Philosophy and Principles of Vocational Education

Introduction

Education is anchored with different philosophies to help us understand and examine how people come to learn what they know for sustainable development. It has a various spheres of development including socio economic aspects. The major challenge of the world today is to find a pathway of living and working sustainably, to at least satisfy the needs of people around the globe. Technical Education is one of the cross cutting issues worldwide. The program is comprises with formal, non-formal and informal type of learning for the world of work, emphasizing and fulfilling the demand of skilled workers in a job market. People will learn knowledge and skills across a wide range of institutional and work setting and in diverse socio-economic context which prepare them for gainful employment and sustainable livelihood. We see developed countries are developed because of technical education (BAGALE, 2015). The main focus of technical education is on the area of sustainable education by that means we are able reduce poverty to economic benefit then that education will help individual and the nation. Skilled based education is one of the demands of the present issues that we are facing right now.

Technical and vocational education plays an essential role in improving characteristics of the youth and even communities. It can be help in increasing productivity, empowers individual to become self-reliant and stimulates entrepreneurship. Fastened with the study conducted of Chinwe, (2008) stated that businesses is willing to invest in a community because it focused in skills therefore it’s a great help in strengthening the social links of a curtain community by upholding sustainable means of subsistence and employment creativity. Empowering the youth is one of the integral role of technical vocational education in order to alleviate poverty by focusing and helping them to sustainable development. According to Alam (2007) in analysing the labor market, human capital theory has the powerful to influence. Alam also denotes that there’s a great benefit to the individual and a society as a whole by investing in education. The return on investment in the area of society is able to generate workforce that will empower global competitiveness and economic growth. On the other hand individual will have a better career path and increase remunerations and have an upright life.

Summary

Technical Vocational Education is has historically known as “education of work.” (ZIRKIE, 2017). Its function as an engine that helps in generating a skilled and as well as knowledgeable individual capable in responding to the demand present in the field of work. Technical and vocational education, as an integral component of lifelong learning, crucial role to play in this new era as an effective tool to realize the objectives of a culture peace, environmentally sound sustainable development, social cohesion and international role citizenship (BAGALE 2015).

According to Goodsell 2015 this type of education practice dates back to the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Orientals. He also added in these times the ruling leaders or government felt little or need for organized education, yet there is a need for a tradesmen. Skills were learned in the form of apprenticeship usually from a father or master craftsman. People in this era is thinking to have a more skilled people rather than have an organized education because they are competent or responsible to the growth of economy.

According to 350 BC in Greece history, begins the enlightenment and social reform. The system of education has change drastically through the teachings of Aristotle and Plato. It’s no longer a physical trade education but rather a more specific type of system that separates academics and the hands (skills). According to Aristotle he believes that it can be a source of burdened to the people who “do” to learn reading and writing. In that note, it became part of the history of education that separates or split the class system those who work and educated.

According in the year 1500, a major challenge in education has been a rise when Martin Luther began to introduce the concept of merging academics and trade education. As he thought that there’s in need for both academic and hands-on education to be efficient and effective. By the means of this educational reform, Martin Luther intergraded a realization that there was a validity in learning as well as merging skills and academics to at least glimpse the evolution of educational system (GANSS, 1910). Furthermore, technical vocational education made us realized the importance working with hands and nurturing the skills that we have because we can utilized this gift to its full extent so that we can use this as an instrument for future employment or a learning tool for other subjects. Technical Vocational education is not for slavery but rather suited to be called practicality.

Critique Analysis

This paper is tried to highlight the essence of Vocational Education as well as to summarizes and critiques the work of Kenneth E. Goodsell entitled Vocational Education published and become available online last November 2005. A research paper consists of collection of discussion of the researcher with teachers, parents and students. Two limitations were identified: a, the participants of the discussion were only Swedish b, only one locale has been considered. Devising thematic analysis three emergent themes have been dissected on the given chapter of the research: a. Traditional Conception of Vocational Education b. Technical Vocational Education at the organizational level c. Promotion of Industrial Education. The dissected themes were further elaborated by means of supporting related literatures and philosophies. It has been concluded that the article could positively and negatively impact the reader’s perception on Technical Vocational Education. It has been suggested that the author must explore different locales ensuring the rich accurate and more general view.

The author in an opening statement flaunted the thought of digging into the roots of the importance of technical vocational education in ones changing life. The inquisitive tone of the author suggest his desire to highlight that skilled based education is needed in the present world. As he pointed out that education has no meaning unless it helps you to understand how every single detail works as well as the vast expense of life’ vividly emanates the authors anchorage Theosophical idea particularly in understanding what beyond the nature of life through intuition, meditation and revelation.

In addition, authors claim that by uplifting trade education can possibly ease the number of poverty and improve the status of economy. As Technical vocational education is engrossed with the concept of helping the youth to be competent enough by teaching them to embody the core values and skills of teaching and being in the work field. As Adebola (2007) states that sustainable development requires that individuals and organizations should have a skills as well as knowledge in order to respond to the multifaceted sustainability issues that they might encounter. It also signifies that technical and vocational education will lead for a frugal and sustainable future.

Talking about the other side of the coin, since the author has become too fascinated with the essentiality of technical vocational education through thinking deeply, by giving particular points to every concept given in the paper. For me the author tends to be bias by not giving much attention to the idea for a formal type of education that he almost step beyond the mark of saying that skilled type education is more preferable than the formal one. Moreover, the author should present an example for both sides in order for the readers to engross the idea of how vocational education plays an important role in society, economy and to ourselves. Also the author should flaunt the arguments properly like organized the main point to its subordinating ideas to guide and put an emphasis to important facts with regards for the topic.

Let’s extend our horizon in understanding deeply to the area of how the author transcend utilized his resources. I must say that he handle it smoothly by providing facts, philosophies and literature to support his claim about the topic and also the author is well oriented about the principle of discombobulating when you overdose your readers with facts they will probably vanished their interest because you engrave them with a lots of information but everything is okay. Still the author should present it in a well comprehensive manner as the confusion mentioned above. The bottom line is that, through history, we have to realize the importance of working with one’s hands and how this trade learning become helpful to individuals and as a whole. We should not limit ourselves with the perception of others in a specific matter or with regards to our skills possessed because we are the one who knows it better. I would like to put an emphasis with the idea of saying that technical vocational education is only for the non-thinkers. I think we should change such delusion because it also requires a proper methodologies same with formal education but in the most unique way of presenting it. In the end, technical vocational education is one of the most powerful tool to alleviate poverty as this focuses to the youth enriching their unique talents to have a vast effects to economy and achieve sustainability. In this field, the area of requirement is to provide skill to create and polish creativity as well as be globally competitive to meet the world’s standard and demand.