Vocational Training In High School.

[SanFranciscan]

I remember my grandmother saying that vocational training was once commonly taught at the high school level. I remember that the remains of California Polytechnic High School set empty near UCSF Medical Center for years before they were torn down to build the apartments that now stand there. Are any of you in a vocational high school?

I hear that the high school drop out rate is particularly high in certain regions of the U.S. I am wondering if the main reason so many students, especially students from blue-collar backgrounds, complain bitterly that what they are learning is useless to them is because it is.

 

[Axel]

My school has one of the best vocational tech programs in the state of NH. We used to have a high drop-out rate (highest in the state), but then we re-vamped the votech and reconfigured the class system and that's gone down considerably.

 

[Sparx]

my school has a voca hall. they teach auto shop, medical stuff, ag, wood shop and stuff like that.

not everyone can be a rocket scientist, and if there were six billion rocket scientists in the world, who would drive the garbage truck? it takes all sorts of occupations to keep everyone living the life they are accustomed to. vocational things need to be taught in highschool.

 

[Fatphil32]

We have a vocational school that three schools in our county go to. They teach a pretty wide range variety of subjects. Anything from sports medicine, to auto repair, to culinary arts. I've considered going during Senior year for something sports related.

 

[SanFranciscan]

Your replies are interesting. I am old enough to have children in high school or college, even though I don't. The reason I asked you all about vocational training in high school is because you really aren't children anymore. I do believe that laws protecting "minors" from older predators seeking naive young people to commit crimes are needed. We need these laws, especially for the "late bloomers" who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

That being said, I really do believe that college has become rather exploitive as well. Keeping young people in school and racking up debt for as long as possible seems to be the name of the game anymore. I think the fights I hear between parents and their children over 18 would be at least milder if the young people were at least on their way to independence after high school so that the parents wouldn't be so angry about the cost of college and the cost of supporting the young people while they go.

 

[G0 Ninja G0!]

My friend graduated from a vocational school last year.
He took a plumbing elective. Right out of high school he joined a union and he is now making around $30 an hour.

So I like the idea of vocation schools.
Not everyone wants to go to a four year college.