What is vocational school

Figure Average number of credits earned by public high school graduates in academic and vocational courses, and the percentage of total credits earned in high school that those credits represent: Between and , participation in the occupationally specific curriculum was somewhat more stable than in other vocational areas tables 50 and The percentage of public high school graduates completing at least one occupational course remained about the same at approximately 87 percent , and the average number of credits earned by graduates in occupational programs decreased over the decade by less than half a credit from 2.

In contrast, both the percentages of graduates participating in the consumer and homemaking and the general labor market preparation curricula and the average number of credits graduates earned in these areas declined significantly over the decade with average credits earned declining about 29 and 36 percent in these respective areas. In contrast, one in four nonbaccalaureate postsecondary students reported an academic major and one in four were taking personal or avocational courses for example, basic skills and citizenship activities.

For example, at public 4-year postsecondary institutions about one-third of nonbaccalaureate students reported majoring in vocational programs, while at public vocational-technical institutes 90 percent of nonbaccalaureate students were in the vocational curriculum. Secondary Level Business was the most popular occupational program at the high school level, with more than half of all high school graduates completing at least one business course table Business was followed in popularity by trade and industry and then by technical and communications programs.

Although overall participation in the occupationally specific curriculum declined somewhat over the decade from to , trends varied by program area. The percentage of graduates completing at least one course in the technical and communications area, as well as the average number of credits earned in this program area, increased between and tables 55 and In contrast, both the percentage of graduates completing at least one trade and industry course and the average number of trade and industry credits earned declined over the decade.

The NAVE found that these occupational enrollment patterns appeared to follow labor market trends. Business was followed in popularity by health 11 percent and then trade and industry 8 percent programs. Figure Percentage of nonbaccalaureate postsecondary students majoring in vocational fields, by program area: Program enrollment varied significantly by institution type table Students at private proprietary; private, nonprofit 4-year; and public 2- to 3-year institutions were more likely to major in business than students at public 4-year institutions.

In contrast, students at public vocational-technical institutes and private proprietary schools were much more likely to major in trade and industry than students at all other postsecondary institutions. Vocational Concentration and Specialization at the Secondary Level The NAVE found that concentrating one's vocational coursetaking resulted in higher earnings, especially if students entered training-related jobs. About 24 percent of high school graduates were vocational "concentrators," earning 3 or more credits in a single occupational program, and about 8 percent of graduates were vocational "specialists," earning 4 or more credits in a single program with at least 2 of these credits beyond the introductory level tables 34 and Lack of focused coursetaking was not restricted to the vocational curriculum.

The majority of high school graduates 60 percent failed to meet the criteria for either the college preparatory or vocational specializations figure 5 and table Figure Percentage of public high school graduates, by area of specialization. While graduates were more likely to complete at least one course in business than in any other occupational area, they were more likely to concentrate in trade and industry programs.

Specifically, 10 percent of high school graduates earned 3 or more credits in trade and industry, while 8 percent earned this number of business credits table Nearly half of all vocational concentrators concentrated in the trade and industry curriculum, although business was the most frequent vocational concentration among college preparatory graduates. Technical and communications and health programs had the fewest concentrators among all graduates, perhaps due to a lack of available courses.

The disparity between a high level of coursetaking and low level of concentration in business and in technical and communications may be due to students electing not to concentrate in these areas. The NAVE attributed the disparity to many students seeking computer-related coursework through these programs rather than specific occupational preparation.

In fact, 20 percent of high school graduates who earned 8 or more vocational credits and about 25 percent of those who earned 4 or more occupationally specific credits did not take a single occupational course above the introductory level table Among all graduates, twice as many took introductory occupational courses as took advanced ones 75 percent compared with 35 percent. Vocational concentrators in marketing were more likely than concentrators in other program areas to take advanced courses in their area of concentration 86 percent of marketing concentrators took advanced marketing courses table Sex and race-ethnicity were related to differences in participation in vocational education at both the secondary and postsecondary levels.

Secondary Level High school vocational course-taking patterns differed for males and females. Male graduates in earned about one-third more occupationally specific credits, while female graduates earned almost twice as many consumer and homemaking education credits table 4. Furthermore, the percentages of males and females completing at least one occupational course differed significantly in all program areas except marketing table In particular, males in were more than twice as likely to complete at least one course in agriculture and in trade and industry, while females were more than twice as likely to complete at least one course in health and in occupational home economics figure 6.

