One of the great American tragedies lies in the demise of the serious high school vocational track toward a diploma. There was a recognition that many students did not need to waste their time in studying content that would be of little or no immediate use to them, as young people had to be ready to go to work as soon as they had their diplomas.
Many students were destined to work in the family business, on the family farm or for an employer who needed specific mechanical, agricultural, business management, clerical or other skills, not college preparatory or global knowledge. Young women had career tracks that would often involve homemaking skills that included advanced cooking, sewing and tailoring and other skills that could also be used to make some extra household money or to provide self sufficiency in life.
The high school vocational track was excellent preparation for those who would then go into immediate employment and into on-the-job training. Then there were options for part time college, delayed college or the military and employer paid college programs. Eventually, those who wanted to could advance their educations either in specific areas or toward a full college Associates or Bachelor’s degree.
The benefit of graduating workers who have high school diplomas and who were ready for employment was that young people were immediately able to establish their working careers, to finish growing up, to start families and to establish their own homes.
Now, we have high school programs that are so bereft of skills based knowledge that a graduating student cannot be a medical front office receptionist, an entry level bookkeeper, a short order cook, a computer operator, qualified for a position in law enforcement or the fire department, a small business owner or an apprentice auto mechanic. This makes no sense.
The only option now is for high school graduates to pay tens of thousands of dollars and to delay entry into the workforce until they complete at least 18 months of private technical school. By the time they get though technical school, they are heavily in debt and have been out of the job market for up to two years.
Many of those courses and trainings for entry level positions can be completed during the last 18 months of high school.
Private technical school is supposed to provide an Associates degree level of education, which should give a graduate an advanced education that goes well beyond the high school diploma. Examples of more advanced programs include medical assisting, basic nursing, phlebotomy, advanced technical skills in computer and database maintenance, design and graphics, chef’s school, full charge bookkeeping, mechanics, lab technicians and other highly technical fields.
These programs make private technical school the place to go for high school graduates who need assurance that a job that will be available to make up for their 18 months to two years out of the competitive workforce and that will enable them to pay off their student loan debt.
In summary, if America needs better educated entry level technicians and skilled workers, than they can be built during their last two years of high school. Private technical school are a fine alternative for getting more advanced skills and educations, but they should never have become an expensive and work delaying replacement for the traditional high school vocational track toward skilled entry level and gainful employment.
