US: Vocational Training Programs

Vocational education in the United States is offered in most public schools during secondary education. This is to provide students the opportunity to explore career options and be equipped with the knowledge and skills for a specified trade after graduation. The U.S. vocational education differs in each state. Some states operate public schools that have a separate vocational school.

Students could attend the vocational school to train in specific programs aside from their academic curriculum as part time during the school day or in the evening. The vocational schools often use cooperative training where students need to work part time for the specific job that they are training. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Education reports that 50% of high schools students during that year had participated in some form of vocational training.

A Higher Emphasis on Academics

Because of the standards based education reform, a greater emphasis is placed on academics rather than vocational training in U.S. public schools. This means that students need are obliged to get a diploma rather than simply to train for a vocation. The higher emphasis on academics has resulted in much more difficult requirements for graduating. This has considerably lessened student participation in vocational programs.

The U.S. vocational programs that were offered mostly targeted jobs in the manufacturing industry such as precision production, mechanics and repair. Such an industry has declined due to recessions in the economy. Thus, the higher focus on academics might be partly due to an increase demand for information and service based economy. An information and service based economy would need abstract and critical thinking skills that could be only be fully developed through academics rather than vocational education.