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What’s vocational training? Everything you need to know

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What’s vocational training?

Why vocational training matters, benefits of vocational training, vocational training versus on-the-job training, 12 vocational training examples, find the right career for you.

When you’re pondering a new job, it’s usually a sign of a new adventure. Perhaps you just walked the stage and collected your high school diploma, or maybe you’re a seasoned professional on the path to a new career. Whatever the case may be, it’s time to think about what’s next. 

Whether you take a gap year to rest or jump right into life’s next chapter, your path will likely lead to more education. After all, education opens the doors to better jobs ( with higher earnings ) and a happy, meaningful life . 

For some people, traditional college is the natural next step in their academic journey. But if college isn’t for you, don’t sweat it — you can find a fulfilling, successful career by enrolling in vocational training. 

So, what’s vocational training, and is it right for you? Let’s dive into the benefits of trade schools and the jobs they lead to.

Vocational training (also called trade school) is a program or course designed to prepare you for a specific vocation , a job or career related to helping others. These programs typically eschew unrelated academic subjects (like the general education courses from a traditional college) and focus on hands-on learning related to the student’s desired career. 

People who enroll in vocational training can learn valuable and marketable skills in fields like:

• Graphic design
• Automotive repair

In today's diverse landscape of vocational programs, trade schools stand ready to cater to a vast array of interests and aspirations. No matter your passion or background, you’re all but guaranteed to find an institution that offers a program that excites you.

Trade school students run the age gamut from recent high school graduates to older folks looking to change careers . That’s the beauty of vocational training: it’s designed to accommodate people from various walks of life, including young professionals eager to embark on their career path and experienced workers seeking to enhance their skill sets .

Vocational training programs are essential for anyone looking to work in a trade profession. Whether you want to be a makeup artist, welder, or chef, you need a proper educational background to ensure you have the skills to work safely and effectively.

Plus, not everyone wants to go to college. And if it’s not the right path for you, you’re not alone — more than 60% of Americans over the age of 25 don’t hold a bachelor’s degree. 

Trade schools offer a way for people to learn specific vocational skills without sitting in a classroom, which is particularly valuable for higher-risk trades in healthcare and manual labor. Training provides time and space to learn vital skills — like giving injections or handling a welding torch — and a safe environment to practice them. 

Vocational training also empowers students to build a network within their desired industry, leading to apprenticeships , internships , externships , and jobs after graduation. The teachers, fellow students, and other professionals you meet during your time in school just might help you land the position of your dreams.

And perhaps most importantly, trade school is often a far more affordable option than four-year college degrees. According to education and career resource BestColleges, many programs are as little as one-quarter of the cost of a bachelor’s degree , making them far more affordable options and resulting in significantly less student debt. 

Researchers have long documented the earnings gap between people with high school diplomas and those with college degrees, but those surveys often exclude trade school graduates from their studies. 

Depending on the job, some trade school students can earn just as much — or more — than their peers with bachelor’s degrees. For example, a construction manager ( average salary: $108,210 ) earns a similar amount as a computer programmer ( average salary: $102,790 ) without traditional postsecondary school. 

Here are a few other benefits of vocational training: 

• Trade schools typically have smaller class sizes than colleges, so students receive more individualized attention
• Vocational education is usually much more affordable than college tuition. The national average cost for a four-year college degree is over $36,000 , whereas trade school costs between $5,000 and $15,000 for a three- to 18-month program , allowing students to start their careers with little to no debt.
• Many vocational programs are designed to accommodate working students. People can learn new skills and prepare for a new career at their own pace and on a flexible schedule. 
• Trade schools award their graduates credentials and certifications that make them more attractive to employers in their industries.

After you finish a vocational training program, your new employer might ask you to participate in on-the-job training . So, what’s the difference between vocational training and on-the-job training? Simply put, vocational training prepares you for a specific job, while on-the-job training prepares you for a particular company. 

The skills you learn in vocational training can apply to any company in your industry. Whether you start working for an established business or take on gig work to supplement your income, you’ll use what you learned at school to succeed at your job. You may choose to continue to hone your abilities after training ends through additional courses or off-the-job training .  

On-the-job training focuses on what you need to know to work with your new company. This might include the organization’s policies and procedures, unique software, or proprietary processes. 

Vocational training might sound enticing, but what does it actually look like? The answer depends on the job you want to pursue. 

Let’s examine the training you need to start a career in these common vocations: 

1. Medical coder: Medical coders turn diagnoses, procedures, and prescriptions into the medical codes healthcare facilities use to keep records.

This is an important role in the healthcare industry, so people working as coders typically earn an average salary of $51,090 . To become a medical coder, you must complete a 6-month vocational training pro gram and pass the exam to earn your medical billing certification. 

2. Phlebotomist: These healthcare professionals draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, and more. Phlebotomists earn an average salary of $40,580 . Becoming a phlebotomist takes around three months, though some programs can last up to a year. At school, you’ll gain hands-on experience while learning medical terminology and physiology before earning your credential through a national certification body .

Construction

3. Plumber: Thanks to the issues that crop up with our water heaters, sinks, and more, plumbers are always in demand. They earn an average salary of $65,190 , and many learn at a vocational-technical school before going into an apprenticeship . It takes about five years to become a journeyman plumber, meaning you’ve successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification (which can earn you a higher salary).   

4. Electrician: Electricians work on installing and repairing electrical elements in homes, large buildings, and public infrastructure. They earn $65,280 per year on average , and vocational training typically takes about four years. This typically includes 96 hours of classroom training and over 8,000 hours of on-the-job training . 

5. Carpenter: These tradespeople use a combination of tools and techniques to cut, shape, and assemble wood to create functional and aesthetically pleasing builds, from furniture to houses. To become one, you can expect to spend 1–2 years at school before entering a four-year paid apprenticeship . When you’re ready to branch out on your own, you can look forward to an average salary of $58,210 .

Installation and maintenance 

6. HVAC technician: HVAC technicians install and repair heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and cooling systems — an industry in high demand due to rising global temperatures. An HVAC technician earns an average of $57,460 per year , and training to become one lasts at least two years. You may choose to spend more time in apprenticeships or internships after completing your vocational education.

7. Home inspector: Home inspection is one of the most lucrative vocational careers, with professionals earning an average of $70,130 a year . It’s also a career that requires minimal vocational training.

Many online courses prepare you to take the home inspector licensing exam with just 60 hours of lessons. However, a number of home inspectors undergo an apprenticeship or a supervisory period after getting their license before they’re ready to inspect homes independently. 

8. Paralegal: Paralegals assist lawyers in researching cases, drafting legal documents, and preparing clients for hearings. To become a paralegal, you need to earn an associate degree in paralegal studies, which takes around two years. After completing your education, you can expect to earn around $62,840 each year (the national average).   

9. Chef: Folks who enjoy cooking and want to make a career of it typically need to spend one or two years in a culinary certification program . While the role doesn’t have strict regulatory requirements that require education or an apprenticeship (like an electrician needs), a formal education can make for a more competitive applicant. 

Many community colleges offer these programs, which allow aspiring chefs to gain hands-on training experience. The profession has an average salary of $60,210 .  

10. Graphic design: Graphic designers are an essential part of modern business, as they help create content for advertising — both physical and digital. Graphic designers earn an average salary of $64,500 , and employers typically look for professionals with an associate degree (or an impressive portfolio ).

11. Animation: Do you want to see your art on the big screen? It pays well, too — the average salary for animators working in the U.S. is $111,130 per year . Like graphic designers, aspiring animators can combine vocational training with a stellar portfolio to break into the industry. ​​

Trade school programs typically narrow in on specific techniques necessary to do a particular job in animation , rather than taking a general approach to the subject, allowing you to focus on your niche. 

12. Cosmetology: Becoming a cosmetologist requires 1,000 to 2,300 hours of coursework and training, which most students complete over the course of 9-15 months . In cosmetology school, you’ll learn about the science of hair coloring, hairstyling and makeup techniques, customer service skills, and more.

Once you complete your technical training, you must pass a licensing exam before you can start working on clients professionally. The average cosmetologist earns around $38,910 per year . 

Whether you’re a recent high school grad or an established worker looking to make a career change, you deserve to find a job that makes you excited to head to work each day. And that doesn’t have to mean enrolling in a four-year college program.

Vocational schools offer an array of excellent education programs for people already who know the career they want to pursue and don’t wish to attend college. These programs teach you the skills you need to enter the job market faster than traditional higher education, allowing you to start your career as soon as possible.

If you’re hesitating to apply to college or exploring a possible career change, ask yourself if vocational training is the right option to kickstart your next chapter.

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Vocational skills: What they are and how to develop them

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Occupational/Vocational Education, BS

The university’s undergraduate Occupational/Vocational Education degree program provides students with a blend of academic, vocational technical teaching, and elective learning opportunities.

• You will be educated in comprehensive personnel development, which responds to specific occupational updating, professional growth and enhancement, and state-of-the-art information sharing for and with vocational technical educators.
• You'll learn through the program's teaching approach, which brings about desired changes in the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and appreciation level of those in training.

Earn your bachelor's degree in occupational/vocational education. Learn more today.

Request Information     Apply Now

Program Overview

A significant component of the occupational/vocational education bachelor of science is its availability to students at off-campus vocational technical school sites located across Massachusetts.

Job relevance and valid, reliable, vocational technical practice is attained through participatory planning and affiliation with industry, vocational technical school practitioners, professional associations and representatives of the University.

The program offers up to 12 credits in recognition of the work experiences of the participating students. Candidates may apply for the trade experience credit after completing 80 credits in the program.

Courses are offered at various regional vocational high schools. In addition, many of the required courses are also available online.

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities include but are not limited to:

• Vocational Technical Instructor
• Cooperative Education Coordinator
• Vocational Program Director or Coordinator

These career opportunities have additional requirements, but the bachelor's degree is the minimum degree required for these licensed administrative positions.

Program Highlights

• Accredited by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DOE)
• Affiliated with the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA)

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Curriculum and other information.

