In the educational field there is a wide range of stages, cycles and programs. Thus, there is nursery school, early childhood education, compulsory education levels, high school, university or vocational training. The latter is known by a denomination, technical school. The goal of this academic option is to prepare students for access to work.
As a general guideline, these schools have training programs in which there is a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge.
Training for work has not stopped evolving
In the workshops of the Industrial Revolution there was the figure of the teacher and the apprentice. There was no formal academic training, because at that time there was no compulsory education. Apprentices started at a trade for years and eventually became officers and masters.
Technical training took a qualitative leap when schooling became a widespread phenomenon. The first educational centers oriented to the world of work were the schools of arts and crafts. Once the student had passed primary school, he joined these centers and after a period of approximately five years he obtained a certificate of fitness for work. This model was evolving and in the 20th century the concept of technical school was coined.
The objective was and is the training of technicians for the different industrial sectors. As a basic guideline, part of the training is acquired in companies and the rest in the classroom. In this training, emphasis is placed on scientific-technical knowledge and, in the background, humanistic subjects are included.
In the twentieth century the most common qualifications were the following: mechanics, electricity, civil or naval construction or chemistry technician. At present, vocational training has specialized in a very notable way, since a process of adaptation to the technological revolution and the changing world of work has been necessary.
Education and work
The general approach of technical schools consists of finding a balance between two aspects: the training of the individual and their adaptation to the world of work. The educational offer of a vocational training center cannot ignore the reality of the world of work.
The exposed binomial presents all kinds of challenges. First, it is not easy to predict what the needs of the labor market will be in the next 10-15 years. On the other hand, academic training of a technical nature has to incorporate humanistic programs that provide values and principles and not simply technological skills.
In summary, the training programs of technical schools must balance three aspects:
1) the interests of the state in relation to the training of citizens,
2) business interests and
3) the interests of citizens.
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