Introduction
Vocational training is specialized training for a particular career or trade. The training in most cases does not consider professional skills, but lays emphasis on the practicability of skills learnt, hence linking to the working fields. Vocational skills help workers to improve their working styles, speed, and performance, hence ensuring quality service delivery within set targets and standards (Doak, 2009, Para. 1-2)
How to Improve Vocational Training
Vocational training should emphasize skills that are relevant to the existing economic, social, and political demands. In other words, this training should lay great emphasis on existing industrial needs, which helps individuals to adapt to changes in work settings (Penney Seow, and Yek, 2007, p.2). In addition, the training must merge both the modern and traditional trade structures to meet existing economic demands.
Technical education should use expanded programs and practical learning experiences, which offer learners an opportunity to vary their career options. Through extensive analysis of career options, learners get a chance of developing quality academic skills, hence preparing them for changing information and service oriented economies.
Due to reduction of workers with specific labour and market skills, there is need for governments to introduce specialized programs in addition to usual academic programs. The programs should be either in form of work related experiences or courses that emphasize certain skills in demand. Governments should integrate these programs in the normal school programmes or as part-time learning. They should use training indicators to predict future labour demands. These indicators will help education providers to know the best courses that schools should offer. The courses offered should encourage creativity among learners and promote development of better skilled labour performance (Doak, 2009, Para. 5-7). In addition to integrating vocational training to the existing learning institutions, governments should increase the number of vocational institutions. These institutions should target school drop outs, hence allow them to complete their education through meaningful learning.
Doak (2009, Para. 12-13) argues that, the federal governments must pump extra resources towards this sector, to enable it meet its demands. Funding should centre on expanding skill-based courses and buying facilities to minimise rote learning. He further suggests that governments should introduce apprenticeship programs for skill improvement, to those already working (Para. 16-19).
To ensure education standards meet changing trends in economies, politics and business must coordinate to ensure development of well-managed educational systems that encourage professionalism. The structures put in place must give all workers, political bodies and administrators a collective responsibility of ensuring the programs meet current demands (International weiterbildung and entwicklung, 2009, Para.1-5).
In addition to training of skills that are on demand, vocational training should emphasize transferable skills. Transferable skills help individuals to adapt to changes in jobs and market demands (Kornacki, 2009, Para. 6).
To help the government in provision of vocational training, organisation’s human resource departments should come up with policies that promote vocational training. In addition, organisations should sensitize their worker on the importance of vocational training. Training methods adopted by organisations should emphasize the existing labour demands (Kinh, 2008, p.1)
Conclusion
In conclusion, to regulate the drop out rate and ensure success of vocational training, all employers, unions, and vocational bodies must cooperate in ensuring vocational skills offered are of practical importance in the labour market.
References
Doak, J. M., 2009. Vocational Training. State university. Web.
International weiterbildung and entwicklung., 2009. Vocational training. Inwent. Web.
Kinh, B. T., 2008. Vocational training needs to keep closer contact with labour market. Vietnam economic times, (online). Web.
Kornacki, M., 2009. Action needed to improve quality and relevance of vocational training. Web.
Penney, D., Seow, A., and Yek, M. T., 2007. Vocational educational and training (VET): a case study in Singapore.