Vocational Education

Integration of academic and vocational education is current educational reform strategy almost all over the world. This way of learning is being praised by the business community and is being articulated by educationists and policy makers since 1990s. Vocational A levels and other hands on learning programmes help learners achieve both academic and occupational competencies. http://www.360career.com . Integrated vocational education attempts to improve educational and employment opportunities for youth who will be facing the practical world that will be demand high level worker skills.
Integration of vocational education to academic programmes is triggered by the high dropout and illiteracy rates, along with employers' criticisms that schools are delivering workers who lack problem-solving abilities, higher-order thinking skills, and communication/employability skills--all crucial for work in a global economy. Vocational educators have been criticized for promoting overly specific training and encouraging a dual structure that segregates vocational and academic education. Academic educators, on the other hand, suffer criticism for providing curriculum that lacks participatory forms of learning and opportunities for students to connect learning to "real world" events (Grubb et al. 1991).
Thus "Learning by doing" or "applied academics" strategy shall help schools to prepare students for cluster of occupations with varied skill levels and they will become better and efficient professionals.
W.N.Grubb in his research on applied academic strategies mention different ways to integrate the two streams effectively. These strategies should be adopted keeping in mind the local socio economic scenario;
1. Incorporating more academic content in vocational courses.
This approach involves vocational teachers in modifying vocational courses to include more academic content. However, this model does not eliminate the segregation of vocational and academic courses, teachers, or students nor does it affect the academic or general tracks.
2. Combining vocational and academic teachers to enhance academic competencies in vocational programs.
In this model, academic teachers cooperate with vocational teachers in curriculum development and/or teaching to include more academic content in either vocational courses or related applied courses.
3. Making academic courses more vocationally relevant.
Potentially all students (vocational and general track students) are targeted for this approach that involves academic teachers in modifying courses or adopting new courses to include more vocational content (for example, adopting applied academics).
4. Curricular "alignment": modifying both vocational and academic courses.
This approach is designed to change the content of both vocational and academic courses and to consider the sequence of courses rather than viewing courses as individual and independent offerings. It requires cooperation between academic and vocational teachers and fosters team efforts.
5. The senior project as a form of integration.
This approach involves both academic and vocational teachers in organizing curriculum around student projects. Getting teachers to collaborate in developing new courses or modifying content is the primary benefit. Limitations are that the effects on integration may be small and the vocational content nil.
6. The Academy model.
In this school-within-a-school concept, four teachers typically collaborate and team teach in math, English, science, and the vocational subject that is the core of the Academy. Each group of students studies these subjects with the same team of teachers for two or three years in the Academy and takes all other subjects in the regular high school.
7. Occupational high schools and magnet schools.
Occupational high schools have been relatively successful at integrating vocational and academic education, particular when teachers keep in mind the goals of the school and the ambitions of the students. Magnet schools, although involving students interested in specific occupational areas, have not been conducive to integration in that the schools often are involved in solving problems of racial desegregation.
8. Occupational clusters, "career paths," and occupational majors.
Occupational clusters can be used within both comprehensive high schools and specialized vocational schools. Teachers usually belong to occupational clusters rather than conventional academic or vocational departments, thus facilitating collaboration. For information and details visit: http://www.360career.com/content/Vocational-Education.asp

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Macie is a staff writer for Ticket Nest ( www.ticketnest.com ) and enjoys writing about her travel, theater and concert experiences. She can be reached at macie@ticketnest.com