The educational efforts of the universities are focused on broadening the knowledge base on subjects such as literature, social sciences or philosophy in addition to the practical ones. However, the vocational school is only teaching their students the functional aspects regarding their future profession and the ethical code associated with practicing it. Therefore, it all boils down to whether you have an application in liberal sciences or you have a practical nature and you wish to get your career going as soon as possible. In addition, this choice is also associated with whether taking the university courses could enhance your ability to perform your job or not.

In conclusion, with all these consideration in mind, you will be able to make an educated decision on whether you should choose a university education or a vocational school. However, it is important to note that in order get further specializations in your field of study you will need to take additional courses equivalent to the last two years of the university programs. On the other hand, if you intend on advancing via your experience, then the vocational schools will teach you all you need to know for a head start in your career.

Vocational, trade, career, technical--Whatever you call the school, the objective of the curriculum is the same; to teach students a marketable trade not usually offered in traditional colleges and universities.

Vocational schools sometimes get a bad rap as not providing a "real" education. This is really not the case. Vocational schools are geared towards students and career changers looking to acquire useful job skills. Vocational schools are not designed for the scholarly student interested in a career as a Classical Literature professor at an Ivy League university some day.

Vocational schools serve a number of very important sectors of the population.

• High school grads that are not pursuing a traditional 4-year university degree, either due to interest of finances, but who want a career that requires knowledge and training.

• Those in need of additional training to advance in their careers

• Adults who are re-entering the workforce after some time and now need training in order to be competitive in the job market.

What Vocational School Is Not

Vocational school is not a training ground for someone trying to pursue a high level career in Business or Science. While most vocational schools are great at giving its students the best tools to make them competitive, the reality is that employers do consider what school you went to when you apply for certain jobs. If your dream is to be a Wall Street banker, then a business degree from schools like Harvard or Yale is what you'll need to get you in the door. If you're more interested in a good stable career such as a Pharmacy Technician, Computer Help Desk Specialist, Cosmetologist, Auto Mechanic or Electrician, then a vocational school is a much better option than a 4-year university.

Questions You Need Answers To Before Enrolling In A Vocational Program:

1. Is the school accredited?

Accreditation means that the school's curriculum has met high standards for education quality. The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges(ACCSC) is the most prestigious of such accrediting agencies, but they are not the only one. Some smaller regional schools may be accredited by a local agency, but that does not mean that the quality of education is not as good as larger schools that have been accredited by ACCSC. The important thing is that the school has allowed itself to be examined by an outside agency with regard to the quality of its programs.

2. What Is the Graduation Rate for Those Entering the Training Programs?

If this number is high, say 70% or more, this is a good sign that students find value in what they are learning, and that the school takes good care of its students. If the dropout rate is very high, say more than 50%, this could be an indication that students don't feel that they are getting out of the program what they expected. You do have to allow for some students dropping out due to personal or financial reasons that have nothing to do with the school at all, but a high dropout rate is reason for pause.

3. Does the School Offer Federal Financial Aid?

In addition to this being a means to help pay for your training, a school that receives federal funding has to be reviewed and approved by the federal government. Being eligible to offer federal financial aid is a good indication that the school is on the up and up.

4. Does The School Offer Job Placement Assistance Upon Program Completion?

Most vocational schools do offer placement assistance, especially those that receive federal financial aid. This is because one of the standards the school has to meet in order to qualify for aid is proof that a certain percentage of its students find gainful employment upon graduation.

5. What Percentage of Graduates Find Jobs in Their Field and What Is The Average Salary?

This is very important information to have since it will help you make an informed decision about whether the program is competitive and what your future might look like with that particular training under your belt. The numbers may be lower than normal during a significant downturn in the economy, but the school should be able to give you historic data so that you can get an idea of what to expect during economic prosperity.

Vocational school is a great alternative to traditional colleges in that they prepare you for an actual job. You just have to be smart about the type of program you pursue. Again, vocational schools may offer a wide range of programs, but only some make sense to pursue in that setting. Programs in Healthcare, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology and Massage Therapy are great choices. Business programs in Office Management or Bookkeeping are good, but programs in Finance are probably not the way to go.

Choosing a vocational school to focus on a particular career path is a very good choice for people who want to learn a specialized skill or trade that does not require an advanced college education. There are quality vocational schools available both online and off line that specialize in fields such as nursing, medical transcription, auto mechanics, paralegals and much more. And here are some tips on how to be able to choose a vocational school that will be best for you.

1. First make sure that you do plenty of comparison shopping for vocational school training in the particular career field that you want to pursue. Sometimes a local community college can offer you training for much less than a vocational school that is dedicated to a particular career. However, cost is not the only factor. You also have to determine the value on the education that you will receive as well. Remember that the training you receive will directly affect your income for many years to come, so make sure that you get a high quality education.