• BS, Occupational/Vocational Education  - Program information from the University Catalog.
• Two-Year Course Rotation (PDF) - Required and elective courses for program completion.
• School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education Tuition and Fees

Dean's Scholarship for Occupational/Vocational Education Students

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Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education

The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) is a nationwide network of 300 colleges and universities formed to support and enrich vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students. A program of the Council of Independent Colleges, NetVUE is supported by the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. and member dues. CIC administers NetVUE with guidance from an advisory council comprising representatives from participating institutions.

CIC is grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for its longstanding support of NetVUE.

For a summary of NetVUE’s purpose and its programs and services, view this brief overview from David Cunningham, executive director of NetVUE; for a written account, view this two-page summary , updated annually, which may be downloaded, printed, and/or forwarded as needed.

Spotlight on Upcoming Events and Opportunities

2024 NetVUE “Big Read” Launch at Loras College: Vocation and the Common Good

2024 NetVUE Gathering at King University: Storytelling and Vocation

2024 NetVUE Gathering at Texas Lutheran University: Equity-Based Initiatives to Support Vocational Discernment

Netvue newsletter: vocational connections.

To view a listing of all recent issues of the newsletter, click here.

Connecting Campus Leaders: NetVUE Conferences, Gatherings, and Seminars

NetVUE hosts a large biennial national conference (coming up soon in March 2024, with over 800 participants), which brings teams of campus leaders into conversation with expert resource persons from across the country. In the years between national conferences, NetVUE hosts a large virtual event (the NetVUE UnConference), as well as smaller, in-person regional and topical gatherings, which allow for smaller numbers of participants to focus on a specific theme. These events are held in various parts of the country, so that most member institutions will find one or two of these gatherings within a few hours’ drive.

Strengthening Institutional Capacity: NetVUE Grant Programs

NetVUE currently offers five different grant programs, in amounts ranging from $12,000 to over $100,000, that are designed to support programming for students and professional development for faculty members and staff. Grants range in length from one to three years. They are intended to strengthen the capacity of NetVUE member institutions to support and enrich vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students. These initiatives are administered by CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Promoting Knowledge and Networking: NetVUE Print and Digital Resources

NetVUE provides a wide range of resources in a variety of formats—in printed publications, online content, audio, and video. The most “permanent” of these resources is a series of books, all published by Oxford University Press, that include contributions by leaders in the field of vocation and calling on a variety of themes. In addition, NetVUE supports the publication of journal articles, including a recent issue of Christian Scholars Review on the theme of vocation. A series of “conversation card” decks are being developed for use in facilitating campus conversations about vocation and calling. NetVUE also publishes a blog at www.vocationmatters.org and a podcast, now in its fourth season, with episodes available to stream or download at netvue.buzzsprout.com . Other digital resources include a regular series of webinars, curated lists of relevant web resources, and an online community network. This last resource includes bibliographies, course syllabi, recorded presentations from national conferences and regional gatherings, and a discussion board for peer-to-peer exchange of program ideas and best practices.

Building a Community of Practice: NetVUE Professional Development Opportunities

NetVUE promotes the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and best practices through a number of professional development opportunities, including free consulting services (for specific programs or for the whole campus), subsidized visits of campus teams to another NetVUE institution, support for reading groups (both a “Big Read” for the entire network and a “Collaborative Read” for smaller-scale groups). NetVUE also supports multiple seminars for staff and faculty members, hosting these events at the national level and underwriting their development on member campuses.

Membership in NetVUE

​The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) currently has 308 ​institutional members  and 9 organizational members . View a map of NetVUE members. Institutional membership is open to any independent college or university that would be eligible for membership in the Council of Independent Colleges. Organizational Membership is open to any organization that includes NetVUE institutional members among its own members or constituencies.

NetVUE membership operates on a calendar-year basis, with dues payable by December 1 for the following calendar year. Dues for institutional members are based on the college or university’s undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment. Institutions may join at any time. Those that join in October or later receive membership benefits for the remainder of that year as well as the following calendar year.

Contact Information

For further information and for all questions, contact the NetVUE National Office, which is located on the campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Call (616) 632-1060 or email Alex Stephenson, NetVUE administrative assistant, at [email protected] . The mailing address is NetVUE, Aquinas College, 1700 Fulton St. E., Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

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What Is a Vocational Degree?

Understanding vocational degrees, requirements for a vocational degree, special considerations.

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Vocational Degree: Definition, Requirements, and Uses

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia.

Katie Miller is a consumer financial services expert. She worked for almost two decades as an executive, leading multi-billion dollar mortgage, credit card, and savings portfolios with operations worldwide and a unique focus on the consumer. Her mortgage expertise was honed post-2008 crisis as she implemented the significant changes resulting from Dodd-Frank required regulations.

A vocational degree is an academic certificate awarded to students who have completed the degree requirements for a specific trade or career. Vocational degrees are popular because they typically require less time to complete than a traditional degree program (e.g., associate or bachelor's degree), and upon completion, the student is often ready to begin working the trade. A college undergraduate degree focuses on developing an individual's all-around intelligence and critical-thinking skills, but may not prepare an individual for a specific job. However, vocational degrees offer training for careers, such as medical coding and billing, auto mechanics, cosmetology, electrical work, and legal secretary work.

Key Takeaways

• Vocational degrees are academic certificates awarded to students who have completed degree requirements for a specific trade or career.
• Completing a vocational degree program typically takes less time than a traditional undergraduate program, though this time varies by state.
• Because careers and business needs evolve, some workers seek to complete a vocational degree to remain marketable.

Sometimes it is possible to get a bachelor's degree in a program that is also offered as a vocational degree, but not all vocational degrees can be obtained through a traditional four-year college. For example, it is possible to become a paralegal after obtaining a law degree at a university or after completing a paralegal vocational degree; however, few, if any, colleges offer bachelor's degrees in cosmetology.

The parameters for what qualifies as a vocational degree may vary by state. Two years of nursing education in California, for instance, is quantified as a vocational or technical degree, but in other states, that same curriculum might be recorded as non-vocational. The length of the curriculum for vocational degrees can vary drastically from a couple of months to two years.

The value of vocational degrees can also vary, with some estimates showing that shorter-term programs can offer higher career returns on the investment. The range of salaries for jobs open to those with vocational degrees can vary widely.

Vocational degrees are sometimes sought by individuals who have already established a career in one field but are looking to be trained in supplemental areas. This sort of activity may be common in industries that have undergone evolutionary periods when new required skill sets are needed to remain employed in a particular role. For instance, many careers now require an understanding and use of information technology and computer programming skills as a part of daily work. 

Vocational degrees may also be used for job-changers who seek a fresh, more competitive position in the job market on an entirely different career path. They might even have college degrees in specialized fields. A vocational degree is an opportunity to pursue work that might not otherwise be available to them. This can be especially true if certain industry positions see a sudden rise in immediate demand with few professionals available to fill the roles. Pursuing a vocational degree that offers such skills may be an opportunity to achieve a higher salary in a short amount of time.

Federal Trade Commission. " Choosing a Vocational School or Certificate Program ."

California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. " Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) ."

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• Vocational Courses /

Bachelor of Vocational Education (B.Voc): BVOC Course List, Syllabus & Fees

• Updated on  
• Jun 4, 2022

A lot of academic and professional courses are offered at various Universities in India and abroad. BVoc is among those non-traditional courses that prepare students to develop various skills required in different fields such as manufacturing, IT, computer , food management and more. If you want to gain practical experience rather than theoretical knowledge, then a BVoc course can be the right choice for you. Read on to know more about B.Voc course list, syllabus, fees, top colleges and more.

This Blog Includes:

What is bvoc, bvoc course list, bvoc course syllabus , bvoc software development, bvoc interior design,  required skillset for bvoc,  bvoc specializations, popular exams for bvoc, bvoc eligibility and admissions, bvoc course fees, best universities for bvoc in india , bvoc abroad, bvoc course scope, jobs and salary , top recruiters for bvoc.

B.Voc or Bachelor of Vocational Education is a non-traditional undergraduate degree offered in various fields for students who want to gain skill-based education. A BVoc course helps students to be industry-ready right after completing the course.

Listed below are the specialisations available for students who wish to pursue a BVoc course:

• Retail Management
• Fashion Technology and Apparel Designing
• Printing and Publication
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Organic Agriculture
• Tea Husbandry & Technology
• Web Technologies
• Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning
• Food Processing and Quality Management
• Applied Computer Technology
• Data Analytics
• Health Care
• Logistics Management
• Food Science
• Software Development
• Baking and Finance
• Green House Technology
• Theatre and Acting
• Medical Lab Technology
• Soil and Water Conservation
• Beauty & Wellness
• Interior Design

Also Read: Vocational Courses

BVoc is a 3-year undergraduate course, further divided into 6 semesters. The course includes 40% theoretical education and the rest is practical vocational training. The syllabus for B.Voc will vary for different specializations. To give you an idea of the B.Voc course structure, we have mentioned the BVoc Course subjects for popular B.Voc Courses such as Software Development and Interior Design.

The table below mentions the Course Curriculum for B.Voc Software Development:

The table below mentions the Course Curriculum for B.Voc Interior Design:

Most schools and institutions that offer Bachelor of Vocation programmes admit students based on a written entrance test followed by a personal interview stage. However, a few colleges also provide direct admission to individuals based on their Class 12th grade point average.The written examination for the BVoc entrance exam involves multiple-choice questions on themes such as General Awareness, General Mental Ability, Numerical Ability, Current Affairs, and Language (English/ Hindi). Personal interviews are held to evaluate candidates’ general aptitude for the BVoc programme.

Admission to B.Voc Courses is either done through a merit-based process or entrance-based. Some universities and colleges have different requirements for admission but the general eligibility criteria for pursuing a B.Voc course are as follows:

• You must have passed the class 10+2 exam or an equivalent examination from a recognized board.
• There is no specific cut-off mentioned but you must have scored 50-55% marks in class 12.
• If you have a diploma degree after Matric qualification, you’ll still be qualified to pursue a B.Voc course.

