Can Vocational Skills be an Option ?

Can Vocational Skills be an Option ?

Vocational skills are empirical skills that individuals acquire in a specific area of interest. Vocational skills are more practical than theoretical skills as individuals learn these specific skills from hands-on experience.

Vocational Skills are-

* less expensive compared to traditional colleges

* offer practical training in any one specific area of interest

* usually shorter compared to a four-year traditional

* undergraduate degree from a college

* career-oriented

Vocational skills are the tailored programs to match what employers are looking for. Technical vocational skills in math, science, and computers provide education that is relevant to the current job market.

Some of the sectors welcoming vocationally trained individuals are as –

1.    HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE:-

Workers who are able to interact with the public in health care or social assistance situations will find the most demand for jobs. The category includes work done in health offices, home health services, hospitals, residential care facilities and day care services.

2.  CONSTRUCTION:- 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see rapid growth in the construction sector that is poised to add 1.8 million jobs by 2020. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies construction as one of the top industries for wage and salary employment growth, at a rate of 2.9%.

     

3. MANUFACTURING:-

Students in manufacturing trade schools are in such high demand, they’re often hired even before they graduate. For some workers, that means earning more with vocational education than they might have earned with a four-year degree and enjoying a higher demand to boot.

4. TRUCKING:-

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are among the top occupations with the largest projected employment growth. Most truck drivers simply require a high school diploma and short vocational education or on-the-job experience.

5. BOOKKEEPING, ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING:-

Financial services are important now more than ever, and financial support staff is in high demand. Financial clerks are required in many different industries, including those that provide accounting, tax preparation and bookkeeping.

6. VETERINARY TECHNOLOGY:-

Pets are a part of many families and taking great care of these family members’ means that vet techs are in great demand. Vet techs can get started with a post secondary program in veterinary technology that will allow them to become registered, licensed, or certified to practice in their state.

7. FOOD SERVICE:-

Everyone has to eat and not every meal can be prepared at home. That’s why food service is and continues to be such an in-demand vocational skill. Food service workers, cooks, and chefs all enjoy a healthy job outlook that remains steady or growing.

8. COMPUTER SUPPORT:

Computer software and equipment is becoming increasingly more useful and complex, creating a steady and ever-growing need for computer support specialists, often called technical support specialists.

9. DENTAL CARE:-

Preventive services are among the easiest most popular ways to care for teeth and dental hygienists are responsible for many of these services, cleaning teeth, examining patients.

10. HAIR STYLING AND COSMETOLOGY:-

Beauty services are in high demand just about everywhere, thus, barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists are always in demand. This industry has good growth and job security, with minimal training from state-approved cosmetology programs.

      

11.  AUTO SERVICING:-

Employment of auto service technicians is poised to experience healthy growth, especially for those who have completed formal vocational training programs.

Thus, it has been found that a tremendous increase in Vocational training and skills department over the years potentially has opened new doors of opportunities for the individuals seeking something different and more accessible than traditional education.

Comparing the effectiveness- School Education v/s Tuition classes

Comparing the effectiveness- School Education v/s Tuition classes

In India, there exists a system of ‘tuition classes’ parallel to the formal system of school education to supplement academic support.

Reasons for the burgeoning of tuition centers are:-

* Cut-throat competition born out of parental ambitions to see children in fields as medicine, engineering, civil services, management and accountancy. 

* Slow-learners or academically-weak students or those without motivation find no support in packed classrooms and teachers face the Damocles’ sword of “completing portions” hanging above their head.

* Brilliant students need further enhancement at specialized levels.

* The lengthy curriculum, existing communication gap between teachers and students, tuitions seen as a status symbol or even preference of some subjects over others.

 Nonetheless, it is not permissible to negate the importance of School Education which lies in the fact that the children of today will become adult citizens & productive members of society tomorrow. School is the training ground for all virtues & guides children to the right path.  

The chief objective of the authority is to stimulate interest and curiosity in the students. Moreover, Education should prepare young people for life, work & citizenship. 

But, it is also required to examine the effects of overburdening the students with tedious pressure of school, tuitions and peers. Along with this, even the school management is stressed and facing problem of creating interest in students. 

Resulting in children becoming disillusioned with school and lose motivation as they have to also give attention in tuition classes. We also have to consider the situation of parents who are overburdened by paying fee at school & tuitions as well. 

So, amongst all the stakeholders for students- school management, tuitions & parents. Who is at the winning edge?  

Employability Skills - Skills You Need for a Job

             

   Employability Skills - Skills You Need for a Job

Employability skills or ‘soft skills’ are “a set of achievements, understandings and personal attributes that makes individuals more likely to gain employment and to be successful in their chosen occupations".

Although, these skills are foundation of one’s career but are frequently referenced as lacking in school- leavers, graduates or those already in employment.  

These most essential skills are required to make an individual not only employable but also develop as Successful Professionals as mentioned below:

Interpersonal Skills

These are vital when seeking employment as we use them to interact with other people and may be the single most important factor for many recruiters.

Good interpersonal skills allow you to participate effectively as a member of a team, satisfy customers and clients' expectations, negotiate, make decisions, manage your time efficiently, take responsibility and work effectively with other employees.

Communication Skills

The ability to communicate both verbally and in writing with a wide variety of people, maintain good eye contact, write clearly and succinctly, demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to your audience are all essential skills that employers seek out.  

Similarly, active listening skills involve not only hearing but gaining and understanding information. Listening is a basic requirement leading to fewer mistakes and a greater understanding of the needs of employer and client.

Critical and Creative Thinking Skills

These require gathering reliable information, evaluating the same for a variety of solutions and selecting the most appropriate option based on the criteria and situation. 

Creative thinkers are innovative and inventive and are more likely to devise new ways of doing things that add value to the work environment, making systems and procedures more efficient.  Creative thinkers can offer new perspectives about the job and the company.

Personal Development

Personal development is all about having the right attitude towards work and the organization you work for.  

The employee who is open to learning and embraces change will be more successful than the person who is afraid of learning and resistant to changes in the organization.  Most jobs involve change in roles and responsibilities and under such circumstances; employers want people who are adaptable, flexible, and patient respond well to change.  

Self-motivation and confidence are key areas of personal development as is personal appearance and how others perceive you. Self-management skills, also known as ‘self-control’, are the skills we use to manage our personal feelings and how we react to challenges and problems both at work and in our private lives.  Personal development includes learning to avoid potentially negative emotions such as anger and stress while developing assertiveness and effective negotiation skills.

Presentation Skills

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in the work place and presentation skills are required in almost every modern employment area.

Presenting information does not just include making formal presentations - information could be presented in the form of notes, reports, research findings, business plans, scenario planning, risk assessments and strategic documents. You may well be asked to give a presentation as part of your initial interview.

Leadership

Leaders either have, or are perceived to have, strong self-confidence. Leaders are team players, allowing them to work in a group to achieve the best results for their employer. Leaders show social skills by respecting the thoughts, opinions and ideas of others - they gain the respect of others and aim for credibility.

Developing your leadership skills can therefore not only help you to find a senior position, but may also help you to gain promotion with your current employer.

Numeracy (Number Skills)

Numeracy skills are very important, irrespective of whether you consider a job to be "working with numbers". Having competence and being confident in working with numbers is a skill that can be used to your advantage in a wide range of employment settings: for example, knowing how profitable a company, understands value for money when purchasing and ordering supplies, following a budget. Being able to understand and analyze data in different formats is considered an essential skill in many organizations.

Digital Skills

Most people need some IT skills to find work today. Acquiring basic IT skills and being familiar with using a computer may open up a wide range of employment opportunities and increase marketability in the workplace.