In the 2019-2020 academic year, around 11 million college or high school students were enrolled in vocational education programs. These programs allow students to develop skills for a specific profession, such as nursing or a skilled trade. Vocational education is often discussed as an alternative to university degree programs. What careers does vocational education train students for? Is it a good alternative to a four-year college degree? How does choosing a vocational path versus a traditional university degree impact student debt?
What is vocational education?
Vocational education, also known as technical education, often offers a direct pathway to a career, seeking to equip students with practical skills, knowledge, and formative experiences necessary to succeed in a specific trade, craft, or profession. This approach is distinct from classroom instruction focusing on subjects such as reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Many students use vocational education to immediately enter the workforce when they graduate from high school.
At the secondary level, high schools offer curricular programs designed to teach skills such as automotive repair or information technology. At the postsecondary level, technical institutes, community colleges, and trade schools often provide vocational education. These institutions offer programs in fields such as healthcare, computer technology, food service, and skilled trades like electrical wiring or plumbing. Many vocational education programs also require students to have work experience in their field before being certified.
Most programs offer a combination of academic instruction and hands-on training in various fields. Some schools integrate vocational education throughout the curriculum so that most or all students receive academic and vocational training, helping them transition from school to work.
Why pursue vocational education?
Some individuals are drawn to vocational education because they are interested in a specific hands-on field. In addition, vocational training programs offer a direct pathway to employment. These programs often provide hands-on training and practical skills directly applicable to specific jobs. For others, the appeal of vocational education lies in its focus on practical skills and its orientation towards work rather than study. This approach can be particularly appealing to individuals who are not interested in traditional academic education. Additionally, many students do not have the academic or financial capability to attend a four-year college. Vocational school serves as an alternative that provides a stable career option.
An additional factor is that students pursuing vocational education can avoid taking on debt to pursue a four-year college degree. Data from the National Center For Education Statistics shows that the average graduate from a private college has about $8000 in debt – because only a fraction of graduates have debt, the average debt of those who take out student loans is considerably higher, particularly for careers involving graduate degrees. By completing a free vocational training program in high school, students can avoid these costs. Even if loans are used to pursue vocational education as a post-secondary option, these debts are likely to be lower because vocational training programs are shorter than a traditional four-year degree.
Does vocational education work?
Research has shown that individuals who decide not to pursue a traditional university degree program and complete vocational education programs have higher employment rates and earn higher wages than those who go into a specific trade out of high school and do not complete a vocational education program. These benefits accrue to students who complete programs that lead to employment in skilled trades (electrician, plumber, carpenter) or information technology.
Starting salaries for skilled trades are close to the average for entry-level positions requiring a college degree. The first chart uses data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to show average salaries for different degrees. As you can see, the average salary for jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree is about $70,000, and for an associate’s degree, it is about $51,000.
The second figure also draws on BLS data to show average entry salaries for graduates of selected vocational training programs. These range from a low of about $47,000 for auto mechanics to over $70,000 for an aircraft mechanic. Thus, vocational training provides comparable salaries to the average bachelor’s degree without the cost and time commitment of a college education.
What are the drawbacks of vocational education?
One of the main criticisms of vocational programs is that they track students into a career at an early age. Such tracking can limit the future opportunities available to these students and make it difficult for them to change careers later in life. Critics also argue that vocational education can perpetuate social inequality by steering disadvantaged students into potentially lower-paying jobs.
A second critique is that vocational curricula are not always up-to-date with the rapidly changing labor market needs. This issue is particularly true in fields like computing, where new developments can quickly render existing skills and knowledge obsolete. Critics also argue that vocational education can lead to a narrow focus on specific job skills at the expense of broader academic, cognitive, and business skills, like accounting, finance, and operations, that can help support an individual managing or owning a successful business in the trades. Others, however, suggest that these skills can be learned while working in the business itself.
Are there new models for vocational education?
One new approach to vocational education is the integration of work-based learning into vocational programs. Work-based learning is when individuals act as apprentices to learn skills on the job. This approach provides students with real-world experiences that complement their classroom learning and help recruit needed talent from trade businesses looking to employ smart, motivated, and hard-working individuals who simply decided that taking a traditional college degree path wasn’t for them. Another new approach relies on online learning platforms or advanced technologies like virtual reality.
Further Reading
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2022). Career and Technical Education: Perspectives on Program Strategies and Challenges. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104544
Pew Research Center. (2016). The State of American Jobs. https://tinyurl.com/9bzsxcxf, accessed 10./28/23
Reynolds, R. M. (2008). Vocational Education and the Great Divide: Have Student Needs Been Overlooked? Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 45(1), 22-44. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ848206.pdf
Sources
What is vocational education?
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2022). Career and Technical Education: Perspectives on Program Strategies and Challenges. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104544
Eichenhorst, W, Rodriguez, N, Schmidl R., & Zimmerman, K. (2015) A Road Map to Vocational Education and Training in Industrialized Countries. ILR Review, 68(2), 314–337. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24810348
Stern, D., Finkelstein, N., Stone, J., Latting, J., & Dornsife, C. (2012). School to work: Research on programs in the United States. Routledge.
Shi, Y., Bangpan, M. Young people’s participation experiences of technical and vocational education and training interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of qualitative evidence. Empirical Res Voc Ed Train 14, 8 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-022-00136-4
Why pursue vocational education?
Reynolds, R. M. (2008). Vocational Education and the Great Divide: Have Student Needs Been Overlooked? Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 45(1), 22-44. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ848206.pdf
NCES. 2023. Student Loan Debt. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=900, accessed 12/10/23
Does vocational education work?
OECD. (2009). Learning for Jobs: OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training. OECD Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/41538706.pdf
Pew Research Center. (2016). The State of American Jobs. https://tinyurl.com/9bzsxcxf, accessed 10./28/23
Yang, M. (2023). America Needs Carpenters and Plumbers: Gen Z Doesn’t Seem Interested. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/01/05/1142817339/america-needs-carpenters-and-plumbers-try-telling-that-to-gen-z
What are the drawbacks of vocational education?
Reynolds, R. M. (2008). Vocational Education and the Great Divide: Have Student Needs Been Overlooked? Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 45(1), 22-44. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ848206.pdf
Hanushek, E. A., Woessmann, L., & Zhang, L. (2011). General Education, Vocational Education, and Labor-Market Outcomes over the Life-Cycle. Journal of Human Resources, 52(1), 48-87.
OECD. (2009). Learning for Jobs: OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training. OECD Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/41538706.pdf
Are there new models for vocational education?
Kreysing, M. (2023). Vocational Education in the United States: Reforms and Results. Vocational Training: European Journal, 23, 27-35.
UNESCO. (2012). Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Building Skills for Work and Life. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000098945
This policy brief was researched in July 2023 by Policy vs Politics interns Mary Stafford and Zul Norin, drafted by Team Leader Griffin Reid, and revised by Dr. Nicholas Clark and Dr. William Bianco, with the assistance of subject matter expert Matt Honohan.