Technical college, trade school, vocational education, career education — all are iterations of the same thing: formal preparation for students to work. Apprenticeships in trades and crafts were imported from Europe and were part of early America. The training became more formalized in the early 1800s as schools began to train students for specific jobs and surged during World Wars I and II, as men and women were needed for technical skills related to national defense.
“Part of the historical misunderstanding over technical and liberal arts education is that they don’t mix. That is an artificial barrier that will become even more artificial as the nature of work evolves. Reading, writing and math will remain important, but at the same time, other skills like problem solving, communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence will become more crucial,'
At www.deseretnews.com
