Last Updated on March 11, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
Trade schools are commonly referred to as vocational schools and career centers. It is defined as the type of educational institution designed to provide the technical skills required to perform specific jobs.
They differ from academic high school which prepares students for tertiary education rather than creating a workforce for a certain company or organization which is done by the trade school.
Trade schools provide job-specific training for students for one of the skilled trades whereas academic school produces students in professionals discipline. From 1990s trade school started to shift towards a broader academic as well as technical skills of their students.
Trade schools were called “Technical Colleges” in Australia, sometimes called “colleges ” in Canada and vocational colleges or schools in central and eastern Europe. Currently, about 47% of Finnish students at the age of 16 attend a technical school which creates a workforce for different sectors.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Trade School
Although trade schools have advantages over the academic institution to some extent they have drawbacks too. Below are some of the important pros and cons of a trade school.
Pros of Trade School
Advantages of Trade School
Learn applicable(relevant) skills:
Trade school helps the student to learn the subject of their choice. They are examined on the basis of what they are going to be in their future. For example, if they want to be a chef, the questions in the test only arise from relevant topics. Trade school is producing a skillful workforce for various industries since its establishment.
Trade school saves your money and time.
The content of the study material is less in comparison to academic schools and colleges. As content is smaller in size, the time required to complete your course will be faster and cost reduces sharply. Moreover, the skills provided by a trade school are customized. As we know to learn specific skills is achieved by less content than in normal schools and colleges and hence saves time.
Reduced class size
Trade schools are smaller in size both in terms of students and area than a normal school or colleges. As the class size is small students are more active and flexible towards their study. They can have direct and repeated communication with teachers to solve their queries instantaneously.
High demand for jobs
The courses that are taught in trade schools are of high demand and the employers also want to recruit skillful and trained personnel. So you should not worry about job placement as you are already skillful personnel. In case, you could start your business of your own.
Hands-on experience:
Students of the trade school will get an opportunity of hands-on experience in workshops whereas normal school doesn’t.
As a student attends a vocational school, more practical knowledge is shared among students rather than theory which in turn makes them a skilled employee. Hands-on experience means learning through doing instead of reading and seeing.
Get admission when you prefer.
To get admission to the trade school there are no fixed timetables. You can join the trade school at any time after the completion of high school with the right qualification.
Cons Of Trade School
Disadvantages of Trade School
The job opportunity is limited
As trade school focuses on developing technical skills in students the courses are redefined for a specific field. So one can only be skillful in certain fields hence reducing the opportunity in finding jobs. Also, the workstations may be occupied with skills earned in these colleges or schools.
Trade school can be expensive
The cost of the trade school may vary because of the modified or customized nature of the teaching in these schools. Thus careful study about fees should be done before admitting in trade school.
Knowledge sharing is impossible
After graduating from trade school your knowledge is limited to a specific field. You may master in your area of interest but lack the opportunity to get knowledge like in traditional school. Thus reducing the possibility of sharing knowledge among others about the different fields.
Prevents diversity
Trade school admits students with the same profession interest discouraging a variety of learning activities. Once you admit in the trade school you main focus will be on mastering on one particular field.
Limited flexibility
Trade school provides limited flexibility if you won’t change your mind moving to business or other fields since you invested a lot of money for your previous trade school. For this reason, it is also known as a concentrated education system. In the case of a career-focused bachelor’s degree array of classes and experiences prepare you for a diverse career option.
Limited choice of schools
There is a limited number of trade schools across the world. For that reason, your demand for more schools is confined to a few preventing you from having diverse options. As you are limited to make choices the quality of such an institution is low. Also, there is no competition among trade school which eventually weakens the competitive nature of humans.
