hugoweaving: Are There Unique Kinds of Vocational Schools?

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Are There Unique Kinds of Vocational Schools? | Affiliated ...

Traditional views of vocational education are being challenged these days as new kinds of trade schools appear offering education in fields that were once the exclusive domain of four-year college graduates. While vocational schools still offer quality education to individuals interested in culinary arts, nursing, automotive repair, graphic design and various other standard vocational trades, they also now offer degree and certification programs for future web developers, renewable energy specialists, biotechnologists, forensics specialists and a number of other high-tech professions. The truth is, whatever the field of study in which you?re interested, it is quite likely that your local career college will get you into it.

How Many Kinds of Vocational Schools are There?

You will frequently hear the terms career colleges, trade schools and vocational schools tossed about and used interchangeably. The fact is, these terms do all apply to schools that provide vocational job training courses. That doesn?t mean, however, that all vocational schools are identical.

Vocational schools, technical colleges, or whatever other name you like to call them, usually appear in a couple of formats ? small, trade-specific schools (e.g. your local bartending college) or national, multi-trade schools (e.g. University of Phoenix). The bigger schools typically design their programs and facilities to suit students with a wide range of vocational goals, and the smaller institutions concentrate on putting together faculty and resources that maximize student exposure to their specific field.

What are the Biggest Differences Between Them?

Apart from the volume of other students in the schools themselves, the greatest differences between small, local trade schools and their larger competition is tuition costs and the amount of prestige your degree will demand. Individual schools will most likely have other distinctions unique to them, but the above mentioned issues are the most-common areas of differentiation.

The prestige of a certification or degree earned at a local school may be an issue for those employed in some fields, because certain employers don?t respect them as highly as those earned from a large, well-known university. This can be particularly true if you ever decide to move and resume your career in another city or state.

With increased prestige often comes a higher cost of tuition, however. Attending programs such as Coleman College, DeVry, ITT Tech and University of Phoenix might open more doors for you after you finish their programs, but you will usually pay a higher price for it. Irrespective of cost, many feel that it?s worth it because of the exceptional support these colleges usually provide ? and there is something to be said for any degree from a nationally-recognized institution.

A Few Conclusions on Different Kinds of Vocational Schools

With the amount of alternatives to choose from, it can be a bit frustrating for students to select a favorite from their list of trade schools. While many differences amongst the vocational school programs they provide appear to be significant, with a little bit of research one frequently discovers that this is not the case. Where significant disparities can be found, however, is in the two types of vocational schools described in this story.

Looking for a comprehensive listing of trade schools in California and even more useful advice and general information on vocational education? Please be sure to visit Ayla Ward?s web site, where you can also find city-by-city directories of accredited vocational schools near you, including trade schools in Sacramento!