Vocational education is the skill based training provided to students through diverse courses available in several fields such as health care, banking and finance, computer technology, trade, tourism and so on. The education imparted to the students focuses more on providing manual training and giving more practical exposure. Every industry or company today is looking for skilled and efficient employees. Vocational education helps students apply their theoretic learning into practical and thus gain expertise in a specific field. It also gives an added opportunity to students who are unable to cope with academics. Vocational educational organisations generate skilled manpower to meet the job demands. Vocational education is the education that trains people to work in various jobs such as technicians in trade and craft. It refers to the career in technical education that allows students to get ready for a specific career. The vocational programmes provide the students with hands-on instruction and training that lead them to certification or a diploma. Vocational schools provide vocational
training at post secondary and higher education levels only. Students can choose from certificate, diploma, apprenticeship and associate degree programmes. Earlier, most of the vocational training programmes took place in classrooms or on-the-job-site from professionals in the field. However, the online vocational education has now become popular and an easy option for students to learn various skills from professionals. Earlier the training was also limited to certain jobs like welding, carpentry, automotive services, but with the changing times, the training has expanded to a wide range of job functions like tourism management, food and beverage management, computer network management, retail training, para-legal management and so on.
Vocational education focuses more on providing practical skills and hands-on instructions in the particular job. Students get real working environment during vocational programmes. Vocational education is evolving prominently and generates skilled and trained workers for specific jobs. Vocational education, also known as career and technical education, enables the students to gain specialised skills and training in various fields such as trade, craft or technical field. Vocational education involves less academic learning and basically focuses on manual or practical activities and training. The students develop expertise in specific techniques or technology. Vocational education aims to prepare students for a particular profession, trade or vocation. These courses are specifically designed to make students job-ready. Employability of the graduates in India has become a major concern. Only 25% of the graduates from all streams are considered to have employable skills, indicating the need for high quality vocational education to train the youth for jobs. Vocational training is important to supplement formal education and improve the employment of youth in India. There is a growing need of specialist and skill-based employees in India. Vocational education will help job-seekers get employment and meet the needs of skilled professionals in India. It is important that sufficient training and skills are provided to the youth. Realising that the skill-set of youth in India plays a vital role in the growth of the country, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) offers various vocational courses, both at senior secondary and secondary level.
In today’s fast paced life and competitive world, it is really hard to find a suitable job. Vocational education is an advantage as vocational education and training (VET) programmes offer practical skills and hands-on training that enable students to execute specific jobs. The students who develop practical skills for particular field are more confident and perform better in interviews as well as at work, than the students with mere general academic background. Being technical in nature, vocational education is popular because it provides clear edge in achieving career goals as it imparts expertise and knowledge in specific disciplines. The courses prepare students for specific jobs. Vocational education programmes are of short duration and are less expensive than the conventional academic educational programmes. These eliminate the disadvantages of rote-learning and give practical learning experience that makes the students job-ready. High quality vocational education and skilled manpower is a pre-requisite for economic development. The graduates with conventional academic learning and degrees are not job-ready and mostly lack the skills to meet the job expectations. There is a high demand of skilled manpower in various industries across the world. High priority is given to skilled manpower globally. Some of the profiles for which skilled manpower is high in demand across the world include computer specialists, nuclear technicians, fashion designers, electricians, cardiovascular technologists and web-developers. Vocational education helps the youth to acquire practical experience and learn modern methods of diverse vocations. Students are now aware of their skills and choose their careers wisely. Vocational education prepares them to take up highly rewarding jobs and help them become financially independent at a young age.
With changing times, people have also started understanding the importance of vocational education. More skill and knowledge based jobs will be generated in future. Close cooperation between industries and educational organisations with regard to vocational training is essential to ensure that the education offered is relevant to the market demands and job expectations. Vocational education is the course of study that prepares the students for handling the jobs practically rather than understanding their aspects theoretically. It is mostly non-academic in nature and is related to specific trade, occupation or vocation. Vocational education is gaining importance and people are opting for such courses online and offline to gain skills in the fields of their interest. Traditionally, vocational education focussed on few trades like welding and automobile mechanic and was mainly preferred by lower sections of the society. With India going on a fast-growth trajectory, there is a growing need for skilled manpower. Demand for skilled labour has increased both in business and government sectors. There has been a steady increase in vocational education courses owing to the increasing demand for skilled professionals. Vocational education has immensely diversified over a period of time. Demand for skilled professionals has increased in various industries such as tourism, information technology, banking and finance, retail management, BPO, hospitality and traditional crafts. There are various institutes that provide vocational training to the youth to make them job-ready. Present-day education puts more emphasis on rote-learning and not on the practical work. There is a lot of pressure on students due to stiff competition. Vocational learning allows the students to choose the career of their specific interest, gain practical knowledge and get groomed.
In India, there is a disparity between the skills of educated youth and demand in various sectors. There is a greater need of skilled manpower that can meet the job expectations. Vocational education can train the students to meet the job expectations. In order to meet the job demands and expectations, students should be motivated to take-up vocational education.
Vocational education makes a student employment-ready. It provides him/her the required skills and training for a particular job like the one related to Interior Designing, Fashion Designing, or Computer Networking, etc. Along with the classroom instructions, students also get practical knowledge. This makes them job-ready and expert in their field. Private and government institutes provide vocational education and the fees for such courses is quite reasonable. Vocational courses are easy and cheaper alternative to students who do not want to take a four-year degree course and cannot afford hostel fees, and commuting and other expenses. Many vocational courses are as good as degree courses and provide employment to the students. Vocational course is the best option for those who cannot manage the expenses for a college degree. There is a growing need of skilled and efficient manpower for jobs in various sectors. The students with vocational training have an advantage over those of traditional courses. The students with vocational training are preferred as they possess the right skills, education and knowledge for the job.
Thus, easy and quick employability is a major advantage that students with vocational training have. Vocational education and skills can also provide students employment opportunities in foreign countries. For people who already have a job and want to acquire further skills to enhance their career, vocational education is the best thing. The duration of the course is quite short as compared to the degree courses but the skills it imparts are quite important and useful. Professionals can improve their career prospects and be successful. Students who are less interested in academics or the dropouts can choose from the diverse courses available and enhance their skills in the field of their interest. Vocational education can help students make a successful career. Employers in various industries rely on training organisations to impart knowledge and skills to the workers. These training organisations need to train the workers and ensure that their services meet the needs of employers. Students who pursue vocational courses at college level do not require undergoing such training programmes. This saves the company cost that would be spent in training. There is a growing need of skilled professionals in various sectors across the world. The existence of skilled manpower is beneficial to the society and also for the economic development of the nation. There would be lesser need to import manpower from foreign countries at higher wages if enough trained people are available within the country. There are also various indirect benefits. For instance, vocational education boosts confidence of the students as they are well groomed and trained that makes them eligible for specific jobs. It also increases the job satisfaction and results in high productivity.