COLUMN: Vocational school, 'real-world' skills should not be underestimated
In today’s era where a high school diploma is no longer considered good enough to get a “real job,” more and more people are falling into the “everyone should go to college” mentality.
But a report released by the Harvard Graduate School of Education disagrees with this line of thought.
The report cites a study done by the Georgetown University that by 2018, only 33 percent of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree or higher, while nearly 50 percent will require an associate’s degree or less, accompanied by “real-world skills.”
The report went on to show just how lacking the education system in the U.S. is in preparing young adults with these necessary skills.
So how do we fix this?
The first step is to end the all-too-common belief that unless you attend a four-year university, you won’t succeed in life. The report gives numerous examples of European models of vocational schools that not only prepare teenagers for future careers, but also place them in apprenticeships where many of them eventually find full-time employment.
Here in the U.S., there is a stigma against the idea of attending such schools, because they are seen as a last resort for low-income students who still want some type of higher education.
Ending this stereotype is only the first step. The system needs to be reformed. A recent study showed that states that increased the amount of required math and science classes actually saw a decrease in high school graduation rates.
Why? Students are disinterested. Instead of focusing on achieving top test scores in every category, educators need to set up a plan that gives all students a basic learning foundation for everyday life, and then let students choose classes that will help them in their future career.
On top of high school reform, the vocational school system must be improved.
The best programs have one thing in common: they are learning not only in class, but in the field.
There are small programs around the country partnering with employers, who offer apprenticeships to students. The employers are able to pay them less than they would for a regular employee, while the students gain the valuable skills they need so that they can find a job after completing the program, many times at the very place they apprenticed.
So how do we change the status quo? More vocational schools need to be set up, and those schools need to reach out to businesses and show them that this is an opportunity too good to pass up.
Without the opportunity to learn “real-world skills,” too many young adults are dropping out of high school and college, not only hurting their future, but hurting employers by removing potential employees. America is already falling behind in higher education rankings, and the effects of this will be felt more and more if nothing changes.
