Essay On Non Trade School

People are told from a young age that the only way to lead a successful life is to go to college. Although there is no denying of the economic advantage post secondary learning can provide for a student, college isn’t necessarily the only available option. Options like trade school or vocational training are other reasonable choices. However, trade school is not seen as legitimate as a traditional four year college, and a trade school student is not seen as having a secure future. The majority of people fail to realize there are hundreds of well paying employment opportunities that do not require the time, money, and effort needed to get a college degree. Not only does the negative perception of trade school hurt the futures of students, it ultimately hurts the nation’s economy. In order to eliminate the stigma surrounding non traditional schools, students and parents should be exposed to trade schools and the benefits of pursuing a vocational career.

Getting a “good” job is not straightforward as it used to be. In past generations, someone in an entry-level position could work their way up the ladder simply through hard work and determination; whether or not one had credentials or a diploma mattered very little. This is not the case today. Higher education is now critical to obtaining a better job because the demand for skilled labor is rising. For this reason, the value that a degree offers is higher than that of one’s actual intelligence or merit. Furthermore, workers without college degrees will quickly be outpaced in position and salary by degree

As the focus of trade schools changed the types of students attending them also changed. People who know they want to work in a trade now attend these schools because it can get them a foot in the door earlier than kids in normal high schools. At these schools, they could receive an education preparing them for the trade that gave them actual work experience and training. There are also many students who attend trade schools that plan to go to college. This environment can teach them about the industry of whatever they want to major in and the academics can prepare them for for college at a basic level. It can be difficult, however, for students who are unsure of what they are doing after high school, because of the academic limitations

In The NPR broadcast of “Why High School Students Need More Than College Prep”, Claudio Sanchez reveals how most students leave high school without any “soft skills” to help them obtain jobs in the workforce. Sanchez shows how Willamette High School prides itself on providing classes on what most would call trade school material. The school explains how employers expect students to already have these “soft skill” like “punctuality, customer service, managing people, and teamwork”. Willamette is involved with DECA which is an organization that provides students with real-world experiences. Students that participate have a better understanding of if college is the right place for them to be or if they would rather run the family business like

Vocational high schools or career academies are becoming increasingly common throughout the country. In our area of the country, Pennsylvania has over 90 such schools, Massachusetts and Ohio both have over 70 each, and there are equivalent numbers in surrounding states. This kind of school is signaling a change towards more practical, experiential education. Vocational education has long been a staple in European countries, but has had a bad reputation in the United States, seen as lower class and for students who could not make it in regular school. For example, in Germany, children in 7th and 8th grades take tests and then move to

It has been discovered that college graduates have a much larger chance of moving up in the job force (“The Rising Cost of Not Going to College”). This will result in more money and opportunities. Research shows that there are less full time jobs with high school diploma (“Chapter 1: Education and Economic Outcomes Among the Young.”). Computers are replacing people in the 21st generation, and a decent education is needed for jobs. Also, careers that require a college education are more likely to provide benefits such as job flexibility, insurance benefits, and retirement funds (Leaf Group). If someone wants to enjoy retirement and not work for the rest of their lives, then they need money and benefits. Having a more stable job can help provide this protection. For instance, a job as a doctor compared to a job at a fast food restaurant. In case of hard times, some of these jobs, like fast food workers, may not exist. Having more skills will decrease someone's chance of not obtaining a

Is a college education really worth it? A college education is definitely worth it, with a college degree, you will be given even more opportunities and benefits than you would as a high school dropout or even graduate! it will allow you to earn a more gainful amount of money than a high school dropout and graduate and even more than a 2 year college degree. Although if you are a 2 year college graduate or 4 year college graduate and studied in the field of mechanical engineering, graphic design, or even becoming an analytics manager then you would possibly be able to make more money than that who obtained a 8 year degree. College education also allows for more job opportunities than that of a dropout or high school graduate. People who

and should remain an open option to all students, the recent decline in trained trade-workers and

Recent academic success in high schools have been based upon GPA and scores on standardized tests, but students are not given enough opportunities to learn the technical skills needed for a job. In the January KQED Learning article Wunderlich states, “Academic preparation alone is not enough to ensure postsecondary readiness but it is clear that it is an essential part of college and career--readiness, meaning that a high school graduate has the knowledge and

“There is beginning to be a shortage of workers in certain work forces, such as teachers, healthcare workers, accountants, and many other important jobs” (Perry). These jobs require a postsecondary degree; it is vital for there to always be an abundant of workers in worker forces like these because they are so important to our society. To many students, sitting down in class and having to study is not an ideal way to get further their education after high school. Vocational and trade schools offer students a hands on learning experience. Vocational and trade schools will offer students a certification or degree in a wide range of work fields, such as machinery, carpenters, electricians, and many more. “Vocational or technical school programs

Not only are high schools withholding trade programs from students, but the negative perception of construction workers turns away applicants. Society has shaped the idea that two-year universities aren’t as good as four-year universities. Likely, this is because the perception is that the attendees of the two-year university aren’t good enough for a four-year university (Dickrell, 2013). These ideas prevent students from attending two-year universities. They are worried that society will look down upon them. This stigma shouldn’t be preventing students from considering construction jobs. Another aspect of society that creates negative perceptions about trade schools is high school teachers. Teachers aren’t discussing trade jobs, so many students don’t even think about trade schools (Robertson, 2013). By not promoting blue collar jobs, the construction labor industry is hurting. Teachers need to open students’ minds to other options besides going to a four-year college. The small number of applicates to trade schools is likely due to a negative perception of the construction industry.

When asked to describe the role of vocational education in the schooling of the nation's youth, most educators (and citizens) would say it is to prepare students for work in a given trade or vocational area. For many years, this preparation has focused on job skill training, the

The challenges facing the U.S. vocational training system today -- low community college completion rates and skill mismatch, in particular -- are the legacy of a long history of conflict between employers, employees, and unions over how to train American workers. If the government tried to address the current challenges without accounting for this history, their policy proposals would likely be impractical and incomplete. Our goal is thus to review the history of vocational training in search for lessons that indicate what policies and programs have the highest probability of success today.

In 2011 Mike Rowe, from the television show “Dirty Jobs”, testified before congress on the lack of support for trades education and the effects of that lack of support. He gave startling figures about the number of available trade jobs and explained that there are large funded construction jobs unable to start because of a lack of trained workers. Although Mr. Rowe was speaking specifically about trade workers, such as plumbers, electricians, and metal workers the same ideas about training today’s workers can be applied to many areas of the work force. As a society, it is commonly felt that a college degree is necessary to acquire gainful employment. That may be true in some fields, but it shouldn’t be true for all fields. With a change

It is unfortunate that the importance of vocational education has diminished over the past twenty five years. The emphasis that used to be placed on learning a trade that would provide a living has disappeared with the typewriter and slide rule. We are no longer encouraging students to become skilled tradespersons. The vocational mentoring programs of recent past have been supplanted with SAT Prep courses. Where will we find skilled mechanics, plumbers, welders, farmers and masons in the coming decades? Who will care for our children, repair our cars, cut our hair, cook and serve our meals at a restaurant? A point has been reached in American Education in particular, where the skilled laborer is disrespected