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A vocational school (or trade school or career school), providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job. Traditionally, vocational schools have not existed to further education in the sense of liberal arts, but rather to teach only job-specific skills, and as such have been better considered to be institutions devoted to training, not education. That purely vocational focus began changing in the 1990s "toward a broader preparation that develops the academic" and technical skills of students, as well as the vocational.^[1]

Canada[link]

Vocational schools are sometimes called colleges in Canada. However, a college may also refer to an institution that offers part of a university degree, or credits that may be transferred to a university.

In Ontario, secondary schools were separated into three streams: Technical Schools, Commercial/Business Schools and Collegiates (the academic schools). Those schools still exist; however, the curriculum has changed that no matter which type of school one attends, they can still attend any post-secondary institution and still study a variety of subjects (either academic or practical).

In Ontario, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities have divided postsecondary education into Universities, Community Colleges and Private Career Colleges. While vocational training is offered in both College systems, it is generally agreed that Private Career Colleges are better suited^{[dubious – discuss]} due to accelerated learning (Monday to Friday- 4 hours per day), focused Curriculum(trains to the skills specific to each vocation) and smaller classes(providing stronger teacher support for all students).

In the province of Quebec, there are some vocational programs offered at institutions called CEGEP's (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel), but these too may function as an introduction to university. Generally students complete two years at a CEGEP directly out of high school, and then complete three years at a university (rather than the usual four), to earn an undergraduate degree. Alternatively some CEGEP's offer vocational training, but it is more likely that vocational training will be found at institutions separate from the academic institutions, though they may still be called colleges.

Central and Eastern Europe[link]

In Central and Eastern Europe a vocational education is represented in forms of (professional) vocational technical schools often abbreviated as PTU and technical colleges (technikum).

PTU

PTU is usually a preparatory vocational education and is equivalent to the general education of the third degree in the former Soviet education, providing a lower level of vocational education (apprenticeship). It could be compared to a trade high school. In 1920-30s such PTUs were called as schools of factory and plant apprenticeship and later 1940s - vocational schools. Sometime after 1959 the name of PTU was established, however, with the reorganization of the Soviet educational system these vocational schools renamed into lyceums. There were several types of PTUs such as Middle City PTU and Rural PTU.

Technicum

Technical college (technicum) is becoming an obsolete term for a college in different parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Technicums provided a middle level of vocational education. Aside of technicums and PTU there also were vocational schools (Russian: Профессиональные училища) that also provided a middle level of vocational education. In Ukraine of 1920-30s technicums were a (technical) vocational institutes, however, during the 1930-32s Soviet educational reform they were degraded in their accreditation.

Institute

Institutes were considered a higher level of education, however, unlike universities they were more trade oriented than academically. Institutes were an upper level of vocational education type schools. With the reorganization of the Soviet education system institutes are being simply replaced by universities.

Finland[link]

The Finnish system is divided between vocational and academic paths. Currently about 47 percent of Finnish students at age 15 go to vocational school. The vocational school is a secondary school for ages 16–21, and prepares the students for entering the workforce. The curriculum includes little academic general education, while the practical skills of each trade are stressed. The education is divided into eight main categories with a total of about 50 trades. The basic categories of education are

• Humanist and educational branch

• typical trade: youth- and free-time director

• Cultural branch

• typical trade: artisan, media-assistant

• The branch of social sciences, business and merchandise

• typical trade: Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration (Finnish: merkonomi)

• Natural Science

• typical trade: IT worker (Finnish: datanomi)

• Technology and traffic

• typical trades: machinist, electrician, process worker

• The branch of natural resources and environment

• typical trade: rural entrepreneur, forest worker

• The branch of social work, health care and physical exercise

• typical trade: practical nurse (Finnish: lähihoitaja)

• The branch of travel, catering and domestic economics

• typical trade: institutional catering worker

In addition to these categories administered by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior provides vocational education in the security and rescue branch for policemen, prison guards and firefighters.

