A Common Bias: Vocational Studies Are ‘Lesser’ Than Academic Studies

In this episode

Can you tell the difference between these two statements? ‘You’re attending this school? Good for you!’ ‘You’re attending this school? Oh, (long pause) good for you.’ Both these statements may sound very similar but as any vocational student can tell you, there’s a world of difference contained in that long pause. In many societies, vocational studies are seen as lesser than academic studies, a last resort for students who couldn’t cut it in academics. However, not only is this view extremely narrow, it also results in vocational students feeling small and unworthy. In Episode 6 of the StudentPulse podcast, we speak to Adam Thorp a 20-year-old student and Chairperson of the Student Council at MBO Utrecht in the Netherlands, on how vocational students are viewed in society and what educational institutions can do to help change that.