Vocational Purposes and the Aims of Schooling

Abstract

This article argues for the compatibility of vocational purposes with the aims of schooling within the liberal tradition. Two main grounds will be offered in defence of this position. In the first place, school students who are following a track that leads to direct employment or to vocational training are not necessarily excluded from a fulfilling school experience or from a curriculum of high culture. In the second place, young people who concentrate on practical or manual subjects can experience much of the enrichment and personal satisfaction that have been traditionally and restrictively associated with the academic curriculum.