Dictionary defines vocation as job which one does because one has a specific fitness and ability to give services to other people. Vocations are skills such as crafts, trades or careers which people acquire through informal education, apprenticeship and training in order to provide services that meet people’s immediate needs. They provide self-employment for the practitioners and keep them self-reliant.
THE CONCEPT OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS
Vocational skills can be acquired by university graduate, office worker, student or school drop-out as an alternative means of financial empowerment. Any person with First School Leaving Certificate, Senior School Certificate, Diploma or even Degree is eligible to register for any vocational skills which have been carefully chosen in line with the person’s talent, aptitude and ability. With secondary education and university exposure the acquisition of vocational skills will mean adding more beautiful feathers to one’s plumage; it will lead to job creation and the complete elimination of unemployment. Vocational skills help the adherents to earn income securely, keeping them productive, happy and satisfied. For vocational skills to attract unlimited income and patronage, they will not only be marched with people’s identified talents and abilities, but also they should be carefully chosen from productive activities that meet society’s pressing needs. Many vocations are non-academic apprenticeship-based skills and yet very helpful and economically viable.
Pool of vocations from which people can choose include the following:
VOCATIONS AND SPECIALTIES
- Basket-making
- Sewing of curtains for sale
- Dress-making
- Shoe-making
- Hat-construction
- Cooking skills
- Furniture-construction
- Hair-plaiting
- Running of restaurants
- Motor mechanic services
- Painting skills
- Vulcanizing services
- Carpentry works
- Electrical wiring
- Bead Knitting
- Masonry works
- Refrigerator & radio repairs
- Trading (buying and selling) business etc.
- IT specialist
- Tailor
- Air traffic controllers
- Drivers
- Musician
- Craft makers
- Crop Farmers
- Animal breeders
- Artist
- Baker
- Barber
- Bicycle repairer
- Butchers and meat-cutters
- Cabinet-makers
- Computer operator
- Car mechanic
- Carpenter
- Cook
- Fashion designers, etc.
These vocational services are capable of earning sufficient income for people to run their homes, build personal houses and own personal cars. One woman at Ibadan earned fame and affluence from frying and selling ‘akara’ balls; another woman gained great riches from preparing moi-moi for public consumption.
Many commodities which many Nigerians take flight to China and Taiwan and other nations to import for sales are produced through the use of vocational skills.
In Scripture we observe that people of God did pay sufficient attention to the discovery of their God-given talents and made effort to develop and sharpen them for use in God’s service. Many Levites trained to be adept musicians who could display excellence with cymbals, harps and lyres, and expertly and flawlessly sang with their voices. They earned their living by releasing their potentials. Many priests mastered the use of trumpets in God’s service (2Chronicles 5:12-14).
During the era of Exodus, Bezalel and Oholiab by the help of God discovered, sharpened and utilized, for God’s work, their skills and knowledge in all kinds of crafts, artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, cutting and setting of stones, working in wood and engaging in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. Vocational skills as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine, linen and weavers were given to them. God also empowered them to teach others. (Exodus 35:30-35; 36:1).
In 2Chronicles 5:14 we learn that as the trained and skilled musicians and trumpeters applied their skills in the service of God; the glory came down in form of the cloud. God is pleased when human beings He created discover their God-given talents and abilities and master them for use in the service of God and for the benefit of human beings in the church and society. Every young person and adult is expected to discover the bundles of God-given abilities inherently embedded in him or her for gracing the work of God and blessing the lives of fellow human beings. Ishmael survived in the desert of Paran by being an archer whereas Isaac survived by being a diligent farmer (Genesis 21:20; 26:12, 13).
BENEFITS OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS
Vocational skills provide needed services at people’s door steps.
Urgent helpful activities are promptly and expertly provided by practitioners of vocational skills.
Income from such skills flows to you nonstop without waiting for month-end.
The incorporation of vocational skills into one’s formal education is both supportive and convenient.
Vocational skills create job opportunities for oneself and others.
The youths who could have become robbers, thugs, cultists, kidnappers, dupes, prostitutes, and insurgents or rebels will hardly give attention to these vices if they derive sufficient pleasure, income and means of livelihood from vocational skills they have acquired.
Youths and graduates of today need skills-acquisition as a means to balance out the threatening scourge of unemployment in our nation.
Acknowledgement: Job Dangana (2012) “As A Youth You have a future but only if...”