O'Connor, P.J., and Trussell, S.T. "The Marketing of Vocational Education." VOCATIONAL EDUCATION JOURNAL 62, no. 8 (November-December 1987): 31-32.
• Ries, E. "To 'V' or Not to 'V': for Many the Word 'Vocational' Doesn't Work." TECHNIQUES 72, no. 8 (November-December 1997): 32-36.
• Ries, A., and Trout, J. THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF MARKETING. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993.
• Sharpe, D. "Image Control: Teachers and Staff Have the Power to Shape Positive Thinking." VOCATIONAL EDUCATION JOURNAL 68, no. 1 (January 1993): 26-27.
• Shields, C.J. "How to Market Vocational Education." CURRICULUM REVIEW (November 1989): 3-5
• Silberman, H.F. "Improving the Status of High School Vocational Education." EDUCATIONAL HORIZONS 65, no. 1 (Fall 1986): 5-9.
• Tuttle, F.T. "Let's Get Serious about Image-Building." VOCATIONAL EDUCATION JOURNAL 62, no. 8 (November-December 1987): 11.
• "What Do People Think of Us?" TECHNIQUES 72, no. 6 (September 1997): 14-15.
• Asian Academy Of Film And Television

External links

Vocational Guidance

• Choosing a Career or Vocational School
• How to Decide Between a 4-Year College and a Trade School
• Teachers TV Vocational Education Programmes and Resources

Vocational School Examples

• Automotive Vocational Schools, a website devoted to vocational schools in the automotive field.
• Jschool: Journalism Education & Training, an example of a vocational college in journalism education.
• Medical Vocational Schools, a website devoted to vocational schools in the medical field.
• Agricultural Vocational Schools, website for the TeachAManToFish network of agricultural vocational schools.

ERIC Articles

• Constructivism, Workplace Learning, and Vocational Education
• The Business of Vocational Education
• Employers' Expectations of Vocational Education
• Reducing the Dropout Rate through Career and Vocational Education
• Vocational Education's Image for the 21st Century
• Vocational Education Performance Standards

National and International organisations and agencies

• Australian Department of Education, Science and Training
• Australian NCVER listing of web sites, Australian and international, containing vocational education and training (VET) information
• European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP)
• European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (EFVET)
• German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)
• UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training
• UK Department for Education and Skills
• Learning and Skills Network (England)
• National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education (UK)
• Scottish Executive Education Department
• US Dept of Labor of Employment and Training Administration - Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (OATELS)
• US Dept of Education - Office of Vocational and Adult Education
• U.S. Job Training and Vocational Education Programs
• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)

Reports

• Vocational Education in the United States: Toward the Year 2000 US National Center for Education Statistics

Case studies

• e-Learning in the Trades: Six case studies of trade skills trainers who are using blended delivery techniques

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