Some of the entrance exams conducted for admission to B.Voc courses are

B.Voc Course Fee varies according to the specialization and colleges. However, the average fee for B.Voc Courses is INR 30,000- INR 2,00,000.  

If you are worried about your expenses, let Leverage Finance help you!

Here’s a list of some of the top universities/colleges offering B.Voc in India:

• Delhi University
• Jamia Milia Islamia
• Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
• Aligarh Muslim University
• Savitribai Phule Pune University

B.Voc courses are known as associate degrees abroad. The objective of the associate degree is similar to that of the B.Voc degree as it aims to help students become skilled and industry-ready in relevant fields. Here’s a list of universities offering B.Voc courses abroad:

•   Kansas State University
•   University of Canada West
•   University of Tasmania
•   Torrens University
•   University of Southern Queensland
•  CQ University

Students who wish to pursue further education after BVoc can opt for M.Voc or an MBA. B.Voc allows students to pursue specialised job roles in different sectors of the industry immediately after the completion of the course, unlike other traditional courses. 

The salary of a BVoc graduate varies according to the specializations and job positions. Listed below are some jobs available after completion of BVoc Courses:

• Computer Operator
• Automobile Technician
• Vocational Teacher
• Interior Designer
• Executive – Food processing
• Business development manager
• Home Economist

The table below mentions the average salary of the above-mentioned job roles in India:

The full form of BVoc is Bachelors of Vocational Education.

A BVoc Course is a 3-year undergraduate course designed specifically to help students develop the skills required for a career in various industrial sectors.

BVoc course is an interdisciplinary undergraduate course offered under a variety of subjects like Medicare, Engineering, Arts, Science, Banking, etc

A minimum of 50-60% is required for admission to a BVoc Course. 

BVoc Courses are offered in various specializations. Some of the BVoc Courses are as follows Retail Management Information Technology Tourism and Travel Management Mass Media Fashion Technology and Apparel Designing Web Technology and Multimedia Food Processing Tourism and Service Industry Renewable Energy Software Development 

This was all you needed to know about BVoc course. If you want to pursue higher studies abroad then feel free to contact Leverage Edu and our experts will then provide you with end-to-end assistance starting from your university application to the time you reach your university and commence your studies. Call us at 1800 57 2000 to book a FREE 30-minutes counselling session today.

Damanpreet Kaur Vohra

Daman is an author with profound expertise in writing engaging and informative content focused on EdTech and Study Abroad. With a keen understanding of these domains, Daman excels at creating complex concepts into accessible, reader-friendly material. With a proven track record of insightful articles, Daman stands as a reliable source for providing content for EdTech and Study Abroad.

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Strengthen the Student Educational Experience

Introduction.

For the past two decades, institutions of higher education have been the subject of increased public scrutiny, and perhaps that is as it should be. As a society, we ask so much of our two-year and four-year institutions—that they provide foundational knowledge for future citizens, practical skills for future workers, technical innovations for future discoveries, and the understanding and habits of mind that can sustain all of us through the course of our lives. And we are now asking that they provide this kind of quality education to more students than ever before. Currently, 17 million students are enrolled in college and university programs across the country—representing, in every sense, the future of our country and of the world. It is only appropriate that we should continually evaluate the education they receive and adjust our methods and resources to ensure the most positive results for individual students, their families, and for our society as a whole.

Much of the current public discourse about higher education focuses on two systemic challenges: the affordability of a degree and the importance of program completion. Both are critical challenges that the Commission addresses in greater depth in later sections of this report, but before turning to those issues, we must first ask a fundamental question: What kind of education is worth students’ commitment of time and their investment of scarce resources? Too little attention has been devoted to this question and to the rigors of the learning experience itself, despite all of the attention paid to undergraduate education. Specific answers will vary and may be particular to each individual who asks, but the Commission believes that some important general characteristics distinguish a quality college education in every case, including the quality of the teaching students encounter. Completion and affordability are critical challenges, but we must first ask, and answer, completion and affordability for what?

Given the accelerated rate of change in American society—technological change, demographic change, the evolution of a global economy—a quality education must encourage and develop intellectual resilience and flexibility. It must offer students a combination of scholarly knowledge, practical skills, and personal dispositions that empowers them to live productive and meaningful lives and to participate effectively in the American economy and democracy, regardless of their program of study or their age at enrollment. And it must build on the strengths of previous generations while creating a solid, practical foundation for future generations—since today’s students are tomorrow’s teachers, whether they find themselves in a classroom, in a factory or boardroom, or around a dinner table.

Students learn in many different settings: in classrooms, lecture halls, and laboratories; online; through peer interactions; through co- and extracurricular activities; and through self-motivated exploration. In almost every case, the richness and rigor of undergraduate learning depends upon the quality of instruction being offered, including the expertise of the teaching workforce and the level of investment in successful teaching methods and resources. Currently, efforts to measure college learning and teaching quality are in their infancy. Researchers are making progress, such as recent advances in discipline-based education research in the STEM fields, but a great deal more needs to be done. In the meantime, colleges and universities need to be as strategic as possible about the kinds of instruction offered and how it is delivered.

Knowledge and Skills All Graduates Need: Academic, Practical, and Civic

All college students—whether enrolled in a short-term program, a two-year college, or a four-year institution—should be able to graduate with skills and credentials that help them to succeed personally and professionally, and to navigate the challenges they will face in their work, families, and communities. One college student may choose to earn a short-term certificate in medical assisting from a local community college. Another may work part-time toward an associate’s degree in science in automotive technology from a for-profit university. A third may pursue a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from a private, residential college. All should come away with a new facility in the knowledge and skills associated with their chosen program of study. But success in today’s economy and effective participation in a democratic society require a broader ambition.

Students need to be equipped with the skills, flexibility, and attitudes required to navigate amid uncertainty, to see change as an opportunity rather than a threat. Such a goal is especially challenging given the diversity of students currently enrolled in undergraduate education, one-third of whom are over the age of 25, as well as their varied and changing motivations for pursuing a degree. Currently, about half of all college students earn bachelor’s degrees (49 percent), while the other half pursue associate’s degrees (26 percent) and certificates (25 percent). 12 Each pathway responds to a different set of motivations and offers a different set of outcomes. Yet all college graduates should also come away with an enhanced set of general skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Career-focused college programs must provide students with a strong base from which to secure employment, but they should also help students learn skills and behaviors necessary for success in the short and long term. Students earning a certificate in advanced manufacturing need to learn how to perform specific technical tasks. But they should also graduate with a broader understanding of how their work fits into the broader manufacturing sector and how to adapt quickly to industrial and technological changes so they can continue to succeed in their chosen fields, or even to change fields, if necessary. They should learn how to work collaboratively with peers (in person or through interactive technologies) to solve problems, to communicate their ideas, and to negotiate on their own behalf. Ultimately, they should have the capacity, when called upon, to lead. Similarly, students earning a bachelor of arts in political science or English literature should not simply be well versed in the discipline’s theories and methods. Their academic knowledge must be augmented with specialized and technical skill sets such as computer programming, data analysis, or social media. 13

In these pursuits, the traditional division between a liberal arts education and a practical, applied education is no longer a very useful distinction. College graduates in every field need to master a blend of so-called soft and hard skills, technical training as well as socio-emotional, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, so they can perform effectively at work, participate meaningfully in community and civic affairs, and pursue learning throughout their lifetimes. Vocational training focused on narrow job-related skills helps students find jobs when they are young, research finds, but they are often not prepared to adapt to changes over time and thus are more likely to be unemployed or have lower salaries when older compared to those who received a more academic general education. 14 While short-term technical programs in particular are often underresourced and pressured to advance students quickly to completion, every program should strive to combine the skills of a liberal education with technical and practical skills for a firm foundation to promote greater social and economic mobility over a lifetime.

This approach is good for the individual student and increasingly it is good for business. A series of national surveys reveals that employers actively seek a workforce equipped with communication, problem-solving, and collaborative skills—and not simply the technical knowledge associated with particular tasks. 15 Some of these skills can be learned in the classroom, but some might be better mastered through cocurricular experiences such as internships, service learning, and co-op programs that reinforce the interaction of theory and practice, knowing and doing. 16 The intentional, mutual reinforcement between theoretical knowledge and direct experience is the foundation of any effective experiential learning program, and the collaboration between educational institutions and employers can be a powerful driver of innovation for business and academia alike. Further, ensuring that students receive a rigorous education engenders greater confidence among employers. Faculty and administrators at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, work closely with representatives from local industries to review curricula and data on student progress and to propose adjustments that help prepare students to graduate with the skills and attitudes employers seek. IBM and other large employers like Cisco and IDEO are working on initiatives to hire “T-shaped” professionals, who possess not only soft skills for collaboration and the ability to interact with and understand specialists from diverse disciplines and functional areas (the T-top) but also the deep knowledge of a specific skill, process, or product (the T-stem). Several universities are now using the concept of the “T” to shape their curricula, with the goal of graduating students who are ready to tackle the challenges of an increasingly diverse, global, and technologically advanced workplace. 17

Beyond preparing students for success in the workforce, preparing students for effective civic participation is a central obligation of undergraduate education writ large. Many of the country’s founders—Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences—believed that the democratic experiment had to be safeguarded and maintained and that the enduring success of a democratic government depended upon an educated citizenry. And since the nineteenth century, expanding educational opportunity has been deeply embedded in American culture. This holds true today as well as into the future, obliging colleges and universities to actively educate students about fundamental knowledge about democracy, the practices and habits needed for lifelong active citizenship, and an understanding of and appreciation for the values that animate democratic practices. Every year, various reports raise concerns about the low level of civic literacy and participation in the United States. 18 Each institution must come to its own definitions and goals for student civic learning and engagement, considering how these can be brought about through academic coursework, cocurricular activities, and off-campus experiences, especially in a time when social media may be changing how students participate in various political processes. 19

Many of the skills and capacities needed for effective citizenship—problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, working in groups—are fully aligned with those needed for success in the workplace. Thus, regardless of a student’s program of study or eventual field of employment, a strong set of civic skills will complement, not compete with, their learning experience. Moreover, a well-educated citizenry has strong spillover effects—communities with strong civic health have higher employment rates, stronger schools, better physical health, and more responsive governments. 20

As students engage in civic practices and discourse, this will inevitably give rise to competing ideas and positions on a variety of political and social issues. Vigorous debate must remain a bedrock value across undergraduate education. Rather than shielding students from points of view that some might find uncomfortable, educational institutions should actively promote discussion and debate. All members of the campus—faculty, staff, and administrators—have an important role to play by encouraging students to develop the confidence and skills to express themselves; to actively listen to all perspectives; to argue for, defend, and sometimes change their positions based on evidence and logic; and to fully appreciate the democratic principle of allowing citizens to speak their minds without fear of retaliation. Conflict and disagreement are inherent in debates that matter, but the environment within which debate occurs shapes the ability of all participants to engage productively. Colleges and universities need to foster the conditions for the open and constructive exchange of ideas while maintaining a safe environment for all to pursue their education. This is no easy feat, but American campuses are the right places to demonstrate to the wider world how this can be done. Indeed, colleges and universities are one of the few places where diverse people with different views learn to work and reason together.

