[img]/images/user/14449_1038739675658703140.jpg[/img]
On September 10, 2014, we gathered together a group of Givologists on Twitter to hear their thoughts about vocational education. By tweeting the #[url=https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23givchat&src=typd]givchat[/url] hashtag, we kept an exciting conversation going for an hour.
We wanted to know: [b]Is money better invested in vocational training or basic education?[/b]
Most participants agreed that vocational training was more important in the developing world for getting jobs. However, many people also said that vocational training had a large overlap with basic education. For example, the three R's (reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic) were skills necessary in almost all jobs, but after that, specific skills had less utility.
Other participants said that the general skills learned through education could be transferred to all professions. @roxannechen197 mentioned that even though a construction worker may not need to know English, it would still enrich his life and enhance his critical thinking skills. However, this was called a "luxury for the rich," as money and time limits what people in developing countries could learn.
When asked to rank research universities, vocational schools, and liberal arts colleges, nearly all participants stated that it depended on the current state of the country and what the existing infrastructure was like. The current education system in Germany, with its two tracks, was also brought up, with similar responses.
The full transcript of the chat is on [url=https://storify.com/givology/givchat-on-vocational-education-vs-basic-educatio]Storify[/url].
Have thoughts of your own to share? Join us next Wednesday, September 17th, for next week's #givchat! We'll be discussing the role of extracurriculars in education, both in the developing and developed world. We hope to see you there!
12 SEP 2014