When I got out of High School, I thought it was going to be easy to get a job. I had obtained a diploma that most of the non-professional jobs required. The reality was that besides education, they also were asking for experience, experience I never obtained in High School. Therefore, the idea of introducing a vocational skills program as an alternative choice to the academic high school curriculum would not only help students open their opportunities for more jobs, but also could help them decide on their academic path. For example, when I was in High School, one of my classmates used to sell cookies. It was clear that he liked cooking, but he didn’t have culinary knowledge. It took him a couple of years after High School, before he decided
to enroll a culinary school. I’m convinced that if he would have been able to attend a cooking program in High School, he would know that his career path was in the culinary field, without having to waste all those years. Not to mention, the benefits of introducing a vocational skills program in high school will not only be on a short term. Which means to prepare students to find a job, but also the benefits will have reflected on the long term. Which means, students will be able to clear their doubts about what they would like to study.
Subsequently what is done is that selected high schools develop a curriculum that is organized around a specific career cluster, which are like a specialized charter school. The goal is to feature a series advanced “pathway” courses that can help students to enrich their knowledge through work-based learning and academics. In turn, this specialized education will allow student to demonstrate their understanding through assessments and industry credentialing opportunities. As well these schools are enrolled in a learning exchange that have partnerships that are organized to support the programs of study by coordinating statewide networks of education partners, businesses, industry associations, labor, and other organizations (2013, p. 21-23). Consequently, the program is driven to help high school students develop a career path and to receive exploratory education that will given them an advantage in either college endeavors or in the job market.
The teachers in the vocational program should bring the students up and make them a better student and hopefully can escape the vocational program and join other students in high school or
Dana Goldstein a journalist from The Nation says that, “47 million American jobs are expected to be created between now and 2018, and about two-thirds will require some sort of education beyond high school.” In making this comment, Goldstein is showing us that the only way to be prosperous in the future is to educate our children. Goldstein goes on to say that, “27 percent of workers with occupational licenses earn more than the average recipient of a bachelor’s degree.” In other words, Goldstein is trying to tell us that a bachelor 's degree isn 't the only way to go and that we need to increase funding for vocational schools and community
Career and technical education courses are intended to prepare high school students to enter the work force in a skilled trade. It equips the students with the experience and education necessary to succeed in an average skill level job while maintaining the student’s interest. In an article that focuses on an aviation CTE program, a “senior policy analyst at the Morrison Institute, said that Career and Technical Education provides another opportunity for students who struggle in high school.” The assumption is that students who struggle in high school presumably do not want another four years of education to attain a bachelor’s degree. Until recently, schools have been excessively geared towards college readiness. The dogma was elementary school, high school, college, without exception. With this “one size fits all” education system in place, a different education course had to evolve. CTE courses offer a break from the tedious grind by introducing career readiness as an alternative. In place of the four years in a college, CTE programs gives student...
In modern democratic society school curriculum has become a prioritised concern for many citizens. It is a key factor in the shaping of future generations and the development of society. Decades have lapsed and numerous attempts have been made to produce a national curriculum for Australia. In 2008 it was announced that the Rudd government in collaboration with State and Territories would produce a plan to move towards a national curriculum (Brady & Kennedy, 2010). To date this has been realised in the deliverance of the Australian Curriculum v1.2 which will be examined in this paper.
The fairly recent idea of “college for all” is not practical for every student, and the rigor and push toward college has led to a curriculum that is irrelevant for many young people. As a result, we have seen an increase in drop-out rates for at-risk students over the last several years ("Completion, Graduation, and Dropouts."). HB5 is critical in the realm of social welfare. It moves us toward giving all students the opportunity to graduate high school, and recognizes that each student is unique, with different learning styles, and have different goals in life. It sends the message that all professions are valued in our society, not only the careers that require college degrees.
Current public high school curriculum are simply too easy. Students are able to take too many easy classes that do not challenge them. This is the first point that needs to be focused on when trying to fix this problem. Within this one cause, there are many different solutions. However, I do not have the time here to name them all. I am going to focus on one particular recommendation that I believe would help the most.
