Position Paper
Position Paper: Should High School Campuses Offer Vocational Training?
Krista L. Botton
California State University, Northridge
1
Position Paper
2
Should High School Campuses Offer Vocational Training?
Introduction
American education has undergone many changes over the past two hundred years. From
the one-room schoolhouse that served all students simultaneously, to a series of campuses each
serving a different age of student: primary school, middle school or junior high school, and high
school; there is little doubt that students are now offered a much more varied education than
during the earlier years of our educational system’s history. But, has all the change made any
difference in the way each individual is prepared for the rest of their life? Despite the changes
and reform efforts that have occurred throughout the hundreds of years our schools have been in
existence, some students, perhaps more now than ever, fall through the cracks and leave our
educational system under-prepared for adult life. The dropout rate in the United States continues
to be a concern that is discussed by educators, administrators, superintendents, politicians and
families across the country. What can be done to better serve our students and give them the
skills required to face a life in business, industry, government or other career of their choice?
For many years, schools and officials have struggled with how to best serve the students.
Issues such as number of credits required for graduation, courses that will meet general
education requirements, course offerings that appeal to wider ranges of students, the ordering of
courses in the educational system, courses and/or uniform tests that are required for successful
graduation from high school are all pressing issues that continue to circulate to forefront of
thought when serving and preparing our students is considered. One school of thought that is
sometimes contemplated is whether schools should offer vocational training as a substitution for,
or in addition, to general education. By offering career training, schools could offer students
who might not necessarily be headed down an academic path or students who are not always
Position Paper
3
interested in general education offerings a means of job training that could make them successful
in the job market at the completion of high school, rather than preparing them to attend a college
or university.
The Sides of the Debate
So, should schools focus on education or should they also provide vocational training to
students? This question often leads to heated discussions across many audiences including
students, educators, administrators, and parents.
Arguments for the institution or creation of vocational programs include the benefits to
individuals who would otherwise not graduate from high school or continue with a postsecondary education, and the potential economic benefits that arise from a more prepared work
force. If students who would otherwise be unable to graduate from high school or successfully
complete the requirements for a diploma have an alternative option for success in high school
through vocational training and appropriate career placement then the school has, in a way,
prepared the student for a successful adult life. The important part here is that their also be some
degree of career placement that is cohesive with the vocational training the student receives at
school. By preparing the student for life after high school, the student has been equipped to be
self-supportive and this is could lead to an economic benefit as well. Young people who are
gainfully employed will have increased monthly earnings and will reduce the national
unemployment rate. A benefit that can be felt by employers is a labor force that is more
consistent, since new students would be graduating each year with these skills. On-the-job
productivity would be increased because the labor pool will contain people who are already
coming in with entry level skills; there will be less of a necessity for on the job training which,
for many business and industries, is a very large investment.
Position Paper
4
These same arguments apply to students who, although they have graduated from high
school successfully, are not planning to continue with post-secondary education. Many times,
students want to “take a year off,” travel, or have to find work to help support themselves or their
families. Students who fall into this category would also be very well served though vocational
training in their last few years of high school so that they graduate ready to enter the workforce
and find employment and have the opportunity to return to school when they are ready.
On the other hand, there are equally valid arguments against creation of vocational
programs in high schools. Many believe that schools should be there to educate students and that
is their sole function. Students who desire job training are able to obtain it through the employer
who should be paying the individual to learn or hone the skills that they need for the job. Many
also feel that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that their employees are
performing tasks in the manner desired and therefore not the place of the school to provide
vocational training at all.
Another argument is that if vocational training is offered to students, then fewer students
will enter a post-secondary educational institution and this could have a negative impact on our
economy. Many students find education to be difficult and by providing job training in high
schools we are giving students an easy way out rather than challenging them and thereby,
limiting their career possibilities as an adult. This could have a negative economic impact since
a greater number of adults will find themselves in positions that they cannot easily move out of
because of their lack of education. Overall, this could lead to the undesired side effect of finding
fewer people in the higher paying careers and positions in business.
Lastly, in argument against vocation training in high schools is the issue of tracking, or
directing students who may perform lower academically (especially special education students)
Position Paper
5
toward job training as opposed to academic preparation. There has been a tremendous move
against tracking of students so that labels can be avoided and a student’s feelings of self-worth or
value are not affected. If a student is not placed on an academic tract will they begin to feel
hopeless, like they are not capable of great things and able to be an important member of
society? A person who feels no value is less likely to be productive in any career and could lead
an individual to despair and hopelessness which could also have a negative economic impact.
My Position
Personally, I am in agreement with the side for vocational training in high school. I have
witnessed too many students in the classroom who do not currently plan to seek a higher
education and have watched as these students become frustrated by the general education process
that seems not to serve them at all; sometimes it even seems to hold them back from an
opportunity for success. I do not think that we should only give these students vocational
training, they still require the general education skills necessary to become responsible citizens:
they need to understand the science behind the environmental and ethical world decisions they
will be voting on, the math they will require to calculate taxes, balance checkbooks and pay bills,
the language they will require to write reports, read newspapers, and understand forms, and the
social studies they require to understand trends in politics, economics and both regional and
world conflicts. It would not serve the nation to have an ignorant and uniformed populous.