Many undergraduate institutions are already strengthening their commitment to the preparation of future citizens. The American Democracy Project, a network of more than 250 public colleges and universities, supports hundreds of campus initiatives such as curriculum revision projects, voter education and registration efforts, and a speaker series. An international group of universities collaborates through the Talloires Network to incorporate civic engagement and community service into their research and teaching missions. Massachusetts was the first in the country to adopt a statewide policy for the incorporation of civic learning in undergraduate curricula across all of its public colleges and universities. 21

Prioritizing Teaching and Learning

The ideal education proposed here, supporting short-term and long-term personal and professional goals for each individual student, places a substantial burden on college teachers. Many other factors contribute to student success, including academic preparation; adequate financial support; curricular design and structure; effective tutoring, counseling, and other student support services; and student motivation. Longitudinal research on the effects of “high-impact” educational practices—including participation in undergraduate research and service learning opportunities—indicates an array of positive outcomes. 22 But the primary determinant of a quality education is the teaching and learning relationship between faculty and students. Effective student/faculty interactions are correlated with increased retention and completion rates, better grades and standardized test scores, and higher career and graduate school aspirations. 23 Quite simply, students learn more and fail less when faculty members consult and utilize a large and growing body of research about effective teaching methods and make connections with students. Yet, despite the high stakes now associated with undergraduate education, most institutions pay too little attention to these findings. Generalizations about undergraduate teaching and learning can be misleading given the remarkable variety of institutional missions, student populations, courses of study, and faculty compositions. Colleges that enroll a large proportion of underprepared students face different challenges than institutions admitting high-achieving young adults who live and learn on campus. Tenured and tenure-track faculty at small liberal arts colleges must juggle different expectations and requirements than their counterparts at large research universities. Part-time adjunct faculty, who teach an increasing percentage of undergraduate courses, often lack the institutional supports and professional development opportunities provided to full-time faculty. And teachers within and among institutions may harbor vastly different theories about how learning occurs.

While there are many exceptions, across the undergraduate landscape good teaching is generally undervalued. Faculty are rarely trained, selected, and assessed as teachers, and their effectiveness as instructors is rarely recognized or rewarded. Tenure-track faculty are typically hired and promoted for their research, while part-time adjunct faculty receive little, if any, coaching and resources on teaching methods. There are, of course, many faculty for whom quality teaching is the highest possible goal; they should be valued and rewarded. It is time for colleges and universities to elevate the importance of good teaching and to treat the practice of teaching as a central skill to be developed and supported. A new pilot is not asked to fly a plane without first practicing on simulators and flying smaller planes with an instructor for many, many hours. Nor should faculty be asked to learn to teach through the current trial-and-error method.

PROMISING PRACTICE Program on Intergroup Relations, University of Michigan The Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR) at the University of Michigan is a partnership between the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and the Division of Student Life with the goal of increasing active thinking, engagement in learning, and democratic participation. The Intergroup Dialogue process consists of structured social and intellectual interactions between members of different social identity groups over sustained periods of time. About 12–16 students from different groups participate in each section, which meets as a semester-long three-credit class. Research on IGR found that the experiences students have with diversity consistently and meaningfully affect important learning and democracy outcomes of a college education.

A crucial first step toward the rehabilitation of undergraduate teaching is the articulation of good teaching practices. Good teaching practice requires several forms of professional knowledge: fundamental subject-matter knowledge; teaching skills that transfer across disciplines and fields of study; discipline-specific instructional skills that combine a deep knowledge of subject matter (and the distinctive concepts, methods, and ways of thinking inherent to particular disciplines); and culturally relevant teaching practices and cultural modeling, which speak to the relevance of students’ cultural knowledge and experience. 24 Many faculty members, for example, are experimenting with strategies to foster “active learning” in their classrooms, creating opportunities for students to cognitively interact with one another and the faculty member as opposed to exposing information to students in a passive manner. 25 Good college teachers help students make explicit connections between theory and practice. Good teachers must be prepared to recognize and connect students who require support services to resources beyond the classroom. And as institutions fulfill their promise to prepare students for democratic citizenship as well as for the workforce, faculty must be ready to teach students how to listen actively to people who are different from themselves and hold competing ideological positions; to facilitate difficult conversations that may include issues related to race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other matters; and to ensure that students can think independently and creatively, expressing their opinions backed by evidence and reasoned judgment.

A growing body of research also indicates that significant student growth occurs when colleges provide structured opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to learn and practice the skills and capacities needed to create real connection. This only happens when institutions leverage curricular and cocurricular activities that promote meaningful and sustained student dialogue and interaction. 26 To do this most effectively, faculty must be prepared to become facilitators as well as instructors.

To meet these new requirements—to pursue research-based teaching methodologies and to facilitate open dialogue in the classroom—college faculty may need to conceive of their roles in fundamentally new ways. The transformation of a teaching workforce rooted in disciplinary expertise to include pedagogical expertise will not be easy. Emerging research on the science of learning cannot simply be disseminated with the hope that doing so will improve outcomes. The research needs to be reinforced by new professional development opportunities at every level, including “preservice preparation”—in which pedagogy becomes a significant component of graduate training—and “in-service” professional development providing ongoing evaluation and support.

Doctoral and master’s programs must integrate teacher training into their curricula. Graduate students who will be teaching assistants might be required to complete a teaching boot camp before they enter the classroom, as Clarkson University’s School of Arts and Sciences now requires of its incoming doctoral candidates. And the sector as a whole must support and reward effective teaching by offering incentives and strong cultural support that can motivate faculty to adopt new methodologies. Purdue University recently took a hard look at how it valued teaching and learning in promotion and tenure decisions and decided to include expectations for mentoring or other personal time invested in students among the factors influencing decisions.

More experienced teachers might occasionally attend classes taught by novices and act as mentors. Assistant professors at research universities, for example, are accustomed to having their research evaluated, but their teaching (other than student evaluations) receives no such review. Of course, mentors would themselves need training as observers and guides to improvement. The ultimate goal should be the creation of a new culture within and across all undergraduate institutions—as well as disciplinary organizations, higher education associations, and key federal and state agencies—that supports and rewards good teaching informed by the insights of learning science. Boise State University, for example, offers faculty a range of opportunities, including a five-day summer design institute to upgrade and improve a course; a program called Ten before Tenure , which offers pre-tenure faculty ten teaching-related development experiences; and an extended opportunity for a small group of faculty members to meet regularly with a facilitator to discuss pedagogy and design and implement an individual teaching innovation. The university offers travel awards to conferences, small grants, and departmental teaching awards and also includes clear evidence of teaching quality as an important factor in promotion and tenure decisions.

The STEM fields are increasingly emphasizing the critical relation between teaching and learning with a range of initiatives across the country. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released several influential reports and tools on increasing STEM degree attainment that underscore the importance of instructional practices and understanding how students learn. 27 Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics, sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, is working to strengthen math education by working closely with faculty, administrators, membership associations, and disciplinary societies. The Association of American Universities recently completed a five-year project supporting eight research universities in their institution-wide and departmental efforts to reform undergraduate STEM education and to recognize and reward effective teachers.

PROMISING PRACTICE The University of Colorado Boulder’s STEM Education Initiative Nobel Prize–winning physicist Carl Weiman and colleagues at the University of Colorado Boulder and at the University of British Columbia introduced the Science Education Initiative to stimulate large-scale adoption of active pedagogy by faculty, providing significant financial support for five years to redesign core undergraduate courses in several science departments. One key component was that departments were required to create and fill the position of a science teaching fellow whose primary responsibility was to support the course transformation process by helping faculty increase their knowledge of learning theory, practice, and assessment. About one-third of undergraduate courses in participating departments were redesigned, engaging over 50 percent of annual student enrollment. About half of faculty in the participating departments reported making changes to their teaching, though the extent of change varied with departmental leadership, teaching fellow skills, and faculty valuation of available incentives.

Digital Technologies and Competency-Based Education

Digital technologies are already changing the ways in which education is delivered, and prospects are strong for their potential to strengthen teaching and learning. The conversation around educational technology, once framed as a conflict between human and machine, is now shifting to an examination of how technology can complement, enable, and improve upon teacher-student interactions. While undergraduate education has generally been slow to adopt new methodologies, a growing number of faculty are already experimenting with new techniques and innovations—incorporating video, digital textbooks, social media, mobile apps, and digital games in their teaching. 28 Despite the bullish predictions of the past decade, and with a few notable exceptions, the digital revolution has not, or at least not yet, led to a complete transformation in education. 29 High start-up costs and the need for teacher training have slowed the evolution of the classroom. Nevertheless, a new era is on the horizon.

