A Higher Diploma Degree: Vocational Training is a Smart First Step

After a student graduates from secondary school, a graduate usually sees only two viable options before them: get a job or go to school. Traditionally, individuals who decide to get a job without a higher education will receive lower wages. While the latter option of “going to school” is associated with obtaining an expensive four-year bachelor’s degree. For the industrious graduate who seeks a higher education without the four-year commitment, a higher diploma degree might be better found in vocational training. But just what is vocational training and why is it a good option to consider?

Vocational training is a form of higher diploma degree that can be viewed as a fast track to success—if a secondary school graduate knows what they want to do with their life. While in Hong Kong, the higher diploma degree is still considered below the standard of a bachelor’s degree in hierarchy, it can better prepare a student who knows exactly what they want to do for a career. While the typical undergraduate college education includes many opportunities and options for a confused college student to discover what their life’s endeavour will be, a higher diploma degree is a tailor-made education with an emphasis on job training for a student interested in a particular trade or craft. Characteristic types of higher diploma degrees include engineering, accounting, nursing, and pharmacy, but are not limited to just these. In fact, this century has seen a boom of new vocational education, such as: retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services, and even cosmetics.

Suffice to say, a higher diploma degree obtained through vocational training is like receiving a certificate of graduation for a very elite apprenticeship. A student of a higher diploma degree programme will gain hands-on, real world experience in an industry they are genuinely interested in. Students will have in depth, insider knowledge of a trade that a four-year college graduate may have to learn after getting hired. Therefore, the possibility of growth within a company is more achievable. Companies will undoubtedly want to hire from within and promote people they have personally taught. For a student who has dreamed of this job opportunity their entire life, this is not only personally fulfilling, but also financially fulfilling, too.

A higher diploma degree through vocational training in Hong Kong can also be obtained through an accredited, four-year university. Locally registered programmes in Hong Kong colleges give students the opportunity to obtain a higher diploma degree, while also leaving the door open for a student to continue studying a bachelor’s degree after they have completed their higher diploma degree, if they so wish. Whatever a student chooses, they will be equipping themselves for success for the future with professionalism and an incomparable education with sector specific mentors.

Lastly, there is also the option of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. It is a newer institution, established in 1999, but is a good option for students who want to work in newer sectors like information technology, tourism, and other burgeoning Asian markets.

Whatever a student decides upon after secondary school graduation, an investment in the future is key. And if a four-year programme doesn’t sound ideal, especially if a focus has already been decided, a higher diploma degree obtained through vocational training can be a great place to start for success, now and in the future.