VOCATIONAL TRAINING MODEL

VOCATIONAL/TRAINING MODEL

Meaning:  Vocational Education is education that prepares people to work in a trade, in a craft, as a technician, or in support roles in professions such as engineering, accountancy, nursing, medicine, architecture, or law. Craft vocations are usually based on manual or practical activities and are traditionally non-academic but related to a specific trade or occupation. It is sometimes referred to as career education or technical education.

       Vocational education take place at the secondary, post-secondary, further education, and higher education level, and can interact with the apprenticeship system. At the post-secondary level, vocational education is often provided by a highly specialized institute of technology/polytechnic, or by a university, or by a local community college.

Vocational Education in India

➢      Vocational Education in India refers specifically to vocational courses offered in school grades 11 and 12 under a centrally sponsored scheme termed ‘Vocationalization of Secondary Education’.

➢      Vocational Education Program (VEP) was started in 1976-77 under the programme of Vocationalization of Higher Secondary Education in general education institution.

➢      Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) on Vocationalization of Secondary Education started being implemented from 1988.

➢      Vocational education falls under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

➢      All-India Council for Vocational Education (AICVE) under MHRD is responsible for planning, guiding and coordinating the program at the national level.

➢      State Councils for Vocational Education (SCVE) perform similar functions at the state level.

Courses offered in six disciplines

The Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute for Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), responsible for developing the courses, has listed 104 courses and has developed course materials for only a quarter of those.  The six disciplines are:

●       Agriculture (for example: veterinary pharmacist/ technician; watershed management)

●       Business and Commerce (for example: taxation practices; stenography)

●       Humanities (for example: classical dance; entrepreneurship)

●       Engineering and technology (for example: lineman; cost effective  building technology)

●       Home Science (for example: textile design, gerontology)

●       Health and para-medical skills (for example: x-ray technician, health/sanitary inspector)

Vocational Training in the Public Sector

       Unlike vocational education, vocational training programs in India fall outside the formal schooling cycle.

       Vocational training is institution-based with varying entry requirements as well as course durations (based on the course). The proportion of practical to theoretical instruction in vocational training programs is also higher than in vocational education.

a)      Training for Crafts Level Occupations

Schemes:  Craftsmen Training, Craft Instructor Training, Apprenticeship Training

b)      Apprenticeship Training

Four types of apprenticeship-depending on their previous education and training

o   Graduate Apprentices- engineers with degrees

o   Technician Apprentices-engineers with diploma

o   Technician (Vocational) Apprentices-vocational graduates

o   Trainees-National Trades Certificate holders or who can demonstrate they have achieved equivalent entry pre-requisites.

Need for Vocational Training in India

a)      India’s transition to a knowledge-based economy requires a new generation of educated and skilled people. A knowledge economy requires India to develop workers (knowledge workers and knowledge technologists who are flexible and analytical and who can be the driving force for innovation and growth.

b)      To achieve this end India needs a flexible education system.

●       Basic education to provide the function for learning;

●       Secondary and tertiary education to develop core capabilities and core technical skills and further means of achieving lifelong learning.

c)      The education system must be attuned to the new global environment by promoting creativity and improving global environment by promoting creativity and improving the quality of education and training at all levels.

d)     In a globalized economy, a large pool of skilled workers is indispensable for attracting foreign investment. Developing skilled workers enhances the efficiency and flexibility of the labor market; skills bottlenecks are reduced, skilled workers are more easily absorbed into the economy, and their job mobility is improved.

e)      The Labor Market Context and Supply of Skills

Largely because of the growth in factor productivity, India’s economy has grown rapidly over the past decade.

Education and skill acquisition are important determinants of firm productivity

Objectives:

➢      Emphasizes developing action competence i.e., developing capacities for dealing with certain work or life situations in which the ability to apply knowledge and solve practical problems is central.

