Vocational Education
I
INTRODUCTION
Vocational Education, instruction in skills necessary for persons who are preparing to enter the labor force or who need training or retraining in the technology of their occupation.
The impact of technology on occupations, the tendency of employers to set higher educational requirements, and the need for employees with specialized training have made vocational preparation imperative. Part-time programs are essential in order to provide occupational mobility among workers and to overcome the effects of job obsolescence.
In the U.S., vocational education programs are conducted in public secondary schools and community colleges and are financed in part by federal funds. Other programs are conducted by business and industry, labor organizations, the armed forces, and private vocational-technical schools. Programs in both public and private institutions are general in scope, providing training for several jobs in an occupational cluster; programs conducted by business, industry, and the armed forces usually focus on particular interests. Under the Vocational Education Amendments (1968), vocational programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
II
RANGE OF PROGRAMS
Vocational education programs range from short-unit (ten weeks or less) to long-term programs up to two years in length. The programs include numerous occupational areas, such as office skills, agriculture, various trades, health services, and technical training. The scope of vocational education is broad, ranging from occupations requiring little skill to those requiring a high degree of skill and scientific knowledge. Jobs requiring minimum training are not generally included in formal programs because the necessary skills can be readily learned on the job.
Many public and private schools offering vocational instruction operate on a so-called open-door policy, that is, anyone may attend who can profit from the instruction. The goal of the public school program is to provide access for all persons to high-quality instruction that will meet occupational opportunities. Every state department of education in the U.S. employs staff specialists in vocational education.
III
CAREER COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE
Although the vocational guidance and vocational education movements developed separately during the early 1900s, they later became closely associated. Today career counseling is recognized as being important for all persons. The basic principle of career counseling and guidance is that a person is better equipped to make occupational plans after determining his or her own characteristics, examining the requirements of various occupations, and matching the two sets of facts with the aid of a skilled counselor.
Various standardized tests and inventories have been developed to measure skills, aptitudes, interests, and other abilities and traits. In addition to school records, job-shadowing techniques, computerized programs, and audiovisuals are also used to assist students with occupational selection.
IV
WORK EXPERIENCE
A major aspect of career counseling and guidance is knowledge of the world of work. Ignorance of the many ways in which people earn a living has been a great deterrent to freedom of occupational choice. To help solve this problem, some schools provide opportunity for students to gain actual work experience as part of their educational preparation. The value of work experience in education has long been recognized and is now emphasized in the counseling of youth.
Vocational education and career counseling have had the active support and participation of the trade unions and, more recently, of business and industry because both contribute to the goal of an educated labor force.
The two national professional associations concerned with vocational education and career counseling and guidance are the American Vocational Association and the National Career Development Association. Accreditation is provided by the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools.
Contributed By:William W. Brickman
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