What Are Vocational Studies?

Vocational education is defined as "training designed to advance individuals' general proficiency, especially in relation to their present or future occupations," according to The Columbia Encyclopedia. Earning a four-year college degree is one pathway to a successful future, said David R Wetzel, Ph.D, of the Smithsonian Institute. Some of the highest-paying careers today are in health care, trades or the computer industry, and many of those jobs do not require a college degree. They do, however, require first-rate skills and training, and that is where vocational education comes into play.

Benefits of Vocational Education

Wetzel further reports that vocational students enjoy a 97 percent employment rate upon graduation. If vocational students do choose to continue on to a four-year degree, their vocational education is not wasted. Vocational credits frequently transfer into a four-year program. An additional benefit is that the financial costs of those credits are likely to be lower through a vocational school than through a college or university.

A Bright Job Market

The greatest vocational career opportunities may lay in trades. Vocational schools, formerly called trade schools, offer varying levels of certification in trades such as plumbing, electrical wiring, stone masonry, automotive repair, carpentry and welding. The levels of certification are apprentice, journeyman and master. Each level of certification comes with progressively more responsibilities and higher pay.
Skilled, certified trades people face a bright job market. The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics projects jobs in heating and air conditioning to grow 27 percent, plumbing jobs to grow 18 percent, electrician jobs to grow 14 percent and carpentry and painting jobs to grow 13 percent, all by 2014. The average salary for these jobs is $45,000 annually, according to Salary.com.

Modern Career Options

Other vocational certification programs include: culinary arts, fashion design, teaching, nursing, medical assistants, computer network administrators, landscape designers and Web-site designers. "Green" trades are also coming onto the scene. People working in these new trades seek to responsibly manage natural resources. They may look for ways to recycle constructions materials or install solar panels.

History

The concept of apprenticeship, or learning a trade under the tutelage of a seasoned tradesman, goes back to ancient Greece. The first vocational school was formed in Scandinavia, in 1866, with the purpose of training manual workers in the usage of hand tools. Elementary schools began offering vocational training in addition to the "3 Rs," and the concept expanded into formal training for bookkeepers and stenographers. Pioneering vocational schools included: Cooper Union, Pratt Institute, Hampton Institute and Tuskegee Institute. The first effort by the federal government to ensure the availability of vocational education was the Morrill Act of 1862, establishing land-grant colleges. It was followed by the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, providing federal funding for courses in agriculture, industry and home economics. The George-Deen Act of 1936 expanded federal to include teacher training. Vocational correspondence courses became popular in the early 1900s. In 1926, the Federal Trade Commission convened the National Home Study Council and introduced quality control standards for these classes. The G.I. Bill, introduced just after World War II, exploded the growth of vocational studies, providing tuition to returning veterans. Tuition for vocational education also became available to Korean and Vietnam veterans via subsequent acts.

Warnings

Ensure that your vocational education is from an accredited school. Without accreditation, course work is not transferable to a college or university, loans and reimbursement programs may be void and prospective employers may not recognize your training. Unaccredited schools are commonly referred to as "diploma mills." Check with the U.S. Department of Education to ensure that your school is accredited by going to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation. Research the employment market to ensure that the certification you pursue will actually help you to get the job you want. For example, some schools offer programs in psychology and counseling. If your goal is to become a licensed psychologist, a doctorate degree may be required. Another example is eCommerce training. Positions in that field may require a master's degree.