The most apparent change so far has been the growth and expansion of online courses over the past 20 years. In fall 2014, 12 percent of all undergraduates were enrolled exclusively in online programs and another 16 percent took at least one online course. 30 The benefits for students are clear, eliminating geographic obstacles, scheduling challenges, and other factors that tend to limit access to higher education. Several studies indicate that well-structured and well-supported online learning experiences offer equal if not better outcomes than traditional face-to-face courses, at least in some subjects. 31 Unfortunately, not all online students realize the same results. Students, particularly those in high-risk populations such as academically underprepared students, learn less in online courses than from equivalent courses with at least some face-to-face experience. 32 And the impact of online education on decreasing costs is mixed as well, especially when institutions invest in teacher training and student supports for online classes. While a growing body of evidence suggests that computer-assisted education can be as effective if not more effective than traditional methods, its potential is still largely untapped.

Among the fastest-growing innovations are competency-based education (CBE) programs that award degree credit, primarily through online delivery, based on the demonstration of competencies rather than course hours. CBE programs maintain no time constraints; they are paced by the students themselves. A recent review suggests that as many as 200,000 students currently participate in approximately 150 CBE programs, with approximately 400 new programs in development. 33 The traditional faculty role is often disaggregated: a faculty member creates the curriculum, a coach guides the student through the coursework, and an evaluator assesses student work. These programs are so new that there has been little careful research into their outcomes for students, but as more institutions experiment with and measure the results of these programs, their effectiveness and potential will become clearer. To improve the quality of the education they provide, colleges and universities need to encourage and incentivize such experiments, adopt third-party assessment strategies to make sure innovations are effective and equitable across various student populations, and develop supports for quick adoption of proven or highly promising practices.

Since digital technologies are global in their reach, the United States is not alone in its pursuit of a new, twenty-first-century educational strategy. Colleges and universities around the world—from Finland to South Korea to Singapore to Israel—are also experimenting online, and all would benefit from a concerted effort to share knowledge and test the scalability of new approaches. The Open University, the UK’s largest university, which serves over 200,000 students, has a robust and long-standing research division that includes an internal focus on continual improvement of the university’s own teaching and learning systems.

Although data needed to predict the outcomes of innovations are often lacking, researchers are beginning to accumulate sufficient domestic and international data to better inform decision-making. The improvement of learning analytics, which uses the data captured by traditional, online, and massively open online courses (MOOCs) to assess student progress, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of teaching techniques, will be a boon to the field—a resource for administrators and researchers alike. 34 Eventually, such data may be as valuable as the courses themselves, providing a statistical basis to help inform education policy, teaching strategy, and cognitive research.

Addressing Faculty Workforce Challenges

Concurrent with the boom in digital education technologies has been an acceleration of the decades-long shift from a faculty dominated by full-time tenured or tenure-track professors to a faculty of part- and full-time instructors with no prospect of tenure. “Contingent” faculty, nontenure-track teachers whose primary responsibility is instruction or instruction combined with research and/or public service, account for at least half of all instructional faculty across all types of undergraduate institutions, ranging from 50 percent at public research universities to more than 80 percent at community colleges. 35 Part-time positions with one-year terms or less make up the largest share of nontenure-track positions at all types of colleges and universities. 36 There are many causes for this trend, including the demand for more technical and career classes taught by practitioners, greater flexibility in course offerings, and the overproduction of PhDs in some fields, with the result that tenure-track employment is unlikely. However, there is little doubt that a primary motivation behind the shift to short-term, part-time instructors is a desire among colleges and universities to reduce labor costs. Tenure-eligible positions will continue to be most common at research universities and highly selective liberal arts colleges. But even in these places, openings for “off the tenure track” will become more common in the future.

These parallel shifts—away from tenure and toward digital delivery—place a particular burden on nontenure-track faculty, especially part-timers. There are many part-time faculty who contribute their specialized expertise but who do not necessarily want to pursue an academic track. They often provide new perspectives and deep experience, rounding out students’ learning. However, they earn less and have fewer benefits than their tenured or tenure-track counterparts, and they often find themselves distanced from their institutions’ administrative decision-making, less able to advocate for themselves, and less available to engage with students. At open access institutions, a heavy reliance on part-time faculty, who often lack the time or space for regular, high-quality interactions with students before and after class, may have adverse consequences on student outcomes. In this environment, ensuring that high-quality teaching remains constant across all sectors for all students poses an urgent challenge.

The challenges associated with a contingent workforce are particularly troubling for minority students. At a time when about 32 percent of American college students identify as Black or Hispanic, only around 10 percent of full-time instructional faculty are either Black or Hispanic. 37 It is concerning that the greatest progress in diversification of the teaching faculty is among nontenure-track and part-time faculty, 38 many of whom lack the support and stability available to their full-time, tenured counterparts. Greater faculty diversity correlates with positive benefits for students of color, including higher persistence rates, better performance on tests, and increased classroom peer interaction. 39 Faculty diversity is also valuable for all students, not just those from underrepresented groups: In a survey primarily about undergraduate preparation for the workforce, 77 percent agreed that having a minority faculty member better prepared them for the diversity of today’s corporate business environment. 40

Given the importance of faculty in fostering and guiding student learning, it is critical to the quality of undergraduate education that effective teachers should be able to build successful professional lives, whether or not they have tenure. Universities and colleges can support a well-prepared and motivated teaching force by creating stable professional working environments to support high-quality instruction and by providing meaningful career ladders with appropriate protections for academic freedom. 41 They should aim to create nontenure-track positions that are full-time with longer-term contracts and a clear voice in governance. Faculty in these positions should be evaluated and rewarded based on their teaching and on their efforts to master current trends in their fields. For example, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill complements its tenured and tenure-track faculty who have research responsibility with full-time, fixed-term (one to five years) lecturers, senior lecturers, and teaching professors who are engaged primarily in teaching. Allowances should be made for hiring short-term, specialized adjuncts who do not have and do not expect to have a long-term career in education, but colleges and universities should make a clear, ongoing commitment to improving how all faculty are selected, trained, evaluated, and supported.

Measuring and Strengthening the Quality of Student Learning

While countless faculty devote an enormous amount of effort to the evaluation of student learning at the course and departmental levels, valid and reliable measures of student learning within and across colleges and universities are lacking. Despite the development of tools to measure and evaluate the quality of learning in college, higher education as a sector is poorly structured for a free flow of data about what students have learned, how well they have learned it, how their education relates to future success and civic participation, and whether some groups are learning more, and more consistently, than others. Without such cross-cutting metrics, it is difficult to put learning front and center amid calls for institutional reform and the creation of accountability measures.

PROMISING PRACTICE National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges In 2008, prominent engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries assembled by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) identified 14 of the most critical engineering systems challenges facing the planet in the twenty-first century. These “Grand Challenges” include making solar energy economical, engineering better medicines, securing cyberspace, improving access to clean water, and ten other huge challenges. A program to prepare engineering students organized around the Grand Challenges subsequently took shape, and now more than 40 engineering schools around the world participate in The Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) with more expected to join. The program aims to educate a new generation of engineers to tackle big real-world problems. GCSP is a combined curricular, cocurricular, and extracurricular program built around five competencies that cut across specific disciplinary knowledge and skills. These are: 1) mentored research or project experience to enhance technical competence; 2) multidisciplinary approaches to problem-solving and design; 3) business/entrepreneurship competencies to underscore the importance of viable business models for successful solution implementation; 4) multicultural understanding, which is critical to any viable Grand Challenge solution; and 5) social consciousness, often developed through service learning. The NAE and enthusiasts of the GCSP approach hope it will generate thousands of graduates a year who are uniquely prepared and motivated to approach the most challenging problems facing the world.

Of course, accurate and reliable measurement of something as variable, and as private, as student learning is difficult and subject to any number of methodological disagreements. 42 Any realistic attempt to develop more systematic measures of student learning must take into account the full range of student characteristics (e.g., academic preparation, age, enrollment status, number of institutions attended) as well as the variety of institutional types and missions. Nevertheless, some colleges and universities have developed practices that help to define learning outcomes at the course, program, and institutional levels and to use authentic student work to measure learning. The enhancement of measurement and assessment at the actionable level of the department or the program, rather than at the level of the college or university as a whole, may offer the most immediate benefits for educators. In many cases, such data encourage faculty to define course and program objectives more precisely, work collaboratively to make curricula and program changes, and experiment with ways to demonstrate achievement. There is still too little rigorous research to claim such efforts are contributing to student success, but early indications are promising.

A more effective system of assessment and evaluation may also help to supplement, or even to transform, college ranking systems, which currently rely on imperfect proxy measures such as admission selectivity rates and endowment sizes. While this application would be a mere by-product of enhanced data collection, it would be a great asset to students and families who seek more guidance as they choose among their educational options. Efforts such as the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ VALUE Rubric Development Project, the Collegiate Learning Assessment, the University of Texas Skills Ledger, as well as surveys such as the National Survey of Student Engagement, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, Student Experience in the Research University, and the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, provide helpful information about student experiences and the extent to which students spend time on meaningful learning activities. They also generate insights into how colleges and universities can help students achieve at higher levels. But a well-developed valid and reliable methodology, based on an aggregation of data about learning, would help all parties compare and contrast institutions as they pursue the mission they all share: to provide a quality education to every student.

Approaches to Determining the Knowledge and Skills Needed by College Graduates

Campuses across the country, higher education organizations, and educational thought leaders are engaged in efforts to clearly define the outcomes of an undergraduate education. There is growing consensus, even among employers, around the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed by all college graduates. For example, the Association of American Colleges and Universities developed a list of essential learning outcomes in collaboration with campuses, researchers, and employers:

Knowledge of Human Cultures & the Physical & Natural World

• Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts

Focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring

Intellectual & Practical Skills

• Inquiry and analysis
• Critical and creative thinking
• Written and oral communication
• Quantitative literacy
• Information literacy
• Teamwork and problem-solving

Practiced extensively , across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance

Personal & Social Responsibility

• Local and global civic knowledge and engagement
• Intercultural knowledge and competence
• Ethical reasoning and action
• Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges

Integrative & Applied Learning

• Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies

Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems

In his book Our Underachieving Colleges , Derek Bok argues that the goals of an undergraduate education should include the ability to communicate, critical thinking, moral reasoning, preparing citizens, living with diversity, living in a more global society, gaining a breadth of interests, and preparing for work.