➢      To prepare individuals to actively shape their personal and professional lives

➢      To take part in society in a self-guided manner

➢      To become responsible citizens in a sustainable development context

➢      To foster motivation, self-evaluation, self-guidance, reflection, critical and cross-disciplinary thinking, team working and problem-solving skills

➢      Maximum utilization of the material resources of the country

Curricular Characteristics

▪         Experientially based in terms of content and teaching method

▪         Directly relevant to student needs

▪         Emphasis on core skills

Orientation

●       Tend to be explicit in outcomes

●       Selection of content has input from industry, government, community as well as educators

●       Emphasis on student-centred learning

●       Typically based on small units, separately assessed/ certificated

Training Curricula

Developing the format and content of vocational education and skills training curricula requires collaboration with central and local departments of labor and education, first to find out whether formal training curricula already exist and of which trades and skills, and then to assess their relevance and value to the training program being designed. Programs should include basic education and life skills and transmit not only skills but also prepare beneficiaries for life.

Forms of training delivery

       The training delivery method should depend on the outcome of the initial needs analysis, which should focus not only on the labor market, but also on the needs and expectations of the beneficiary group, parents, other at-risk children, employers, relevant local government departments, and the community generally.

The most of the effective training method will depend on the needs of the beneficiaries. Possibilities include:

❖      Subcontracting delivery to existing formal and non-formal training institutions and/or programs in the community or in neighboring communities, including through scholarships. This approach is applicable in situations where some level of state infrastructure exists.

❖      Establishing a centre-based approach, either by building a multipurpose center or renovating existing buildings to accommodate the training program.

❖      Providing skills training through non-formal venues based in the community, including schools, private homes and land.

❖      Setting up apprenticeship schemes with local employers in the formal and non-formal sectors.

❖      A mix of all or some of the above.

Training Content and Schedules

●       The content of the skills training program will depend on the type of industry or business involved, but it needs to be as detailed as possible.

●       Training can be verbal and observational, with the trainee replicating what she or he has been told or has observed.

●       The overall approach is learning by doing and refining skills through practice and repetition.

●       The length of training courses and apprenticeships will depend on the training course and the skills being taught. In addition, it will depend on the format of the training delivery, or by the length of the project.

Evaluation

       Both theoretical and practical examinations need to be incorporated into the training program. The exercises give an indication on the accuracy, speed and quality of the work of the trainees and provide at the same time feedback to the trainer in what items were clearly understood and what items were not adequately understood.

       Giving a rating at the examination results allows the trainer to compare the different trainees. It is valid to mention the examination results on the training-completion certificate.

       Directly after the examinations or after the training as a whole trainee feedback is important to handle any observations or complaints from the trainees.

Established realities

       India’s ability to deal with the changing realities is considered as in few other places. Much of the economy and much of the population are still rooted in traditional activities and structures. Significant elements such as the cultural, social and political traditions of the country should, of course, be retained and education has a particular role to play in that.

       But other aspects should change if people are to move out of poverty. Over half of the labor force is still engaged in rural activities. Although there has been a significant movement away from agriculture this has still left most of the labor force, over 90 percent, working in the informal sector, much of it at low levels of productivity.

       For this majority group, access to secondary education and vocational education and training is crucial and for most of them secondary education and vocational education and training will be the last stage of their formal schooling. An effective school to work transition for these young people, made possible by higher quality secondary and tertiary education and vocational education and training will improve their employment prospects and lifetime earnings.

Reference

Aggarwal. J.C. (2008). Modern Indian education. Delhi: Shipra Publications, 91-98.

Chapter four. Vocational education and skills training. Retrieved from http://www.circle.winrock.org

Rao, V.K.(1999). Vocational education. Delhi: Rajat Publications.

Viertel, Evelyn. (2009). Teaching and learning in modern vocational education and training systems. Inform, 2-14.Retrieved from

http://www.etf.europa.eu

The World Bank. (2006). Skill development in India. The vocational education and training system. South Asia Region.