What is the Value of Vocational or Technical Education?

Jan 7, 2011
David R. Wetzel

What Is The Value Of Vocational Education - Ula Kapala

A shortage of skilled workers in today's workforce is attributed by many employers to the lack of satisfactory education beyond high school.

What is the value of vocational or technical education is often asked by many high school students, along with adults with only a high school degree. The problem with this issue originates from cultural expectations about post-secondary education, where the myth perseveres that success in life only comes from earning a four-year college degree. As a result, too much emphasis is placed on academic knowledge when earning a high school diploma.

Unfortunately this belief, what is the value of vocational or technical education, has led to a decreased emphasis in high schools for preparing students to enter two-year or professional schools. This lack of importance and academic focus has created a shortage of qualified workers, those holding an appropriate two-year degree or technical certificate, in over 80 percent of companies today (Up to the Challenge, Association for Career and Technical Education, 2010).

Typically vocational and technical education is designed for those who need or like to work with their hands or prefer work skills that require active engagement. These same people do not like to sit behind a desk and enjoy jobs which have changing experiences. Some of the highest paid people today are in the skilled trades, healthcare, and computer industry just to point out a few examples which do require a four-year college degree.

Career Skills for the 21st Century: Employability Expertise and Knowledge

The shortage of skilled workers is a growing problem for both employers and ill-equipped adults seeking work. This is particularly true in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. The value of a vocational or technical education is in the forefront within these careers, specifically those which are in critical technical fields.

The following examples highlight the impact of undereducated and unskilled workers. There are fewer workers with the ability to:

use critical thinking, innovation, and problem solving skills.

make use of effective communication and collaboration skills.

demonstrate a minimum level of industry-specific technical skills.

As a result, approximately one-third of potential employees do not have the proper skill sets employers seek in their workforce to help them remain competitive in today’s global economy. These workers need to continue their education beyond high school to improve employment skills.

High School Diploma or GED: Only the Beginning

A vocational or technical education is normally the minimum qualification needed to enter the workforce or change careers today. Many employers believe workers who do not continue their education beyond earning a high school (HS) diploma or general education development (GED) degree are deficient in knowledge and technical skills.

The following reports support the attitude of employers who view a HS diploma or GED as only the beginning.

According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (Are They Really Ready to Work? Employer’s Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants in the 21st Century Workforce, 2006), HS diplomas or GEDs are no longer accepted by 42 percent of employers as the minimum level of education needed for entry level positions.

According to the Business Roundtable (Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead: Helping America’s Workforce Succeed in the 21st Century, 2009), the United States is the only country belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development where younger workers have a lower level of education than its older workers.

According to Edward E. Gordon, Winning the Global Talent Showdown (2009), today’s younger adults are technology junkies. However, they lack the qualifications necessary to enter careers focused on designing, making, repairing, or applying 21st century technologies. Minimum qualifications for these career fields are obtained by earning a vocational or technical degree.

According to the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (U.S. Chamber for Commerce, The Skills Imperative: How Career and Technical Education Can Solve the U.S. Talent Shortage, 2008), today’s workforce needs post-secondary education leading to a minimum of two-year degree or technical certification.

What is the value of vocational or technical education? Along with recession proofing a career, the significance of continuing education beyond high school cannot be understated. Since almost half of all employers no longer view a high school diploma or GED as meeting their minimum entry level requirements, a two-year degree or certification is a must. Entering the professional or technological workforce begins with education beyond high school.