In today's economy vocational jobs are becoming more and more important. This is why vocational education programs are popular. Vocational education training provides career and technical education to interested students. These students are prepared as trainees for jobs; jobs that are based upon manual or practical fields or jobs that are related to specific trades, occupations, and vocations.

    Instructors teach students the knowledge required for their field. Community colleges have long been offering vocational education. These colleges around the country provide certificates in various vocational fields. They also offer certain degree programs that focus on some popular occupations. The vocational field expands each year to include new fields.

    The training for vocational jobs requires less education than four year degree programs. They are also much less expensive. Instructors at this level of education use traditional methods of teaching. They use lesson plans, teacher resources, worksheets, an other tools in this process. One difference to other education programs is the on-the-job training component. Many students will have the opportunity to work in their field while being educated. Some will be accepted into valuable apprenticeship programs. Some of the jobs in vocational fields include construction workers, blacksmiths, and steel workers. Today, there are other great choices of vocational jobs. These include retail, tourism, and cosmetology. Also, there are some portions of the information technology field taught. This allows students to decide from a variety of career choices.

    The retail field is one of those growing career opportunities. Workers can start as trainees and then reach management position. Most retail companies have their own training programs for specific jobs. These make retail even more welcoming to new employees. Tourism is also a great field to consider in the vocational field. This area includes planning trips to being a tour guide.

(Adapted from: http://www.teachnology.com/teachers/ vocational_ed/)

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