If more people went to college, and less went the vocational route, jobs will take a momentous hit. Today, companies will not even touch an application that does not include a Bachelor’s Degree; even if the Bachelor’s Degree has nothing to do with the job being applied for. Attention is not given to whether the hopeful applicant qualifies for the job; all that matters is that the applicant has a Bachelor’s degree. Murray best sums up the American job market when he says, “Employers do not value what the student learned, just that the student has a degree” (Murray). However, if less people obtain a Bachelor’s Degree, employers will be forced to base applicants on their skills, and abilities. Furthermore, important vocational jobs that lie vacant will be filled. Good electricians, carpenters, and construction workers will always be in
Finally, the last system is the chronosystem, dealing with how the world was during my high school years. A perspective that could best go with this system is the psychodynamic perspective, which is concerned with how internal processes such as, needs, drives, and emotions motivate human behaviors. (Hutchison, 2016) During high school I had always felt unusual when I was forced, by my aunt, to make sure I dated within my race and felt that I could never express myself, but towards my sophomore year in high school, it all changed. I left my comfort zone and started being more diverse and took my first Spanish class which was driven by curiosity to do something that my aunt did not want me to do, however, it felt right in my opinion. I was driven
By the time a high school student is ready to start college there are endless career possibilities available. The question becomes college the key factor in determining how successful a person will be? In today’s rapidly advancing society, students are pushed to go to college, but college does not always build successful people. In many cases, a secondary education provides all the necessary skills for a person to become successful. Each year, taxpayers pay thousands of dollars to provide public services, including funding public secondary education for students. Using the funds for secondary education is a positive use of the money.
Visualize having a job with the skills people don't have to help elderly people. If looking to become a personal care aide a student will need to finish high school as career cruising states the certifications, education and licenses needed are: “ If you want to be a personal care aide the education varys usually depends on your job title and state where you work sometimes there is no required education and sometimes a high school diploma is needed” given these things needed for this job people could easily get into this job field just by wanting to help older people. This job could be a great start for someone who wants to get into this kind of job field and it can lead them in a good path. People wanting to work in this job field they are going to need to take classes over the four highschool career such as “ If you want to work as a personal care aide you need these classes to get into the job: English Language Arts l, Algebra l, Earth or Life or Physical Science, State History, Civics, Introduction to Human Services, English language arts ll, Geometry, Biology, U.S. History Information Technology Applications, English Language arts lll, Algebra ll, Chemistry, World history or sociology, Human growth and Development” (Career Cruising) This relates to the topic of being a personal care aide because without these classes in the high school a student is in they don't
A choice is among all young pre-teens and their parents that come along the end of their middle school education, and on the cusp of their high school careers. The choice is that of a Classical College Preparatory High School or the Career Technical High School which will layout how there future unravels and for different outcomes will be had for each path. (For the remainder of the essay Classical College Preparatory will be referred to as Classical and Career Technical High School will be referred to as CTE.)The choice of either high schools have been on the minds of families since the late 60’s when the first Vocational High Schools started to appear around the country offering trades to students , that may not be able to graduate high school and continue to further an education at a 4 year institution. The trades that the students were learning provided a useful service to the American way of life. Trades that were offered were
With all the independence and freedom that recent high school graduates possess, they should carefully ponder the possible options that exist. Through abiding by the “check the destination before the ticket is purchased” adage, high school graduates can competently guide their personal journeys in college life or the real world. Regardless of the path chosen, college students and those who immediately enter the workforce will ultimately decide their future destinations. In addition, while graduates pursue their dreams, goals must be set and diligently fostered. The necessity of a college and/or career game plan is crucial, and should not be disregarded. Before Dr. King ended his “I Have a Dream” speech he declared, “Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning.” Similarly, high school graduation is not a finish line, but a starting gun.
When people hear “Vocational Education”, they tend to associate it with college as the optional education after high school. The emphasis on career preparation is placed in high schools, yet is left to one’s own independence to learn in college. One who decides not to attend college loses their opportunities to learn about the various careers offered outside of their comfort zone and usually having to settle for low-paying jobs or jobs they have no desire or passion for. These people are those whom others tend to refer to as “the people with no hope” because they do not know what they want to do with their life due to the little exposure or lack of knowledge on all the careers available to them. For those who do decide to attend college, many
Currently, there is a huge push for students to specialize in something and focus on it, during their four year degree. The problem is that no one can predict the future job market, so it is very easy for someone to specialize in the wrong thing. Then not have the proper skills to do the job actually out there. So parents and students need to be “venture capitalist” and check to make sure the student is in a school that is productive. That they aren’t listening to mass pulls in the job market, being careful what they specialize in, and delaying specialization for as long as possible(436).