These examples illustrate ways of articulating the objectives associated with an undergraduate education. In light of the very wide range of institution types, student interests, and student backgrounds across American undergraduate education, the Commission supports campus efforts to engage in the meaningful exercise of defining the purposes of an undergraduate education in line with their missions.

12. National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_318.40.asp?current=yes .

13. For a comprehensive overview of data and analysis related to the humanities and the workforce, see The Humanities Indicators: A Project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, https://www.humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=10 .

14. Eric A. Hanushek, Guido Schwerdt, Ludger Woessmann, and Lei Zhang, “General Education, Vocational Education, and Labor-Market Outcomes over the Lifecycle,” Journal of Human Resources 52 (1) (2017), doi: 10.3368/jhr.52.1.0415-7074R.

15. The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2016 survey (see http://www.naceweb.org/career-development/trends-and-predictions/job-outlook-2016-attributes-employers-want-to-see-on-new-college-graduates-resumes/ ) reports that employers look for leadership skills, written communication skills, problem-solving skills, and a strong work ethic. The 2016 Business Roundtable Talent Survey (see http://businessroundtable.org/sites/default/files/immigration_reports/BRT%20Work%20in%20Progress_0.pdf ) found that employers believe college graduates and certificate holders are deficient in core skills, including the ability to use basic math, communicate effectively, read technical manuals, work successfully in teams, and participate in complex problem-solving. Similarly, the Bloomberg Job Skills Report 2016 (see https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-job-skills-report/ ) lists strategic and analytical thinking, creative problem-solving, and the ability to work collaboratively as highly desired attributes. Across all industries surveyed by Bloomberg, the highest percentage (67.3 percent) of recruiters chose effective communication as one of the most important skills they look for. See also Hart Research Associates, Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success (Washington, D.C.: Hart Research Associates, 2015), https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf .

16. National Association of Colleges and Employers, http://www.naceweb.org/job-market/internships/the-positive-implications-of-internships-on-early-career-outcomes/ ; and Sean Seymour and Julie Ray, “Useful Internships Improve Grads’ Chances of Full-Time Work,” Gallup News , November 20, 2014, http://www.gallup.com/poll/179516/useful-internships-improve-grads-chances-full-time-work.aspx .

17. For more information on these examples and other promising practices noted throughout this report, go to http://www.amacad.org/cfue .

18. See, for example, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-knowledge-of-the-branches-of-government-is-declining/ ; Matthew Shaw, “Civic Illiteracy in America,” Harvard Political Review , May 25, 2017, http://harvardpolitics.com/culture/civic-illiteracy-in-america/ ; Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2010/11/23/politically-apathetic-millennials/ ; and Intercollegiate Studies Institute, https://www.americancivicliteracy.org/2008/summary_summary.html . The forthcoming reports of the American Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship will address many of these issues and will be available at http://www.amacad.org/ .

19. See Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, and Danielle Allen, “Youth, New Media, and the Rise of Participatory Politics,” March 19, 2014, https://dmlcentral.net/wp-content/uploads/files/ypp_workinpapers_paper01_1.pdf .

20. See the National Conference on Citizenship, http://www.ncoc.org/ .

21. See, for example, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, http://www.aascu.org/programs/ADP/ ; The Talloires Network, http://talloiresnetwork.tufts.edu/ ; and University of Massachusetts, http://www.mass.edu/library/documents/AAC14-48.pdf .

22. The Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education estimated the effects of college student participation in the ten “high-impact” educational practices on a variety of liberal arts educational outcomes. C. A. Kilgo, J. K. Ezell Sheets, and E. T. Pascarella, “The Link between High-Impact Practices and Student Learning: Some Longitudinal Evidence,” Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning 69 (4) (2015): 509–525, doi:10.1007/s10734-014-9788-z. The high-impact practices included in the study were first-year seminars, academic learning communities, writing-intensive courses, active and collaborative learning, undergraduate research, study abroad, service learning, internships, and capstone courses/experiences.

23. Adrianna Kezar and Dan Maxey, “Faculty Matter: So Why Doesn’t Everyone Think So?” Thought and Action (Fall 2014): 29–44. See also Susan A. Ambrose, Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, et al., How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2010); Ken Bain, What the Best College Teachers Do (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004); Stephen E. Bradforth, Emily R. Miller, William R. Dichtel, et al., “University Learning: Improve Undergraduate Science Education,” Nature 532 (7560) (July 15, 2015): 282–284, doi: 10.1038/523282a; Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough, et al., “Active Learning Increases Student Performance in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics,” Proceedings of the National Academies of Science 111 (23) (2014): 8410–8415, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111; and National Research Council, Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering (Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2012), doi: 10.17226/13362.

24. For a full discussion, see Aaron M. Pallas, Anna Neumann, and Corbin M. Campbell, Policies and Practices to Support Undergraduate Teaching Improvement (Cambridge, Mass.: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2017).

25. Freeman et al., “Active Learning Increases Student Performance.”

26. Patricia Gurin, Biren Nagda, and Ximena Zuniga, Dialogue across Difference: Practice, Theory, and Research on Intergroup Dialogue (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2013).

27. See, for example, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees: Systemic Change to Support Students’ Diverse Pathways (Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2016), doi: 10.17226/21739; Supporting Students’ College Success, https://www.nap.edu/download/24697 (with helpful webinar https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24697/supporting-students-college-success-the-role-of-assessment-of-intrapersonal ); and Reaching Students–Practitioner Guide for Faculty to Support Their Use of Evidence-Based Teaching Practices, https://www.nap.edu/download/18687 (with webinar https://www.nap.edu/catalog/18687/reaching-students-what-research-says-about-effective-instruction-in-undergraduate ). An additional faculty development tool is the CIRTL MOOX, https://www.cirtl.net/p/fall-mooc-open-for-registration .

28. See, for example, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan Undergraduate Education Supplement, https://tech.ed.gov/higherednetp/ .

29. The notable exceptions include the National Center for Academic Transformation’s nationally recognized course redesign approach and often include educational technology applications such as Carnegie Mellon University’s Open Learning Initiative.

30. National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80 .

31. See, for example, Charles Blaich, Kathleen Wise, Ernest T. Pascarella, and Josipa Roksa, “Instructional Clarity and Organization: It’s Not New or Fancy, But It Matters,” Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 48 (4) (2016): 6–13, doi: 10.1080/00091383.2016.1198142; and Paul Fain, “Measuring Competency,” Inside Higher Ed , November 25, 2015, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/25/early-glimpse-student-achievement-college-america-competency-based-degree-provider .

32. Brookings Institution, https://www.brookings.edu/research/a-silver-lining-for-online-higher-education/ .

33. Eduventures, http://www.eduventures.com/2015/02/mapping-the-competency-based-education-universe/ .

34. See The Learning Analytics Workgroup, A Report on Building the Field of Learning Analytics for Personalized Learning at Scale (Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 2014), https://ed.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/law_report_complete_09-02-2014.pdf .

35. Steven Hurlburt and Michael McGarrah, The Shifting Academic Workforce: Where Are the Contingent Faculty? (New York: TIAA Institute and Delta Cost Project, 2016), http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/Shifting-Academic-Workforce-November-2016.pdf .

37. National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=61 .

38. Martin J. Finkelstein, Valerie Martin Conley, and Jack H. Schuster, Taking the Measure of Faculty Diversity (New York: TIAA Institute, 2016), https://www.tiaainstitute.org/publication/taking-measure-faculty-diversity .

39. David M. Marx and Phillip Atiba Goff, “Clearing the Air: The Effect of Experimenter Race on Target’s Test Performance and Subjective Experience,” British Journal of Social Psychology 44 (4) (2005): 645–657; Sylvia Hurtado, “Linking Diversity and Educational Purpose: How Diversity Affects the Classroom Environment and Student Development,” in Diversity Challenged: Evidence on the Impact of Affirmative Action , ed. Gary Orfield (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Education Press, 2001), 187–203; and Linda Serra Hagedorn, Winny YanFang Chi, Rita M. Cepeda, and Melissa McLain, “An Investigation of Critical Mass: The Role of Latino Representation in the Success of Urban Community College Students,” Research in Higher Education 48 (1) (2007): 73–91.

40. Bernard Hodes Group, PhD Project Student Survey Report (New York: Bernard Hodes Group, 2008), http://cdn-static.findly.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2015/12/Students_Report_6-9-08.pdf .

41. David N. Figlio, Morton O. Schapiro, and Kevin B. Soter, “Are Tenure Track Professors Better Teachers?” Review of Economics and Statistics 97 (4) (October 2015): 715–724.

42. For example, many researchers claim that students are studying less—see Philip Babcock and Mindy Marks, “The Falling Time Cost of College: Evidence from Half a Century of Time Use Data,” The Review of Economics and Statistics 93 (2) (2011): 468–478—and that the intellectual gains students make during their college experience are modest. See Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, Academically Adrift (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2011). Critics of these claims raise methodological concerns: They want to see time series data on test results to verify student learning, and they question the impact on educational outcomes of variables such as the mix of low-income and minority students, student preparedness, student engagement, and peer effects. National Research Council, Improving Measurement of Productivity in Higher Education (Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2012).

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Career and Technical Education

Bachelor of Science

This program, with traditional or online learning options, prepares those with vocational and technical backgrounds to teach occupational skills in high schools, trade schools, community colleges, agricultural and technical colleges, adult continuing education programs, the armed forces and industry.

Six bachelor of science concentrations meet initial New York State certification to teach agriculture, business and marketing, health careers, family and consumer sciences, technical subjects and trade subjects — while preparing you for the state-administered teacher education examination.

