Technical training in high school can provide a form of alternative education for students who require the convenience of the half-day school schedule in the pursuit of a high school diploma in conjunction with hands-on job training. As an alternate form of education, trade or vocational education makes it possible for students who may find the traditional school setting conflicts with personal goals or who many not feel graduation is a definite possibility in a full-time, traditional schoolhouse setting. Trade schools help provide an alternative for single, teenage parents and students who have trouble acclimating to the school setting for social or disciplinary reasons, for instance.
Many high school juniors and seniors have yet to choose a definite career field and path to pursue. Though a student may be most certain that the college path is definitely not the one she wants to follow, a career still must be chosen for the sake of finding a place in the workforce. For students who have not chosen a career as of yet, technical training is a good way to get hands-on experience in areas that may interest that student, from the health care field to construction. There are students who are certain as to what career they would like to join as a high school graduate. For this group, high school technical education becomes a preparatory tool for those students who already know they want to work in the nursing profession, for instance.
Many high school students have no work experience by the time they reach the junior or senior year. High school technical education provides work experience to all students, including those who had none previous to the attendance in vocational education situations. Most health occupation technical education classes, for example, prepare students for the field of nursing and take place in an actual hospital or nursing facility. In these instances, students are required to not only perform in a professional manner the tasks assigned to them, but other real-life workplace expectations are placed on students regarding having a tidy appearance, being on time and respecting a chain of command, for example.