2. Many states have set up agencies that keep track of complaints about vocational schools to help the residents be able to make wiser choices. If your state happens to have such an agency be sure to check with them and find out about the reputation of any school that you are considering in that state.

3. Before signing up with any vocational school, it's wise to ask them a few questions to find out how successful their educational training has been in the past. For instance, how many of their past students have actually finished their courses? How many have also gone on to meaningful employment in that particular field?

If a vocational school is really worth it's salt, it should be able to have an impressive record of success stories regarding former students who have gone on to find gainful employment in their chosen field after graduation. If they cannot give you solid figures on the success rate of their past graduates, you may want to reconsider your own enrollment.

4. If you can possibly find some former graduates of the school, these can often provide you with the best overall information about the school and its curriculum that you can receive anywhere. Find out what their impressions were of the school and the education that they received. You may also want to ask some of the companies that have hired former students about their impressions regarding the education those students have received. All of this can help you formulate a good general opinion about the quality of the education you can receive at that particular vocational school should you decide to enroll.

5. If a vocational school seems to be trying to pressure you to sign up and start your courses, they may be more interested in your money than they are in actually educating you. So read all contracts that are presented to you very carefully before you sign them, and take your time to decide which school will work best for you.

Vocational schools are excellent educational tools for those that wish to specialize in a particular field, but you have to be careful in order to make the right decision on which school will work best for you. If you follow the suggestions given above, they can help you find a vocational school that will best fit your educational needs and be affordable as well.

"What is a trade school?" is not really that odd of a question when one considers the various kinds of technical schools and institutes that the term is typically applied to. Even so, it comes as a surprise to many people to find out that the definition of a trade school (or vocational school as the institutions are also called) is actually quite easy to nail down.

What Is A Trade School?

Vocational schools place the entire emphasis of their curriculum on teaching students the skills required to succeed in their future career. This approach is in stark contrast to the typical four-year college which requires students to study a wide range of material that is, ultimately, unrelated to their chosen vocation.

The benefit to this approach is that vocational education students acquire marketable skills that place them at the forefront when it comes time to enter the workplace. After two years of the hands-on work experience, personalized instruction and internships included in every vocational education program, graduates are usually considered to be far easier to integrate into today's technology-driven workforce than are their traditionally educated peers.

Who Is The Typical Trade School Student?

Previous generations often characterized trade schools as being places for high school graduates who didn't have the grades to get into a university. While this may have been true at one time, it is certainly no longer the case today.

The fact is that, because highly-skilled labor is in greater demand now than at any other time in history, vocational colleges now appeal to an incredibly broad demographic of students. From veteran workers who want to update their skill set for the 21st Century, to recently-unemployed people who want to change careers, to young people who want to start their professional careers right after high school, vocational education now holds a far broader appeal than it did in the past.

What are the Admissions Requirements for Vocational Schools?

There is no universal answer to this question, because every school has its own admission requirements. It is safe to say, however, that the majority of vocational programs require applicants to hold either a high school diploma or GED. There are some exceptions to this, as certain career programs have no education requirement for new students but, in either case, most technical schools are more than willing to work with applicants to help them meet their admission standards.

How Much Is The Typical Trade School Tuition?

There is no denying the fact that attending a two-year trade college can be more expensive than getting a degree from a standard four-year university. If you were to honestly compare the value provided by vocational colleges (including one-on-one training and tutoring, internships in your future field, and assistance with job placement upon graduation) against the career-specific education offered by most universities, however, you may find that the trade school looks like a better investment.

It is also important to keep in mind that many vocational education programs are heavily subsidized by the state and federal government and, as such, offer tremendous financial aid packages to help prospective students pay their way through school.

It seems as if every time you read the newspaper these days, you can read about yet another company or business that is laying off employees. Many of those employees may have been there as long as 30 years or more. If you have recently been "right sized" in today's business market and you are not quite yet in a financial position to be able to retire, what do you do?

The answer is to enroll at a vocational school. Many people shy away from vocational schools as they seem to think of them as just college short-cuts or a waste of time, but in today's world, nothing could be further from the truth, and these types of learning institutions are starting to grow much more popular as people need to find options to the bad situation they are currently in. These are sometimes also known as JVS or Joint Vocational Schools.

These vocational schools can be just the ticket you need to learn new skills and make yourself marketable to the workforce again if you are seeking employment because of a layoff. Many people assume that these schools are only for teens just out of high school, and while those make up a fair amount of their enrollment, there are also many 30, 40, 50 and even older people attending classes so that they can learn skills that will allow them to get a job and continue working so they can continue to make their car and mortgage payments, and for some, to even put bread on the table.

