It’s nothing to be ashamed about; in fact it’s something to be proud of. It can provide direction and real satisfaction in your life. What are we talking about? Vocational training. Sadly over the past few decades there has been a trend toward ignoring or downplaying the critical role of vocational training. The tragedy is that many schools in the United States have removed vocational training altogether from their curriculums. This only leaves students with two options:
1. Plan on going to a four year college
2. Plan on immediately entering the workforce
Option one is fine if you enjoy academics and want to continue the education process. However, many students do not like to study, or do not perform well taking tests or perhaps are not interested in the subjects being offered. The bottom line is that not every one performs well in an academic setting. In addition to this issue there is also the exorbitant cost involved with acquiring a college education. Many parents and students find themselves surrounded by a mountain of debt in their quest to achieve so-called higher education only to find that the former student cannot find a job paying well enough to actually pay off the debts incurred. How sad! It rather defeats the purpose of getting the education in the first place.
The second option also provides its own unique set of issues as far as getting on the road to a successful career. Often times a newly graduated high school student will apply for entry level jobs that tend to be low paying. The jobs are low paying because no specific skill set is required to do the job, therefore, the employers do not feel it is necessary to pay a higher wage for a job that anyone could do. The person who takes the low paying job may be fortunate enough to learn a skill along the way or they may not. In either case because the person came into the job at such a low pay rate they will continue to be underpaid no matter what skills are learned on the job. A significant pay increase would have to be given by the employer in order for the person to catch up to the pay scale of other skilled workers. The chances of this happening are slim to none. Employers are in business to make money not give it away. So if a person wants to earn a good salary the employer would have to be convinced of their worth from the very beginning.
That’s where vocational training comes into the picture. Vocational education or training helps students to learn a specific skill, trade or vocation by means of hands-on participation. This means that a student who wants to learn how to be an auto mechanic will learn the trade by actually working with automobiles and not just looking at pictures in books. Or if a person wants to learn how to be a computer programmer they will learn this skill using computers on which he will learn various computer programming languages. Most students would prefer that as opposed to listening to a professor lecture on the history of computers in the work place. Lecturing in that case is not beneficial to the student or future employers because no practical knowledge or experience is being gained. Without learning the actual skill of programming the potential job-seeker will not be able to convince the prospective employer that he possesses the necessary skill set to do the job. There is no substitute for hands-on experience, something you will not receive from a college education or from entering the workforce in a low paying position.
Vocational training is not only practical and inexpensive; it is also honorable and necessary. It provides students with a solid foundation on which to build a successful career. Vocational training also gives employers a pool of excellent, highly qualified candidates from which to fill their open positions. Employers are willing to pay generous salaries to the people who possess the right skills and training and those who are skilled can take pride in doing jobs that fill important needs. Vocational training is a winning proposition that society simply cannot afford to ignore any longer.
1. Plan on going to a four year college
2. Plan on immediately entering the workforce
Option one is fine if you enjoy academics and want to continue the education process. However, many students do not like to study, or do not perform well taking tests or perhaps are not interested in the subjects being offered. The bottom line is that not every one performs well in an academic setting. In addition to this issue there is also the exorbitant cost involved with acquiring a college education. Many parents and students find themselves surrounded by a mountain of debt in their quest to achieve so-called higher education only to find that the former student cannot find a job paying well enough to actually pay off the debts incurred. How sad! It rather defeats the purpose of getting the education in the first place.
The second option also provides its own unique set of issues as far as getting on the road to a successful career. Often times a newly graduated high school student will apply for entry level jobs that tend to be low paying. The jobs are low paying because no specific skill set is required to do the job, therefore, the employers do not feel it is necessary to pay a higher wage for a job that anyone could do. The person who takes the low paying job may be fortunate enough to learn a skill along the way or they may not. In either case because the person came into the job at such a low pay rate they will continue to be underpaid no matter what skills are learned on the job. A significant pay increase would have to be given by the employer in order for the person to catch up to the pay scale of other skilled workers. The chances of this happening are slim to none. Employers are in business to make money not give it away. So if a person wants to earn a good salary the employer would have to be convinced of their worth from the very beginning.
That’s where vocational training comes into the picture. Vocational education or training helps students to learn a specific skill, trade or vocation by means of hands-on participation. This means that a student who wants to learn how to be an auto mechanic will learn the trade by actually working with automobiles and not just looking at pictures in books. Or if a person wants to learn how to be a computer programmer they will learn this skill using computers on which he will learn various computer programming languages. Most students would prefer that as opposed to listening to a professor lecture on the history of computers in the work place. Lecturing in that case is not beneficial to the student or future employers because no practical knowledge or experience is being gained. Without learning the actual skill of programming the potential job-seeker will not be able to convince the prospective employer that he possesses the necessary skill set to do the job. There is no substitute for hands-on experience, something you will not receive from a college education or from entering the workforce in a low paying position.
Vocational training is not only practical and inexpensive; it is also honorable and necessary. It provides students with a solid foundation on which to build a successful career. Vocational training also gives employers a pool of excellent, highly qualified candidates from which to fill their open positions. Employers are willing to pay generous salaries to the people who possess the right skills and training and those who are skilled can take pride in doing jobs that fill important needs. Vocational training is a winning proposition that society simply cannot afford to ignore any longer.