The vocational schools are usually owned by the municipalities, but in special cases, private or state vocational schools exist. The state grants aid to all vocational schools on the same basis, regardless of the owner. On the other hand, the vocational schools are not allowed to operate for profit. The Ministry of Education issues licences to provide vocational education. In the licence, the municipality or a private entity is given permission to train a yearly quota of students for specific trades. The licence also specifies the area where the school must be located and the languages used in the education.

The vocational school students are selected by the schools on the basis of criteria set by the Ministry of Education. The basic qualification for the study is completed nine-year comprehensive school. Anyone may seek admission in any vocational school regardless of their domicile. In certain trades, bad health or invalidity may be acceptable grounds for refusing admission. The students do not pay tuition and they must be provided with health care and a free daily school lunch. However, the students must pay for the books, although the tools and practice material are provided to the students for free.

In tertiary education, there are higher vocational schools (ammattikorkeakoulu which is translated to polytechnic or university of applied sciences), which give about 3-4 -year degrees in more involved fields, like engineering (see insinööri (amk)) or nursing.

In contrast to the vocational school, an academically orientated upper secondary school, or senior high school (Finnish: lukio) teaches no vocational skills. It prepares for entering the university or a higher vocational school.

Germany[link]

The old Vocational school in Uetersen, Germany

In Germany, vocational schools — Berufsschulen — have a history stretching back to the 19th century. A German Berufsschule is generally a post-secondary public school and does not charge tuition fees. Today they are part of the dual education system which combines apprenticeships in a company and vocational training in a school, both taking place over the same period of time on different days of the week or in blocks of several weeks.

As part of the dual education system, the Berufsschule is a part-time school, with students attending 8–12 45-minute lessons a week. Sometimes schooling is arranged in blocks of several weeks, in particular for trades which are only learnt by a small number of people. The rest of the students' time is spent learning at the company where they take their apprenticeship. The whole course lasts 2–-3.5 years depending on the subject taken, with the vast majority of courses lasting 3 years.

Additionally, there are two other types of vocational schools in Germany. The first one is the Berufsfachschule, a full-time secondary vocational school. These schools do not charge any tuition fees either. The course at this type of school lasts 1–3 years. This type of education prepares the students for special job trainings. Students can also get a higher graduation at the Berufsfachschule: zweijährige Berufsfachschule: Mittlerer Abschluss = equivalent to GCSE, zweijährige höhere Berufsfachschule = Fachabitur = equivalent to BTEC, dreijährige höhere Berufsfachschule or Wirtschaftsgymnasium = Abitur = A-level

The second additional type of German vocational schools is the Fachschule, a full-time or part-time post-secondary vocational school, and also most often a private school (but not in Hessen). Only graduates of a Berufsschule, with (often) a minimum of 1 year work experience after graduation, are permitted to attend this type of school. The course at a Fachschule lasts 1–2 years for full-time students and 2–4 years for part-time students, and is comparable in level to the Higher National Diploma in the UK.

Ireland[link]

A vocational school in Ireland is a type of secondary education school which places a large emphasis on vocational and technical education; this led to some conflict in the 1960s when the Regional Technical College system was in development. Typically the schools are managed by Vocational Education Committees which are largely based on city or county boundaries. Establishment of the schools is largely provided by the state; funding is through block grant system providing about 90% of necessary funding requirements.

Vocational schools typically have further education courses in addition to the traditional courses at secondary level. For instance, Post Leaving Certificate Courses which are intended for school leavers and pre-third level education students.

Until the 1970s the vocational schools were seen as inferior to the other schools then available in Ireland. This was mainly because traditional courses such as the Leaving Certificate were not available at the schools, however this changed with the Investment in Education (1962) report which resulted in an upgrade in their status. Currently about 25% of secondary education students attend these schools.

Japan[link]

In Japan vocational schools are known as senmon gakkō (専門学校^?). They are part of Japan's higher education system. They are two year schools that many students study at after finishing high school (although it is not always required that students graduate from high school). Some have a wide range of majors, others only a few majors. Some examples are computer technology, fashion and English.

