The increasing need to focus on a vocational education in a student's career.
Growing up we were made to believe that the only worthwhile courses of study were academic and that which would ultimately land us in some professional course or the other, the premier ones being engineering, medicine or commerce. With lakhs of students finishing school every year and numbers only increasing, the professional pie would naturally get smaller. Yet vocational studies were never given enough thought. It's time we did.
Let me dispel certain myths. The term ‘vocational’ actually means ‘work-related’. So if you are doing a vocational qualification it means you are learning skills that will help you to get, and do a job. That’s it. Vocational education is not an ‘easier’ alternative to taking Board exams, it is something that provides people with practical skills and the underpinning knowledge people need to understand how to use these skills.
Some people are not aware that you can actually get vocational qualifications that will take you up to the same level as a degree, so the opportunities for continued personal development are still there, even if you don't choose the conventional route.
With a vocational qualification, you're more likely to be able to start working sooner, giving you the experience you need to back up what you’re learning - and you get to earn money at the same time. And the money earning doesn't stop there.
With few students opting for vocational subjects in schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has, in fact, constituted a committee to review vocational courses and do away with those that are not finding enough takers.
Sample this: 11 lakh students appeared for CBSE’s Class XII examination this year. Of these, those who have opted for vocational courses include — six for retail services, 11 for health centre management, 16 for integrated transport operations, 34 for confectionary courses, and 55 for front office operations. There are about 100 courses on offer under vocational studies.
The main reason for fewer students opting for vocational subjects is to do with the mindset of people. Vocational courses are considered to be meant for below-average students — which is clearly not the case. Also, when vocational courses were introduced years ago, they didn’t come with proper planning such as provision for proper labs, instructors, hands-on practice etc, hence students suffered. But the current policy has removed those lacunae and more jobs are being created, but it will take some time to catch on), this according to a principal of a college of vocational studies from Delhi University.
A huge supply of largely young and educated population of working age is often cited as the bedrock of India's demographic dividend. When most of the global economies are saddled with a limited supply of young people to replace the ageing workforce, India is blessed with a young demographic to power its growth agenda and is perfectly poised to become the global supplier of a huge workforce.
However, the current state of affairs in the Indian education system is inimical for leveraging this demographic dividend positively. We are grappling with unemployment on the one hand while corporate houses and industries are facing a shortage of suitable candidates to fill vacancies. Worse, reports that a majority of students graduating are just not employable.
While there may be various viable solutions to the problems concerning both the education system and the employability of graduates, focusing on delivering quality vocational education to students will go a long way in addressing both the stated concerns and be beneficial to students in carving out a career for themselves.
Let us list some of the most popular as well as relatively unknown yet promising vocational courses on offer for students.
Commerce based courses
1. Office Secretaryship
2. Stenography and Computer Applications
3.Accountancy and Auditing
4. Marketing and Salesmanship
5. Banking
6. Retail
7.Financial Market Management
8. Business Administration
These commerce based vocational courses will help you learn professional skills and proficiency to work in modern day offices. Accountancy and Auditing, for example, is a specialised course that will help students identify business opportunities, risk assessment, and familiarize them with business processes. These courses will enable students to gain meaningful employment not only in offices, banks and retail setups, it will also equip them with the necessary knowledge on starting their own enterprises.
Engineering based courses
9. Electrical Technology
10. Automobile Technology
11. Civil Engineering
12. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology
13. Electronics Technology
14. GeoSpatial Technology
15. Foundry 16. IT Application
Engineering based vocational courses offer relevant, appropriate, and adequate technical knowledge together with professional skills and competencies to students. While these courses are quite selfsufficient in terms of knowledge and skill proficiency for jobs in related fields they can also be stepping stones to further specialize in selected fields.
Health and Para Medical based courses
17. Ophthalmic Techniques
18. Medical Laboratory Techniques
19. Auxiliary Nursing & Midwifery
20. X-Ray Technician
21. Healthcare Sciences
22. Health and Beauty Studies
23. Medical Diagnostics
Health delivery systems rely on a host of supporting services, and vocational courses equip students to work as technicians in laboratories and diagnostic centers or perform other critical tasks in the healthcare system.
Home Science based courses
24. Fashion Design & Clothing Construction
25. Textile Design
26. Design Fundamental
27. Music Technical Production
28. Beauty Services
A course in fashion and textiles, music and beauty services is ideal for enterprising students who wish to set up their own operations. These are niche skills for which there is great demand in the relevant industry.
Hospitality and Tourism based courses
29. Food Production
30. Food and Beverage Services
31. Mass Media Studies and Media Production
32. Bakery and Confectionery
33. Front office
34. Travel and Tourism
Students can choose from a course as per their interest area or chosen career field. The skills and competencies acquired through any of these vocational courses will set students on the path of gainful employment in hotels, confectioneries, and bakeries in the formal sector or they can utilize their skills to strike out on their own.
Besides the listed vocational courses, there is a host of other courses such as in transportation and logistics management, library sciences, horticulture and animal husbandry that impart practical and relevant skills that help in gainful employment
It is given that not everyone will qualify for a seat in the medical or engineering colleges and nor is everyone cut out for a career in these fields alone. Thus, it will be in the greater good if vocational courses are made accessible to the students from early on and the quality of teaching and syllabus followed in these courses be regularly updated. This is a sure shot way of ensuring employability and will enable the country to leverage its demographic advantage to become the manpower capital of the world.