Our program allows you to get involved in community service projects, work with faculty on applied projects or take online classes if they best accommodate your schedule.

The agricultural education major is designed for full-time and part-time students. The curriculum accommodates agricultural specialists from industry with several years of appropriate agriculture experience and transfer students with associate in applied science (AAS) or associate of occupational studies (AOS) degrees in appropriate agricultural majors, such as a major or equivalent in agriculture, including such coursework as animal science, plant science, horticulture, aquaculture, entomology, soil science, agricultural engineering and similar areas of study normally offered by recognized schools of agriculture.

The business and marketing major provides full-time and part-time students with a curriculum that accommodates coursework in areas such as accounting, marketing, management, human resources management, web page design, risk management, and economics, to become a certified business and marketing teacher.

The family and consumer sciences education major presents students with a specialty in related occupations with a curriculum to provide the opportunity to become a certified family and consumer science subject teacher.   The specialty may be verified by a related associate's degree or by coursework in the areas of human service and family studies, food and nutrition, textiles and design, and consumer skills, resource management and career studies

The health careers education major is designed for students with a health careers specialization. The curriculum accommodates health career specialists who have appropriate work experience and an associate degree, certificate or diploma required by state law in their respective health occupations specialty area.

The technical education major provides full-time and part-time students with a curriculum that accommodates technical specialists from industry with several years of appropriate industrial experience, and transfer students with associate in applied science (AAS) or associate of occupational studies (AOS) degrees in appropriate technical specializations.

The trade education major offers full-time and part-time students a curriculum accommodate trade specialists from industry with several years of appropriate industrial experience, and transfer students with associate in applied science (AAS) or associate of occupational studies (AOS) degrees in appropriate trade specializations.

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Are an integral part of our teacher education programs. It is a time for candidates to participate in a breadth and depth of hands-on school and community-based experiences.

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Through the Focus Forward Program undergraduate students are trained to mentor students in local school districts and can earn course credit while impacting their community and gaining valuable professional skills for your future career.

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vocation matters

Insights and Conversations from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE)

Educating for Friendship

How might my teaching change if I acknowledged that developing a capacity for friendship is a fundamental component of the overall process of learning?

This spring, I took a class on a field trip to the main campus of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth , a community of Catholic women whose charism includes a call to live sustainably and work for environmental justice . Some of our course texts highlighted the natural world as an emerging source of spirituality among nonreligious young people in the US, and I wanted students to see that many traditional religious communities find God in nature, too. The question was how today’s “nones” might resonate with, well, nuns.

On a beautiful Saturday in April, we walked the immense campus and heard the Sisters’ attention to the land is rooted in their love of God and all that belongs to God. The following Tuesday, I asked the students what they had learned on the trip. My focus on course content had me looking for evidence of learning in conceptual connections, so when students’ initial responses provided such evidence, I thought “great, objective achieved.” But then someone offered a different sort of comment: “What I really liked is that we were outside walking and talking with each other. I feel like I got to know people. Obviously I’ve seen you guys all semester, but I hadn’t really seen you. Just being together like that is what will stick with me. I learned I should do it more.”

Genuine human connection: another objective achieved! Yet it hadn’t been an explicit objective because, to be honest, the weight I give to conceptual learning often relegates connection and friendship to the periphery. When it happens, wonderful, but it’s not really the goal. How might my teaching change if I acknowledged that developing a capacity for friendship is a fundamental component of the overall process of learning?

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Self-compassion and the vocational journey .

In this post, I will share how the psychological literature defines self-compassion, my observations of self-compassion (or the lack of it) in students, and where self-compassion and vocation intersect. 

In the new NetVUE volume, Called Beyond Ourselves: Vocation and the Common Good , Meghan M. Slining’s chapter, “A Case for Compassionate Pedagogy: Caring for the Public’s Health, Cultivating Sustainable Vocations,” argues that our compassion can keep students engaged during difficult times. Compassion is a way of being with suffering that allows us to see, hold, and acknowledge suffering, while also compelling us to take actions towards reducing it. Slining suggests that training and skills related to compassion can help reduce burnout and support sustainable vocations, which are important for the longevity of caring for the common good. Slining notes that this compassion extends not only to those we serve or the external world but also to ourselves. Within both my previous clinical work and my current teaching, I have been interested in self-compassion, but only recently have I begun to see its intersection with teaching vocation. In this post, I will share how the psychological literature defines self-compassion, my observations of self-compassion (or the lack of it) in students, and where self-compassion and vocation intersect. 

Echoed Vocation II: A Call to Moderation

Ultimately, the call of temperance is a call to self-examination, for each of us knows the things that consume us personally. Moderation is best judged from the inside.

A series of posts about virtue, autism, vocation, and the teaching of history.

My first exploration of the echoing of vocation between my students and my children suggested ways in which the latter demonstrate exceptional courage. For this second exploration, which will consider the call to moderation, their example for me is more problematic—like the virtue itself.

Kathleen Fitzpatrick on Joy in the Classroom

In the most recent episode of NetVUE’s podcast Callings, hosts Erin VanLaningham and John Barton speak with Kathleen Fitzpatrick, director of digital humanities and professor of English at Michigan State University.

In the most recent episode of NetVUE’s podcast Callings , hosts Erin VanLaningham and John Barton speak with Kathleen Fitzpatrick, director of digital humanities and professor of English at Michigan State University. She also serves as the project director of  Humanities Commons , an open-access, open-source network serving more than 16,000 scholars and practitioners in the humanities. In addition to her extensive blog , her publications include Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University (2019) and the forthcoming Leading Generously: Tools for Transformation (2024).

Our Work Doesn’t End at Commencement

Have you had the experience that your work with undergraduates doesn’t end at commencement?

Have you had the experience that your work with undergraduates doesn’t end at commencement? In your role as advisor and professor, you helped first-year students and sophomores begin to find their way. You guided and supported them as juniors and seniors, when their vocational choices started to narrow with their more developed interests; this ordinary and important work may have culminated with writing a letter of recommendation or giving employers a reference. But now, especially in career-challenged and underemployed domains, have you realized that you continue to advise and mentor some of them long after they’ve graduated?

Called to the Common Good in Teacher Education: Reflections on the 2024 NetVUE Keynote Address

In her keynote address at the 2024 NetVUE Conference, Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, offered insight into how and why we can and should help our students deeply consider their callings.

In professions known for producing heroes, teaching ranks among the top. As Christine Jeske observes in her chapter in Called Beyond Our Selves : Vocation and the Common Good , teaching is found among the short list of “‘good’ vocations” whose work is assumed by our society to flow out of an abundant generosity. Teachers are famously overworked and underpaid , and as a teacher educator I’m constantly mindful of this backdrop for much of my work, including the facilitation of vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students.

In her keynote address at the 2024 NetVUE Conference, Meghan Sullivan , professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, offered insight into how and why we can and should help our students deeply consider their callings. She reminded us that when students experience a lack of training, a lack of a sense of vocation, and a lack of being formed and habituated in a great community when they’re young, they can more easily come to believe that everything truly is about them. The result of this lack of formation can lead to a pursuit of money and power as if nothing else is worth aiming for in life. Sometimes, these students can eventually acquire enough power to destroy the common good.

Rethinking Vocation in Gender and Sexuality Studies

Both Gender and Sexuality Studies and vocational exploration invite students to rethink assumptions, to contribute to the world in which they want to live, and to be ready to redesign the shape that their engagement will take over a lifetime. 

Major Decisions, Major Discoveries: Exploring Vocation in the Undergraduate Years, a series of posts from Nebraska Wesleyan University about helping students develop meaning and purpose as part of their major coursework 

Vocation is a shared language for me and the students I teach, advise, and supervise. Not only are students still identifying their future careers but I, after 25 years as a professor in religious studies, am also still exploring my vocation by directing the Gender and Sexuality Studies program, which offers an interdisciplinary, advocacy major that draws on the humanities and the social sciences. This role illuminates for me that what we do as teachers, professors, advisors, and internship supervisors isn’t about sharing what we think we already know. In this program, the collaborative, high-impact practices do not include lecturing (see the AAC&U on high-impact practices ). Instead, we engage students at the intersections of what we control and what we don’t, what we are good at and what we can do for others, and what can be planned for and what we encounter despite our planning—without perfectionism or self-deception. Both Gender and Sexuality Studies and vocational exploration invite students to rethink assumptions, to contribute to the world in which they want to live, and to be ready to redesign the shape that their engagement will take over a lifetime. 

Anantanand Rambachan on Considering the Sacred

The most recent episode of Callings features hosts Erin VanLaningham and John Barton speaking with Anantanand Rambachan, scholar of Hinduism and interreligious studies and professor emeritus of religion, philosophy, and Asian studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

The most recent episode of Callings features hosts Erin VanLaningham and John Barton speaking with Anantanand Rambachan , scholar of Hinduism and interreligious studies and professor emeritus of religion, philosophy, and Asian studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. He is also a co-president of the global interfaith network Religions for Peace and is active in the dialogue programs of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican. His numerous books include A Hindu Theology of Liberation and Pathways to Hindu-Christian Dialogue .

Retirement as Rehearsal

Retirement shows you how finite your time is. If you stare retirement in the face long enough, then you can even see your death looking back at you. No wonder it can be hard to retire.

As a young academic hired into a largely older faculty in the mid-1990s, I watched certain colleagues become increasingly grouchy as they approached the final stage of their careers. Thirty years later, I get it: your sense of self, your vocation, the edifice that has housed your purpose and given your days and years meaning—all of it coming to an end. The conventional wisdom on this life phase invokes the perils of aimlessness and loss of identity as we step away from our work. Yet the research on the relationship between retirement and purpose is not all negative , and Hyrum W. Smith, the “father of time management,” urges “ purposeful retirement .” Still, retirement shows you how finite your time is. If you stare retirement in the face long enough, then you can even see your death looking back at you. No wonder it can be hard to retire.