Netherlands[link]

Ambachtschool

In the Middle Ages boys learned a vocation through an apprenticeship. They were usually 10 years old when they entered service, and were first called leerling (apprentice), then gezel (journeyman) and after an exam - sometimes with an example of workmanship called a meesterproef (masterpiece) - they were called meester (master craftsman). In 1795 all of the guilds in the Netherlands were disbanded by Napoleon, and with them the guild vocational schooling system. After the French occupation, in the 1820s, the need for quality education caused more and more cities to form day and evening schools for various trades. In 1854, the society Maatschappij tot verbetering van den werkenden stand (Society to improve the working class) was founded in Amsterdam, that changed its name in 1861 to the Maatschappij voor de Werkende Stand (Society for the working class). This society started the first public vocational school (De Ambachtsschool) in Amsterdam, and many cities followed. At first only for boys, later the Huishoudschool (housekeeping) was introduced as vocational schooling for girls. Housekeeping education began in 1888 with the Haagsche Kookschool in The Hague.

In 1968 the law called the Mammoetwet changed all of this, effectively dissolving the Huishoudschool and the Ambachtsschool. The name was changed to Lagere Technische School (LTS) (lower technical school) where mainly boys went because of its technical nature. The other option, where most girls went was LBO (Lager Beroepsonderwijsl). In 1992 both LTS and LBO changed to VBO (Voorbereidend Middelbaar Beroepsonderwijs) and since 1999 VBO changed to the current VMBO.

United States[link]

In the United States, vocational schools are usually considered post-secondary schools, but in some instances may take the place of the final years of high school. Nevertheless vocational schools are only two years of schooling. They may be public schools and as such are operated by a government, school district or other officially sanctioned group, in which case they may or may not charge tuition. Most purely vocational schools are private schools; within this group they may be further subdivided into non-profit schools and proprietary schools, operated for the economic benefit of their owners. For a long time many proprietary vocational schools had a poor reputation for quality in many instances, and for over promising what the job prospects for their graduates would actually be; this has been largely corrected by more stringent regulation.^{[citation needed]} The term career college is reserved for post-secondary for-profit institutions. Vocational schools have decreased severely in the United States by the replacement of offering alternative trade classes at specific schools.^{[citation needed]}

Community colleges, in addition to offering associate degrees and core courses for transfer to four-year institutions, also offer vocational classes depending on the needs of the local community.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the largest American national education association dedicated to the advancement of career and technical education or vocational education that prepares youth and adults for careers.

Many vocational schools have gone on to become some of the most prestigious universities in the world. The California Institute of Technology^[2] and Carnegie Mellon University are examples.

A vocational school – sometimes referred to as a trade, career or for-profit school – is a private postsecondary institution that provides professional and technical, career-specific educational programs. The schools’ education delivery focuses on providing job-specific training, not a broad, liberal arts education. Most private sector colleges or universities pay taxes yet receive no direct financial support from state governments. This differs from public, not-for-profit institutions that receive state tax support or not-for-profit private colleges that pay no taxes. Typically, the completion of a career college program ranges from doctoral and master’s degrees, to bachelor’s degrees, to associate degrees, to short-term certificates and diplomas. Career colleges are owned and operated by private individuals, private investors and public corporations.

References[link]

External links[link]

Education portal

• Career College Association website
• Barry Yeoman, Scam Schools, Good Housekeeping
• Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
• Paying for Vocational School
• Questions to Ask a Vocational School

Pat Byrne

Personal information
Date of birth	(1956-05-15) 15 May 1956 (age 56)
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1974-1978	Bohemian F.C.	98	(20)
1978	Philadelphia Fury	19	(3)
1978-1979	Shelbourne F.C.	?	(0)
1979-1981	Leicester City	36	(3)
1981-1983	Heart of Midlothian F.C.	65	(11)
1983-1988	Shamrock Rovers F.C.	?	(?)
1988-1993	Shelbourne F.C.	?	(?)
1993	Cobh Ramblers	4	(0)
1994	St James's Gate F.C.	?	(?)
National team
1984-1987	League of Ireland XI	3	(1)
1984-1986	Republic of Ireland	8	(0)
Teams managed
1988-1993	Shelbourne F.C.
1995-1996	St James's Gate F.C.
1996-1997	Shamrock Rovers
1999-2000	Kilkenny City F.C.
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Pat Byrne (born 15 May 1956, in Dublin) is a former Irish football player and manager.