General education is important but can be restructured to be application of real world issues
rather than the rote memorization of concepts and facts that it is for most students seeking a
higher education. I feel that education could be restructured so that the final two to three years of
schooling be student directed with a focus on continued education (academic) or vocational
training. If, during the last few years, the schooling pathway becomes a choice, it may cause
Position Paper
6
some students to buy into the process more, since they understand that there is a direction or goal
that is one that fits their current life situations and creates an individual that has a marketable job
skill at the completion of high school.
I have sadly witnessed, in my short teaching career of five years, the demise of the auto
shop classes and dissolution of the networking classes that were taught at Saugus High School. I
feel this to be a travesty to the students served by our campus and a loss of technical skills that
could be the foundations of a good career for some students within our population. The
administration of our campus decided to lose both courses because the teachers of these
programs left due to retirement or transfer to community college campuses and since the No
Child Left Behind Act puts such a strong emphasis on the four core academic classes (Math,
English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies), it was decided to not rehire for these
technical positions but rather hire teachers who could help with the large volume of students in
the core classes. Although I understand the importance of the constraints put on schools to meet
the goals set by the state according to the NCLB legislation, I also consider the loss of training
programs that would give students the certificates and training they need to find themselves with
a job paying $35,000 a year with only a high school diploma. A high school diploma is
important but alone does not serve all students.
I will praise one of the strong points of this campus and district, and that is its large
Regional Occupation Program (ROP). The school district offers fifty-two ROP classes including
classes on animal care, automotive technology, banking, computer drafting, dental assistant,
emergency responder, performance, fashion merchandising, fire technology, floristry, forensics,
graphic arts, hotel operations, law enforcement, medical office, nursing, PC repair, pharmacy,
physical therapy, retail, silk screening, and welding. These courses allow students to further
Position Paper
7
pursue a great many varied interests, acquire certificates and/or experience and get entry-level
training for future professions. The Wm. S. Hart school district, as a whole, boasts that 17% of
its juniors and seniors participate in at least one ROP class. Saugus is above that average with
20% of juniors and seniors participating in ROP classes (K. Varela, personal communication,
December 13, 2007). I think this is a great way for students to get an early taste for potential
future careers or to get the training they need to make themselves more valuable in the job
market because they have already explored the requirements and constraints that come along
with the field of work they are considering. By having the ability to take a class and not
necessarily making it count towards “real life” students have the opportunity to re-evaluate and
change their plans to make their career a better fit earlier in life.
I also believe vocational training to be of great importance because I have witnessed and
tried my hardest to work with many students who are just unmotivated to “do” school. I hear
continuously that school is “boring,” that it is “just not their thing,” or that a particular class
doesn’t apply to their life so “what’s the point.” If we cannot make a student see the importance
or value in material, they will continue to be unsuccessful. Students who choose a vocational
training path could have an emphasis of classes that are application of skills, how they will be
using math, science, social studies and English in the “real world” rather than the information
and skills that will be needed by students who pursue an academic pathway. The goal would be
to have these unmotivated students learn to work with the information that will make them
responsible citizens and at the same time, undergo vocational training of their interest so that
they don’t become unmotivated adults. If students were required to take a test, like the ASVAB
Career Explorations test, which helps to identify student interests and pairs these interests to
possible careers then these students may be able to find a career path of interest, and begin
Position Paper
8
thinking about life after high school and working toward a goal that could get them successfully
there.
What I cannot decide on and continually debate with myself is: how vocational training
should be implemented in high school campuses? I do not think that students should be tracked
to vocational training. I think that movement down a vocational path should be personal and
family choice with counseling that will remind students how hard it can be to go back to school
as an adult if continued education is required for a career advancement or change. I would like
to see students in eighth, ninth, and tenth grade create a “life plan” and begin to explore potential
career possibilities and research the requirements to be successful in each of these careers (i.e.
what education is required, what certificates are required, personal time investment, etc) so that
they have some idea by their last two years of free, formal education what they are going to do
upon graduation. Once this path has been investigated, the final two years of schooling can be
more focused on meeting the goals that are outlined by the students “life plan.”
So what is the big stumbling block? Why can I not see this ever being a focus of the
high school educational campus? Currently, because of recent legislation, there is such a large
emphasis on the core academic subjects and there is just not enough time in the day to
accomplish what needs to be done; we are told it is just not possible. Teachers do not have
enough time to complete the material that is tested on for the state and national tests, how could
we ask teachers to include career exploration and life planning as a part of the curriculum?
Because of this push for increased instruction in the core subjects, is it possible for
administrators and campuses to hire teachers who would have a class that is required for all
students that would take care of these needs? Having witnessed classes with a vocational side
Position Paper
9
disappearing from campuses leads me to believe that I would receive an emphatic “No” from
administrators and district officials.
Conclusion
As teachers, our job often includes so much more than teaching our subject material. We
often find ourselves in the role of parent and counselor. Since we get to see the students for
more hours per day than their parents and counselors often do what role do we have in helping
students prepare for their futures? I do believe that it is important for schools to prepare students
for their lives after high school and that many of our students are leaving our educational system
without the preparation and skills they each need to be productive adults. I understand the
importance of a good and quality education but is quality education really the same for all
students as is put forth by NCLB legislation? I believe that there are other means of serving our
students and helping all to be successful adults. It is time we address the needs of students who
are not continuing their education at a post-secondary institution.