Generic high school diplomas versus Vocational Education
Not all high school students are going on to college, whether it is lack of money
and/or lack of brain power. High school counselors tell all students that they are going on
year of high school, ninth grade, if students are not doing well academically, have them
tested to discover where their interests lie, and funnel them into a vocational education program. By the end of their senior year, students who are not going on to college will have a vocation which they can easily slip into. Some vocational education (Voc.Ed.)
programs are auto/aircraft mechanic, wood working/carpenters, welding, hotel management, culinary skills, accounting/bookkeeping, upholstery, auto body repair, heating/air conditioning, licensed vocational nurse (LVN), x-ray technician, plumbers, electricians. Sophomore and junior years are spent in a split school day--half in the classroom learning about the profession and the other half in an actual hands-on environment. In their senior year, it is an apprenticeship working full time in their trade. At the end of their senior year, they have a job.
Thesis Statement:
In spite of what every high school counselor says, not every senior is college bound. Armed with generic high school diplomas, these students are not trained and are not prepared to get a job to ensure them financially independence. They are heading toward dead-end minimum-wage jobs. Many high school students would do well in vocational education (Voc.Ed.) and they would be prepared to enter a job with a marketable skill at the end of their senior year.
Eight Topic Sentences:
1.
Use the ninth grade as an academic trial period to weed out students who are not college bound.
2.
Recognizing that these students have the skills necessary to learn a vocation.
3.
Testing students after the ninth grade to discover their aptitudes to aid them in choosing and to begin to focus on a vocation.
4.
The average college student changes majors three times before deciding to stick with one major. These Voc.Ed. students will probably do the same in the first year.
5.
Some Voc.Ed. professions are interconnected and students can study for a split certification, such as auto/aircraft mechanic, accounting/bookkeeping.
6.
Thousands of college students graduates every spring with no job prospects. We can always use more mechanics, plumbers, electricians, and carpenters.
7.
There is nothing wrong with not going to college, but choosing Voc.Ed.
8.
Learn a trade that you can use anywhere, anytime, and be proud of what you do.