Playing career[link]

A central midfielder, Byrne's playing career started with Bohemians, his debut coming against St Patricks Athletic on 25 August 1974. He made 162 appearances in all competitions for Bohs (98 in the league, 10 in European competition) ^[1] and won 2 League of Ireland titles and 1 FAI Cup before he moved to the USA in 1978, for a year with the Philadelphia Fury of the North American Soccer League where he played alongside fellow Irishmen Fran O'Brien (footballer) and Eddie Byrne (footballer). He played in eighteen matches plus one play-off game and scored three goals [4]. Pat's team mates included Alan Ball, Peter Osgood and Johnny Giles. He played against the likes of Rodney Marsh, Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Bobby Moore.

He returned to Europe in 1979, playing for Leicester City until 1981, then Heart of Midlothian until 1983 [5]. While playing for the Tynecastle side he was based in Dublin, and would regularly commute for weekend fixtures. When this became too much of a burden, he was granted a free transfer and joined League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers. At Glenmalure Park, he had extraordinary success winning 4 league titles in a row and the FAI Cup 3 times between 1984 and 1987. He was the clubs Player of the Year in 1984/85 and also picked up the SWAI Personality of the Year award for that season. During this time he also won 8 full international caps, 3 Inter League caps scoring once and played in 2 1988 Summer Olympics qualifiers. He made 7 appearances for Rovers in European competition.

Management career[link]

His distinguished career in the green and white came to an end at the end of the 1987/88 season when he was installed as player-manager of Shelbourne F.C. in 1988.^[2] By 1992, he had guided Shels to their first League of Ireland title in thirty years and the following year, he guided them to their first FAI Cup success in thirty years, when they beat Dundalk 1-0 in the cup final at Lansdowne Road. In the Cup Winners' Cup that autumn, Byrne brought Shels their first European victory since 1964 when they knocked out Ukrainian side Karpaty Lviv 3-2 on aggregate. Byrne was sacked along with his assistant Jim McLaughlin shortly afterwards,^[3] and was succeeded by Eoin Hand.

Pat became player/manager of St James's Gate F.C. in February 1994 before he came back to Rovers to manage the club for the 1996/1997 season. He later managed Kilkenny City to promotion to the Premier Division.

In September 2006, he became an official Shamrock Rovers Legend.^[4]

Honours[link]

As a player[link]

• League of Ireland: 6
  • Bohemians - 1974–75, 1977–78
  • Shamrock Rovers - 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87
• FAI Cup: 4
  • Bohemians 1976
  • Shamrock Rovers 1985, 1986, 1987
• League of Ireland Cup: 1
  • Bohemians 1975
• Leinster Senior Cup: 3
  • Bohemians 1974/75, 1975/76
  • Shamrock Rovers 1984/85

• Football League Second Division^[5]
  • Leicester City F.C. 1979/80

• PFAI Player of the Year: 1
  • Shamrock Rovers - 1983/84
• SWAI Personality of the Year: 1
  • Shamrock Rovers - 1984/85
• SRFC Player of the Year: 1
  • Shamrock Rovers - 1984/85

As a manager[link]

• League of Ireland: 1
  • Shelbourne F.C. 1992

• FAI Cup: 1
  • Shelbourne F.C. 1993

• SWAI Personality of the Year
  • Shelbourne F.C. - 1991/92

Sources[link]

• The Hoops by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins (ISBN 0-7171-2121-6)