Vocational schools are learning institutions but they take it several steps further. They will evaluate and assess where you are, what skills you have, what life experience you have, and then recommend a course of action to make you marketable to the workforce again. This aspect makes them more valuable than ever for the adult with years of work experience who has been suddenly laid off, and he discovers that he needs to learn new skills to be able to rejoin today's workforce.

There are many fields of study that are in hot demand in the world today but those hot markets may be in industries where you have no skills at all. A vocational skill will help you define what skills you do have today and what skills you need to learn in order to be considered a viable candidate for those jobs that are available.

After you gain the necessary skills from completing the courses at the vocational school, you need to prepare yourself even further, which the school counselors will continue to help you with. What this means is that with your new employer after you get hired because of your new skills, you are not likely to start at a CEO or senior manager position, and the new job will probably not be a mirror reflection of the salary you had at your previous job. But you need to look at the bright side, which is that at this point, you are employed with a steady paycheck, and you can begin to climb that corporate ladder again. In fact, in this sense, you have an advantage because you are already familiar with some of the politics that inevitably come into play in this process.

You cannot count on unemployment checks forever and vocational schools can assist you with getting yourself back on track so that you can continue to earn paychecks and be proud of your job as well as the new skills you have learned.

Vocational schools have a shorter study period normally, than a 4 year+ college or University, and this is one thing that differentiates them. The career institutions exist because they can help people to develop the skills needed to perform a job. Mainly, job schools are the same all over the world, with some minor details that are particular to some places. People who do not, or cannot go to college, have the alternative of attending a career institution.

The four year period that is usually required for study in colleges is reduced in vocational schools. The whole study duration is only two years in most cases. Actually, the two years can be called training years, as they are more dedicated to training in a specific set of skills, than to studying. The main idea is to train good workers in one single field, which will be explored thoroughly.

Vocational schools are also called career institutions or trade schools. The trade schools are meant for students who have an exact idea about what they want to do with their lives, when it comes to their career. Each individual can have unique skills and they can fit the jobs that may require the use of those skills.

The most common reasons for which people may choose to attend a career institution, instead of college are:

• the shorter course duration

• lower cost

• practical specialized courses

The practical side is what makes the difference between vocational institutions and career institutions. Theoretical learning is used in college, but in job facilities people will focus more on how the things are made in real situations. Reading books can be replaced with taking the students to see the real action. The best example of people who are job school graduates is the ones involving welders, cooks or mechanics.

Many years ago, people who went to trade schools were seen as the working class. Even though it still holds that stigma, if it really can be called that, as opposed to a 4 year college or university education, those graduating from vocational schools in some fields command high pay and regard in their employment. For verifying the worthiness of an institution, quite a bit of research may be required. Students who would like to follow a career path that involves job specialization, must verify the vocational school for accreditation first.

The areas that can be covered as future career possibilities are: automotive, health, cosmetics, decorations, constructions, electronics etc and this is just to name a few fields that are taught at vocational schools.. There are offline and online options for choosing the proper school, exactly like college, but the type that is selected can depend solely on the desires, and possibilities of each individual.

As an awesome alternative to colleges, vocational schools are good for those who do not want to spend a lot of time in a classroom and who know exactly what they want. People who like the practical side more than the theoretical one, can be the perfect candidates. Searching for a worthy vocational school may be the first step.

Vocational schools give preliminary training and practical knowledge in skilled jobs such as machine-handling, carpentry, plumbing, electronics, and paralegal jobs. Vocational schools may be better considered as imparting training and not education.

Major advances in the techniques of vocational education were made by the armed services during the Second World War. There was a growing need for technicians, which could not be supplied by the civilian population. Thus, special training methods that placed emphasis on graphic presentation and practical work were employed to meet the demand. Further stress on vocational training came about thanks to the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, which allowed the Second World War experts to receive tuition during extended vocational training.

Vocational schools concentrate on training students for a wide variety of skilled jobs, including those of an automotive technician, medical assistant, hair stylist, interior designer, electronics' technician, paralegal personnel, and truck driver. Vocational schools constantly upgrade their skills and knowledge and inform students about prospective employers and the job market.

The most important duty of vocational schools is to focus on the particular performance skills that are required for a particular job. They are meant to provide an understanding of the functional technical knowledge, as well as to prepare the students to deal with personal and group-relation problems efficiently. This helps to improve the desirable work habits, ideas, and attitudes of the students so that they are better able to do the job. This also enables them to develop the required critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities, which in turn helps in their safety judgments and enables them to be creative in their trades. Vocational schools also provide great opportunities for networking.

Attendance at a vocational school is basically a kind of on-job training. In vocational schools, classroom reading on subjects is not required; however, proper experience is acquired through practical training. Vocational schools provide the students an initiation into a working environment faster, whereby hands-on training is made possible. This, in turn, enables the student to earn a successful living. Thus, vocational schools are institutions that are equipped with new and innovative techniques required to make an individual skilled in his vocation.