Postsecondary Education Sector sees Exponential Growth in Trade Schools

A vocational school or a trade school was traditionally considered a means to learn a job-specific skill. These schools imparted training rather than education. However, over the years this impression has changed and trade schools have become a preferred option for many students after they complete their high school education. The high standard of education imparted at these schools has given students choices that go beyond the traditional four year college degree. Postsecondary education from trade schools puts your career on a fast track with well paying jobs requiring specific skills.

Postsecondary Education in Trade Schools
Trade schools are usually postsecondary institutions that provide training related to a particular trade or vocation. However, some trade schools also take in senior high school students who are in their final year. Vocational schools now also offer a degree-transfer program. Before enrolling, find out if your trade school will allow some credits to be transferred if you wish to join a four-year degree program after being at a vocational school for some time.
 
Vocational schools are mostly privately owned, though in some cases they may be public schools run by the government or school district. The private schools could be non-profit or for-profit. The for-profit postsecondary vocational schools are also known as career schools. Read Suite101.com for additional information regarding the trade and technical school market and how it relates to employment.

Choosing the Right Trade School
Choosing the right trade school is important to ensure your employability in the future. Things that you should check before finalizing your decision are:

• The rate of placement - how many of the students passing out actually get employed.
• The rate of retention - how many students complete their courses. This is an important indicator of the commitment of the school.
• The equipment and technology that you will be working with. Trade schools are supposed to provide state-of-the-art equipment and technology, which will make you ready for your workplace.
• The career guidance offered by the college - will the college help you to get internships while you are a student?
• The financial assistance that you will get - the costs involved to complete your entire course.

Has the Growth in Trade Schools been Exponential?
Trade schools have seen exponential growth in the last few years. To understand why this has happened, you need to understand the market for labor in the country. Before the 70's, the U.S. had an abundance of blue collar and manufacturing jobs. However, as the manufacturing sector shifted to other countries, people lost jobs, and parents prodded children towards college and higher education as a means to succeed in life. Then somewhere in the 90's, there was a dearth of skilled people to maintain the goods that were imported. The demand-supply gap pushed salaries upward for skilled labor. Trade schools were once again the focus of high school grads, who saw it as a means to a lucrative career, without going through four years of regular degree college. Another factor that worked in favor of trade schools was the relatively lower cost of education. People who are paying their way and who do not want to be burdened with a loan opt for the quicker and assured route towards building a career. For example, a graduate mechanic can easily earn around $35 an hour (with just two years spent in school), while the average entry salary of a psychology grad is around $15 an hour, with a 40-hour work week and two weeks of paid holiday (all after four years in college). This comparison takes only earnings into account. The following article, Increasing Popularity in Trade Schools, discusses additional trends in the vocational or technical industries.

What the Statistics Say
That postsecondary education has seen very high growth in trade schools and vocational schools is substantiated by various surveys. A recession in the economy has further increased the number of students opting for trade schools to learn new trades and broaden their scope of getting a job. Sectors that have seen the maximum growth are healthcare and law. The Institute of Business and Medical Careers (IBMC) in Fort Collins has seen enrollments increasing every semester. Enrollments at Aims Community College have also shown a steady growth from 2004. Other vocational courses that have become popular are those in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Trade schools that started small are shifting campuses due to the rise in enrollments. One example is that of the Larimer County Program, which has grown from an enrollment of 6.74 percent in 2002 to around 22 percent in 2004. American postsecondary education is investing in preparing students to face the global challenge. Huge investments (for example, $50 million by the Charles County Public School District, Maryland, on its North Point High School for Science, Technology, and Industry) are being made by colleges and universities. The USED reports that enrollment to vocational schools increased by 57 percent from 1999 through 2004. The Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Training Act was renewed and the government has apportioned $1.3 billion for trade schools. While some states such as California have upped their budgets for vocational education, others such as Kansas have students awaiting enrollment as their technical colleges cannot keep up with the demand for vocational training due to the lack of government funding.

Education has to change keeping pace with the change in economy. Vocational training, once considered a line of career building for the academically and economically less privileged, has metamorphosed into a high level of technical education, with specialized branches like robotics, computer networking, environmental technology and the like.

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