VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TEACHER, POSTSECONDARY

Job Definition:

• Vocational education teachers teach or instruct vocational or occupational subjects in adult and further education institutions and to senior students in secondary schools and colleges. They prepare students for employment in specific occupations or occupational areas for which university or higher education is not normally required.

Job Description:

• Teach or instruct vocational or occupational subjects at the postsecondary level (but at less than the baccalaureate) to students who have graduated or left high school. Includes correspondence school instructors; industrial, commercial and government training instructors; and adult education teachers and instructors who prepare persons to operate industrial machinery and equipment and transportation and communications equipment. Teaching may take place in public or private schools whose primary business is education or in a school associated with an organization whose primary business is other than education.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Conduct on-the-job training, classes, or training sessions to teach and demonstrate principles, techniques, procedures, and/or methods of designated subjects.
• 2) Develop curricula, and plan course content and methods of instruction.
• 3) Prepare outlines of instructional programs and training schedules, and establish course goals.
• 4) Integrate academic and vocational curricula so that students can obtain a variety of skills.
• 5) Develop teaching aids such as instructional software, multimedia visual aids, or study materials.
• 6) Select and assemble books, materials, supplies, and equipment for training, courses, or projects.
• 7) Advise students on course selection, career decisions, and other academic and vocational concerns.
• 8) Participate in conferences, seminars, and training sessions to keep abreast of developments in the field; and integrate relevant information into training programs.
• 9) Serve on faculty and school committees concerned with budgeting, curriculum revision, and course and diploma requirements.
• 10) Review enrollment applications, and correspond with applicants to obtain additional information.
• 11) Arrange for lectures by experts in designated fields.
• 12) Supervise and monitor students’ use of tools and
• equipment.
  13) Observe and evaluate students’ work to determine progress, provide feedback, and make suggestions for improvement.
• 14) Present lectures and conduct discussions to increase students’ knowledge and competence, using visual aids such as graphs, charts, videotapes, and slides.
• 15) Administer oral, written, or performance tests in order to measure progress, and to evaluate training effectiveness.
• 16) Prepare reports and maintain records such as student grades, attendance rolls, and training activity details.
• 17) Supervise independent or group projects, field placements, laboratory work, or other training.
• 18) Determine training needs of students or workers.
• 19) Provide individualized instruction and tutorial and/or remedial instruction.

Activities:

• 1) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 2) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 3) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 4) Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• 5) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 6) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 7) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 8) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 9) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• 10) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 11) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 12) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 13) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 14) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• 15) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• 16) Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• 17) Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• 18) Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• 19) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 20) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 21) Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• 22) Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• 23) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 24) Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• 25) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 26) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 27) Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 2) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 3) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 4) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 5) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 6) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 7) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 8) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 9) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 10) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 11) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Knowledge:

• 1) Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 2) Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• 3) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 4) Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 5) Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.