Figure Percentage of public high school graduates completing one or more courses in occupational programs by program area, by sex. Between and , there was little increase in the percentage of students participating in occupational programs that were nontraditional for their sex table Rather, the gap narrowed because of a drop in participation for males. Moreover, the gap in participation for males and females remained about the same in agriculture, health, and occupational home economics.

However, while females in were more than one and a half times as likely as males to participate in business, this gap narrowed significantly by The patterns of vocational concentration for males and females were similar to those for coursetaking tables 34 and Males were more likely than females to be vocational concentrators and specialists, while females were more likely to be in the college preparatory track. Additionally, males were more likely to concentrate in agriculture, trade and industry, and technical and communications, while females were significantly more likely to concentrate in business, health, and occupational home economics.

Native Americans appeared to earn above average numbers of vocational and occupationally specific credits, and Asians below average numbers of these credits, although these differences were not statistically significant possibly due to the small sample sizes for these groups table 4. Native American graduates also appeared both to concentrate and specialize in vocational education at above average rates, although these differences were once again not statistically significant tables 34 and However, Native Americans had higher than average rates of concentration in trade and industry programs, and lower than average rates in programs offering computer coursework, including business and technical and communications.

White, 29 black, 30 and Hispanic graduates differed little from the overall pool of high school graduates in terms of the numbers of vocational and occupationally specific credits they earned and their rates of concentration and specialization.

Here are some jobs you will be qualified for through vocational training:. Primary duties: Heating, venting and air conditioning, or HVAC technicians install, repair and maintain heating, cooling and ventilating units. Aside from a high school diploma, HVAC technicians are usually required to complete two years of specialized education.

This time typically includes an apprenticeship that provides valuable on-the-job training. Primary duties: Plumbers are responsible for installing, repairing, testing and maintaining plumbing systems. Plumbers must have a high school diploma and, depending on location, they can be required to obtain licensing. Training typically comes in the form of an apprenticeship.

Primary duties: Electricians are required to have a high school diploma as well as complete an electrical apprenticeship. Due to the complexity of electrical systems and the dangers associated with working with them, apprenticeships to become an electrician can last up to four years. Licensure is almost always required as well. Electricians repair, maintain and install wiring, read blueprints and test for electrical issues.

Primary duties: Respiratory therapists are required to earn at least an associate's degree and the appropriate licensing. Their duties include performing treatments, developing treatment plans and administering diagnostic testing.

Primary duties: To become a dental hygienist, you must at least earn an associate's degree. Their job responsibilities include taking patient X-rays, educating them about dental hygiene and cleaning teeth. Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. Career Development. What is vocational training? Different types of vocational training. High school CTE programs. Tech Prep education. After graduating from high school, she pursued her love of singing and went on to attend a music-related vocational school.

It now has public-run schools from kindergarten, primary school, middle school, secondary teachers school and secondary vocational school. The education in vocational school is free, and the students from low-income families are eligible for a state student grant.

See all examples of vocational school. These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Browse vocalizing. Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes. Image credits. Word of the Day have a heart of gold. Blog Outsets and onsets! Read More. November 08, Are they leaning on you to decide before you have a chance to research the program and confirm the details of financial aid? So be sure the school, its program, and the cost is right for you, regardless of the rush. If a school is accredited, it means that an independent organization recognized by the Department of Education looked over the classes and programs at the school, and said that it meets minimum academic standards.

Check if your school is accredited by searching on this Department of Education tool. Another easy way to tell if a school is accredited is to see if it offers federal financial aid. Most states have laws requiring that career colleges and technical schools be licensed or certified to offer classes and programs.

A license, like accreditation, is another sign that a program is legitimate, and may be something that future employers or educational institutions look at.

Many vocational education and certification programs offer financial aid to help you pay for your education. Ask whether you can apply for a federal student loan; it may have better terms than loans from banks or other private sources — find out more by reading How Student Loans Work and How To Avoid Scams. Review the financial aid package with this financial aid offer tool to see if its affordable.