Vocational training is an essential form of education that makes you employable for specific jobs. Most of our education is focused on “knowing” things. However, being good at a job requires one to “do” things well. Vocational training bridges this gap between knowing and doing thus enhancing the employability of students. In addition to enhancing employability, vocational training has many other benefits. This article presents more such benefits that vocational training offers to students.
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Option to explore career possibilities
Going through vocational training programs is an excellent way of making career decisions. CBSE offers courses in a wide variety of vocational fields for class X and above students to expose them to various professions and help them choose what suits their talent and likes the most. Vocational courses such as Retail, Information Technology, Web Development, Tourism, Beauty and Wellness, etc are offered to class XII students by CBSE schools. These courses expose young minds to all the career possibilities they can explore. You get the true picture of what is involved in a profession only when you go through vocational training in that profession. Without undergoing such training, making a career choice may be ill-informed and ill-advised.
Builds Skills
Most of our theoretical education system is centred around “knowing” things. Even the question-and-answer-based evaluation pattern is focused on students “knowing” facts, concepts, and definitions. Higher-order learning might include the analysis, application, and creative aspects. However, they still largely remain on paper or in the controlled and simulated environments of a laboratory. Reading about how a car works versus knowing how to repair a car are entirely different ball games. Only vocational training can help you build skills such as repairing a car. Building such skills is extremely valuable as they have the potential to generate income for you.
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Enhances Employability
The first and foremost benefit of vocational training is that it enhances the employability of the students. A student with vocational training in hotel management has a better chance of getting hired by a chain of hotels as compared to another candidate without any formal training in hotel management. Industries are on a constant lookout for talent that can hit the ground running. Training them first is an added expense for them and delays productivity. Most industry leaders recommend freshers to have undergone vocational education before they apply for jobs in the industry. The employability of fresh graduates is a serious concern in India. As per certain estimates, more than 50% of our graduates are not employable in any job. Low employability leads to unemployment and widespread poverty. Unemployment also leads to an increase in crime rates and the spread of vices such as drugs and alcohol. Vocational training plays a significant role in enhancing employment.
Links education to practical life
Vocational education also adds to the student’s perspective of linking education to practical life. Using theoretical understanding to solve real problems. Much beyond the problems they are used to solving in class or during exams. Vocational training makes education that much more ‘real’ for the students. They can easily understand the purpose of such education. It exposes them to real situations which they are bound to face during their careers. Not only do they develop the required technical skills but also pick up critical life skills for leading a happy and fulfilling life.
Economic Benefits
Enhanced employability naturally leads to economic benefits. Vocational training generates recruiters’ interest in candidates as they are skilled in doing something. Vocationally trained students are hired at higher salaries than others. Companies are willing to pay these candidates higher salaries as these candidates can be productive from day one. Also, in many fields, vocationally trained candidates are scarce. This demand results in lucrative careers for vocationally trained students. It is widely established that students with vocational training such as engineering, management, and medicine, tend to significantly earn better than students who lack any form of vocational training.
Boosts Self-confidence
Being good at doing something tangible which has an earning potential can be an extremely potent self-confidence boost. Physiological survival is our most basic human need. Being skilled at something gives us the confidence of being able to sustain a livelihood. Vocational training can give you the confidence of being able to get a job based on your acquired skill. This self-confidence can prove to be a big boost for your career development. Those students who are skilled at certain vocations feel a sense of confidence in themselves. Their self-belief is usually higher than others because they believe they can sustain themselves and be financially independent.
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Builds a Network
During vocational training, you get to meet trainers who are experts in your chosen field and classmates who are interested in your chosen field. This cohort can be a great network to leverage for life-long career development. Reputed institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have strong and active alumni networks all over the world. These networks come to bear during various circumstances, whether you are looking for a new job, need some advice, or are just travelling to a new location and need some travel advice. Networks built during vocational training are a great starting ground for fresh graduates to build their careers. It’s an extremely valuable headstart which other students may not have access to.
Acts as a differentiator
With lakhs of students entering the job market every year, marks usually become the only way to differentiate. What if even marks are similar? Vocational training in such cases can act as a key differentiator for students to present themselves better than others. Companies also prefer to hire candidates who have a vocational degree as against those who do not. In today’s world of cutthroat competition, having vocational training under your belt can prove to be a great advantage in long-term career development.
