Monday 6 June 2016

Academic study and vocational training

Topic
Many people go to university for academic study. More people should be encouraged to do vocational training because there is lack of qualified workers such as electricians and plumbers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Too much emphasis is placed on going university for academic education. People should be encouraged to do vocational training, because there is a lack of qualified tradespeople such as electricians or plumbers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Đề thi IELTS tại Việt Nam ngày 21/11/2015
Bài này được Simon bàn ở đây liên quan đến chủ đề University:
http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/05/ielts-writing-task-2-university-topic.html
Một bài viết khác
By most people, vocational training is considered a dishonorable escape route for those who are not smart enough to attend colleges . Now that the scarcity of qualified craftsmen, such as construction workers, electricians or locksmiths is getting more acute, some have suggested that more people should be encouraged to undergo vocational training. From my point of view, I cast no doubt on the veracity of this statement.
There are multiple benefits that can be derived from attending trade schools, instead of universities. In the first place, programs of vocational schools are often shorter. More specifically, while college students have to commit to at least 3 years of full-time study, it takes only 1 or 2 years for students to receive certain specialised certifications. In addition, the principal focus of vocational programs is on providing hands-on experience to students and there is no need for them to study subjects that are not relevant to their choice of subject. The prime example for this is Vietnamese college students, regardless of what majors they pursue, are obliged to study concepts of the communist party while students of trade schools do not have to. For this reason, their employability is significantly enhanced.
Despite such advantages, many are still skeptical about taking vocational training as it does not offer much flexibility. I acknowledge that the career choices are much more limited for vocational students and that there is little chance for them to change their career if they desire to. However, if students receive proper career orientation program before embarking on their learning, few wrong decisions will be made.
All things considered, I am inclined to restate that vocational training should no longer be kept on the periphery of the educational system and that it should be encouraged among students of all levels of education.
(303 words, written by Bao Huyen)
Useful expressions :
Cast no doubt on: không nghi ngờ gì về
Derive benefit from: lấy lợi ích từ việc gì đó
Prime example : ví dụ điển hình
The focus is on : trọng tâm là vào
Employability is enhanced : khả năng kiếm đc việc gia tăng
Keep st on the periphery :coi thường cái gì đó
----
It goes without saying that society always needs a skilled workforce to function. Employees of different professions contribute different to the thriving of the community, and therefore I disagree with the statement that vocational courses should be given anymore weight than before.

There is no doubt that many people consider taking tertiary education instead of a vocational training program to prepare for their future. It is universally accepted that knowledge and qualifications gained from university can help one to have a head start over other candidates when it come to job hunting. In Vietnam, for instance, a majority of high school graduates are content to spend fours to five years more studying at a university with the hope for a bright career ahead. This results in a lack of skilled manual workers such as plumber and electricians in society.

However, if we encourage more people to become blue-collar workers, then there will be a shortage a while-collar workers who may otherwise create more wealth for society. For example, few engineers would mean lower productivity; a dearth of scientists may inhibit scientific discoveries which can provide us with a better life in the future. In contrast, those doing blue-collar jobs may face redundancy when too many applicants complete for the same position. An unbalanced workforce might, therefore, hold society back from development in the long term.

In conclusion, the workforce will adjust itself to carter for the need of the community. If there are too many engineer than necessary, some will take vocational courses to become tradespeople to avoid unemployment.

(260 words, written by Thay Vinh IELTS)



No comments :