Nurturing Vocation: Ideas from Health and Human Performance

Within our Health and Human Performance Department, we recognize the significance of assisting students in discovering their calling, aligning it with their passions, and fostering holistic wellness along the way.

During their college years, students often find themselves at a crossroads, fumbling with questions about their future careers and personal fulfillment. In small-college settings, where personalized attention and experiential learning are prioritized, the exploration of vocation should be approached with deliberate attention and ample support. Within our Health and Human Performance Department , we recognize the significance of assisting students in discovering their calling, aligning it with their passions, and fostering holistic wellness along the way.

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Vocational Education (VOED)

VOED 432 – Foundations and Contemporary Issues in Vocational Education     1-3 credit hours

VOED 434 – Introduction to Students with Special Needs     3 credit hours

VOED 499 – Special Problems in Vocational Education     1-3 credit hours

Vocational Education in the United States of America (U.S.A.): The Case of the United States of America (U.S.A.)

• First Online: 13 March 2022

Cite this chapter

• Mary Ann Maslak 14  

Part of the book series: Global Perspectives on Adolescence and Education ((GLAE,volume 2))

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This chapter begins by providing a history of youth and work in the U.S.A.. Next, it offers a brief history of V.E. in the United States. It discusses both positive and negative outcomes of work for youth. It also reviews both government- and non-government related organizations’ input into policy development and curricular design for vocational education. Then, it discusses trends in Career and Technical Education (C.T.E.) participation in the U.S.A. It ends with discussing the standards that guide current career and technical education in the United States.

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Congress established the United States Office of Education, a division of the Federal Government, within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1867. The U.S. Office of Education sought to advance the country’s educational system. The Division of Vocational and Technical Education in the Office of Education is responsible for administering the vocational education arm of the system, including funding to states.

Between 1870 and 1930, the concept of the “priceless child” emerged in the middle-class community. This idea supported youths’ enrolment in school instead of employment in the labor market (Dreeben, 1968 ).

For example, youth comprised more than 50% of the textile operators in Rhode Island in 1820. Other substantial percentages of youth worked in mills in the south as well (Zelizer, 1985 ).

Whereas less than 5% of the school-aged population graduated from secondary school in 1890, the percentage rose to over 50% in 1940 (Historical Statistics of the United States, 1997). However, these statistics still point to the fact that many families could not afford to or chose not to allow their children to attend secondary school during this period (Kett, 1978 ).

The Joint Apprenticeship Council took responsibility for this.

Retail and service sectors offered the most interesting opportunities for youth at this time.

YouthBuild trains participants for construction opportunities.

Another example is Wagner-Peyser employment services which match youth with employment.

With both public and private institutions of higher education struggling based on both the slow economic and the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, institution of higher education are grappling with the possibility to offer short-term certificate programs in a variety of fields. The programs seek to increase enrollment, offer necessary certificates for work, and strengthen the financial state of the institutions.

Forty-six percent of students are at least at 22 and are working part-time.

A program evaluation of the Project QUEST program found that “…participants earned significantly more than equivalent control group members who were not randomly selected into the program. By year nine, this gap was over $5000 per year in additional earnings for graduates of the program.”

A survey by the U.S. Government Accountability Office cited by MIT’s the Future of Work report (2020) highlighted the importance of job training programs that help to match those seeking jobs to jobs in local communities (Autor et al., 2020 ).

Single- and multiple-country studies offer great potential to understand youth’s vocational development across cultures. The case studies in this book address one facet of this discussion.

Stress at work also negatively affects adolescents’ decision-making capability.

Unlike nationalized educational systems in other countries, each state determines the types and number of vocational education programs.

Schools phase out programs that lose enrollment.

Those jobs do not require a baccalaureate degree.

China experiences the same problem.

Study Abroad programs like that at St. John’s University in New York also provides students with this student teaching situation in which students earn credit by working with teachers and students in local schools in Rome, Italy.

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Arturo, D., Mindell, D., & Reynolds, E. (2020). The work of the future: Building better jobs in an age of intelligent machines . MIT Work of the Future.

Autor, D., Mondell, D., & Reynolds, E. (2020). The work of the future: Building better jobs in an age of intelligent machines . M.I.T. Work of the Future.

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Maslak, M.A. (2022). Vocational Education in the United States of America (U.S.A.): The Case of the United States of America (U.S.A.). In: Working Adolescents: Rethinking Education For and On the Job. Global Perspectives on Adolescence and Education, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79046-2_5

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Undergraduate level vocational education: "Who will do it" and "How to do it"

2020-06-29T07:36:23.208Z

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　　Zuojiantai 　　undergraduate level vocational education: "Who will do it" and "How to do it" 　　Following the approval of the first batch of 15 undergraduate-level vocational education pilot schools, on June 22, the Ministry of Education officially approved the second batch of 6 undergraduate vocational education pilot colleges and universities. ", carry out the pilot of vocational education at t...

　　Zuojiantai 　　undergraduate level vocational education: "Who will do it" and "How to do it"

　　Following the approval of the first batch of 15 undergraduate-level vocational education pilot schools, on June 22, the Ministry of Education officially approved the second batch of 6 undergraduate vocational education pilot colleges and universities. ", carry out the pilot of vocational education at the undergraduate level.

　　With the introduction of the "National Vocational Education Reform Implementation Plan" in January 2019, undergraduate level vocational education came into being. Although during this period, 21 clear colleges and universities have launched pilot programs for undergraduate vocational education. However, issues related to this type of schooling have aroused widespread concern, especially the questions of "who will do it" and "how to do it". To answer these two questions, some key questions need to be clarified urgently.

　　Higher vocational colleges are mainly upgraded, and other colleges and universities hold the supplement. From the current perspective, in addition to more than 20 undergraduate-level vocational schools that have been born, there are also some ordinary undergraduate colleges (such as Kunming University of Science and Technology) that hold higher vocational undergraduate majors and some vocational colleges (such as Shenzhen Vocational and Technical College) and related Undergraduate colleges and universities jointly trial run higher vocational undergraduate majors. Most newly-built undergraduate colleges have chosen application transformation in the past few years, but so far no one has found a newly-built undergraduate college publicly announced or positioned as a professional undergraduate.

　　This shows that it is very difficult to guide such colleges and universities to the vocational undergraduate track. The enthusiasm of higher vocational colleges for upgrading or piloting vocational undergraduates is very high, especially the vocational colleges of the "Double High Plan" already have a good foundation for running schools. Requirements for undergraduate education. Therefore, the source of undergraduate-level vocational school groups should be mainly upgraded to higher vocational colleges, supplemented by other types of undergraduate colleges. This is a rational choice to complete the task of building an undergraduate level vocational education system.

　　Maintain the attributes of vocational education and pay attention to the improvement of education level. The country has made it clear: "Vocational education and general education are two different types of education and have the same important status." In December 2019, the "Revised Draft of the Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China" was released, modifying the concept of "higher vocational schools" to "Vocational colleges" in parallel with "ordinary colleges". Undergraduate level vocational schools are just one level in vocational colleges and are the highest level in the current vocational higher education system. In the reply letter of more than 20 undergraduate-level vocational schools, the Ministry of Education clearly required it to "maintain the attributes and characteristics of vocational education" and "adhere to the orientation of cultivating high-level technical and skilled personnel."

　　It should be said that due to the accumulation of years of vocational education, the undergraduate level vocational schools upgraded from higher vocational colleges will not have much problem in maintaining the attributes of vocational education. But upgrading from junior college to undergraduate has reached a new level. There is currently no existing model to learn from. It belongs to "crossing rivers by touching stones". It is relatively difficult to reflect the undergraduate level in the construction of connotation. Whether it is the education administration department, the organizer or the scholars, they need to think deeply in accordance with their respective functions, clarify the questions, and give answers.

　　Give full play to the leading role of the profession and develop corresponding disciplines in moderation. The undergraduate-level vocational school is a university. If it is a university, it is not about whether or not to talk about disciplines, but about how to locate the disciplines and what disciplines to build. Undergraduate-level vocational schools need to build disciplines. Naturally, they cannot follow the research universities, nor can they build like applied universities, but should have their own discipline construction positioning. From the perspective of the relationship between disciplines and majors, if the disciplines of research universities are the leader and the major is supported, and the disciplines and majors of applied colleges are equally important, then the disciplines of undergraduate vocational schools should be the support of the majors. Undergraduate-level vocational schools train "high-level technical skills talents". We must adhere to the leading position of professional construction and the principle of discipline construction serving professional talent training. That is, the main task of discipline construction is not to focus on basic or applied research. Rather, on the basis of collating and using the existing occupation-related knowledge, the research work of technology research and development, process improvement or skill optimization is carried out to increase the knowledge related to career development in the discipline.

　　Issue vocational degree certificates, highlighting the characteristics of vocational education. For a long time, graduates of vocational colleges have always had a strong desire to obtain degree certificates, and many experts are also calling for the award of associate degree, but there is no breakthrough. Graduates of undergraduate-level vocational schools are also undergraduates of colleges and universities, as long as they have good grades and a certain academic level, they should be awarded a bachelor's degree. However, the connotation of its academic level requirements is somewhat different from that of research universities and applied universities. In order to reflect this difference, corresponding bachelor degrees have been established in Western countries. For example, France has created a vocational bachelor's degree in addition to a bachelor's degree in technology, a bachelor's degree in general science, and a general bachelor's degree. There are three types of degrees awarded by the British Higher Vocational Education: master, bachelor and associate degree. Including vocational degrees, Switzerland also has a professional bachelor's degree.

　　If our country’s undergraduate level vocational schools rely on the vocational disciplines they build, granting a vocational bachelor’s degree that is different from research universities and applied universities not only meets the legal requirements of the “degree regulations of the People’s Republic of China”, but also highlights this type of college vocation The essential attribute of education can also fulfill the requirement that vocational education and general education have “equal importance”.

　　(The author is the principal of Tongren College)

　　Hou Changlin Source: China Youth Daily

Source: chinanews

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