Education A to Z is now up to the letter V. I wanted to touch on a subject that I am not too familiar with, vocational schools. This topic deals with schools on a different level than what I am used to: after high school education.
What is a vocational school? A vocational school is a school that students attend after high school; much like students who choose to attend a two-year or a four-year college to receive a degree, many students choose to attend a vocational school. Vocational schools typically are non-academic schools that focus directly on the training for a specific occupation. The student participates in hands-on training in order to learn all the skills necessary to work in a specific field. Vocational schools are often referred to as trade schools and the education received there is often referred to as technical education.
At one time, most vocational schools catered mostly towards those who wanted to make a career out of something like being a mechanic or other similar positions. Now, with the growth of business and business owners wanting more highly trained employees, vocational schools are often available for those who want to work in retail, travel, information technology, funeral homes, beauty, along with the more traditional vocational subjects, such as auto mechanic.
Those who graduate from high school and wish to go onto specialized training with a vocational school, often find this type of education offered by a community college.
My nephew, who is 16, is more interested in attending a vocational school after high school rather than follow in his aunt’s or his older sister’s footsteps and attend a four year college. He knows for the job he wishes to pursue, specific training is what is going to make him the best at what he does, and this means a vocational school in order to learn those skills!