Vocational-training courses get a boost

In the increasingly service- and information-based economy, the demand for continued education rises.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
David Friedlander wasn't sure he had made the right choice about his career.
It was August, and his three-month production and video-editing internship at a Detroit-area TV station had come to an end. The hours he had spent in a TV studio just didn't give him the charge he wanted.
So instead of forcing himself to continue in the TV business, Friedlander moved back in with his parents and enrolled in a carpentry program at Oakland Community College. Now, a few months later, he works outside learning how to build houses.
"I love working outside," the 25-year-old West Bloomfield, Mich., resident said. "It creates something. It puts a roof over people's heads. On one side it is creative, and on the other, it is lucrative. You see your work being done. It's real and tangible."
An increasing number of people are returning to the classroom to get vocational and skilled-trades training as well as taking continuing education courses. Many want to change careers or polish their skills so they can earn more money.
And the education system has taken note.
Shift in purpose
During the last 85 years, vocational training has evolved from its original focus of preparing high school students for work to helping people who already have jobs or a degree, says the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
Today, 40 million adults engage in short-term vocational training to obtain skills that can be used on jobs in almost every industry.
In addition, 46 percent of working adults participated in continued education in 1999, compared with 33 percent in 1991, say the latest figures from the National Center for Education.
Participation grew across the board -- for both sexes and in every age, race and ethnic group -- in continuing education.
Salary boost
People who finish their apprenticeships, certificate programs, two-year degrees and vocational training are landing good-paying jobs within a year.
For example, the average starting salary for a certified automotive mechanic in this country is $40,000 a year, a registered nurse gets $32,000 a year, and a teacher gets about $25,000 a year. Computer-related jobs, such as programming, can start as high as $45,000.
Friedlander is looking at a starting salary of about $24,000 with his carpentry job. However, based on his education and job skills, that amount could wind up being closer to $30,000.
"We have clear data that the higher your education, the higher your wages will be over a lifetime," said John Williams, deputy director of the Michigan Department of Career Development.
"A lot of people are rebooting their skills or changing their focus," said Richard Thompson, Oakland Community College's chancellor. The average student attending Oakland Community College is 29 years old, and 30 percent already have a bachelor's degree.
Information Age
One of the key changes affecting the demand for continued education is the rapid shift from a manufacturing economy to a service- and information-based economy, according to the education statistics center. An information-based economy places emphasis on an individual's skills and abilities.
How long could it take before more education pays off?
It usually takes a full-time student two years to obtain an associate's degree. However, most colleges develop class schedules around part-timers who have only enough time to attend a couple of classes a week and might need three to five years to finish their degree, education experts say.
People who don't want to wait that long to boost their pay can earn certificates, which can be obtained in about a year in some vocational courses. Certificates tell an employer that an individual has the skills needed to do a specific job, such as tool and die worker or medical transcriber.
Most schools also offer classes over the Internet, which could accelerate coursework.
The cost to take at least two semesters of classes can average $1,100. Many classes cost a minimum of $500.
Most schools also offer some form of financial aid. Nationwide, almost 60 percent of those who returned to college or took vocational classes in the last few years received some type of financial aid, according to the U.S. Department of Education.