Education that prepares graduates to enter the working world. Such classes may be part of a high school curriculum or a stand-alone institution.
In the 20th century in the U.S. and Canada, hands-on education schools sprang up, and for decades, such instruction was commonplace. Called "vocational" education or "vocational technology" (votech), by the 1960s, "shop class" for woodworking and auto mechanics was taught to boys in countless high schools. For young girls, homemaking classes were common, and agricultural curricula were also widely available. However, by the turn of the 21st century, vocational education had faded almost entirely.
In the 2020s, another niche dubbed the "career and technical education market" arose to fill a void and prepare students for jobs in a highly competitive world. See
education & training.