This module is designed to introduce you to the basic concepts of the foundations of vocational education. Taking time to digest these concepts will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the entire course.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Education is the most valuable treasure any nation can give to its citizens. Functional education should be geared towards the acquisition of knowledge and information as well as relevant competencies (skills, attitudes, aptitudes, etc). Effective education therefore should go beyond mere literacy - ability to read and write. It should incorporate ability to “do” and “apply” that is, it should equip the learners with some form of technical know-how.
The number of unemployed graduates in Nigeria suggests that most of them do not possess relevant, saleable, employable or even entrepreneurial skills that are needed in the society. This partly explains why the nation has remained economically dependent till date. This is because most nations who are economic giants today, started by equipping their citizens with the right type of education - education that will enable them use both their heads and hands. The type of education that equips its recipients with such abilities to think is generally described to work as vocational education.
This type of education is very crucial to every nation particularly those that are still “developing” such as Nigeria. The reason is that economic stability and independence is a product of technological status and independence. Nations and in fact individuals should therefore aspire to acquire education that is “work-oriented”.
This material is prepared to equip you with the basic information and knowledge that will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the concept of vocational and technical education (TVE).
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the unit, you should be able to: explain various words/terms used in technical and vocational education describe the philosophical and historical foundations of technical and vocational education explain the sociological and economic foundations of vocational education.
A. Vocation: This can be described as a job you do because you strongly feel that doing it is the purpose of your life. It can also be seen as a job you do by way of rendering service or help to
others. A vocation can also refer to those work activities in which one is specially gifted. People generally are committed to their vocations; find them intrinsically rewarding and perform them
with great autonomy as well as feelings of satisfaction, importance and relevance.
B. Job: This refers to anything you do to earn your living especially if you work for someone else. Jobs are task-outcomes and organization-centred.
C. Work: This can be defined as a regular physical or mental activity for which someone is paid. Work can also be voluntary (when you are not paid) or entrepreneurial (when you are working for yourself). Work is a task that must be performed, i.e. it is obligatory. It is a kind of identity because it gives you a sense of purpose; affects your attitudinal behaviour, values, priorities, e.t.c, and even determines the kind of people you interact with. Job and work are inter-related and are sometimes substituted for each other.
D. Occupation: An occupation is a definable work activity that occurs in various settings. It is an individual’s main source of living - the kind of work one does on a regular basis. This means
that your occupation refers to the kind of work or job you do over a period of time.
E. Profession: This refers to the kind of work or job that requires special training and education e.g. law, accountancy, architecture, nursing, e.t.c. Some professions such as medicine, teaching and nursing can also be called vocations because some people do them not just to make a lot of money but as service to humanity.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Education is the most valuable treasure any nation can give to its citizens. Functional education should be geared towards the acquisition of knowledge and information as well as relevant competencies (skills, attitudes, aptitudes, etc). Effective education therefore should go beyond mere literacy - ability to read and write. It should incorporate ability to “do” and “apply” that is, it should equip the learners with some form of technical know-how.
The number of unemployed graduates in Nigeria suggests that most of them do not possess relevant, saleable, employable or even entrepreneurial skills that are needed in the society. This partly explains why the nation has remained economically dependent till date. This is because most nations who are economic giants today, started by equipping their citizens with the right type of education - education that will enable them use both their heads and hands. The type of education that equips its recipients with such abilities to think is generally described to work as vocational education.
This type of education is very crucial to every nation particularly those that are still “developing” such as Nigeria. The reason is that economic stability and independence is a product of technological status and independence. Nations and in fact individuals should therefore aspire to acquire education that is “work-oriented”.
This material is prepared to equip you with the basic information and knowledge that will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the concept of vocational and technical education (TVE).
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the unit, you should be able to: explain various words/terms used in technical and vocational education describe the philosophical and historical foundations of technical and vocational education explain the sociological and economic foundations of vocational education.
Definition of Terms
An explanation of the following words and terms within the context of technical and vocational education will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the course.A. Vocation: This can be described as a job you do because you strongly feel that doing it is the purpose of your life. It can also be seen as a job you do by way of rendering service or help to
others. A vocation can also refer to those work activities in which one is specially gifted. People generally are committed to their vocations; find them intrinsically rewarding and perform them
with great autonomy as well as feelings of satisfaction, importance and relevance.
B. Job: This refers to anything you do to earn your living especially if you work for someone else. Jobs are task-outcomes and organization-centred.
C. Work: This can be defined as a regular physical or mental activity for which someone is paid. Work can also be voluntary (when you are not paid) or entrepreneurial (when you are working for yourself). Work is a task that must be performed, i.e. it is obligatory. It is a kind of identity because it gives you a sense of purpose; affects your attitudinal behaviour, values, priorities, e.t.c, and even determines the kind of people you interact with. Job and work are inter-related and are sometimes substituted for each other.
D. Occupation: An occupation is a definable work activity that occurs in various settings. It is an individual’s main source of living - the kind of work one does on a regular basis. This means
that your occupation refers to the kind of work or job you do over a period of time.
E. Profession: This refers to the kind of work or job that requires special training and education e.g. law, accountancy, architecture, nursing, e.t.c. Some professions such as medicine, teaching and nursing can also be called vocations because some people do them not just to make a lot of money but as service to humanity.
F. Career: This can be defined as the type of work or job an individual has been trained for and which he does or hopes to do for a long time i.e. most of his working life. It refers to the total sequence or pattern of jobs performed throughout a person’s working life.
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