Alternative routes to teaching for vocational educators

Abstract

Alternative credentialling of teachers has been practiced for decades in vocational education, even though research is inconclusive as to the efficacy of the quality of the teacher’s preparation upon completion of these alternative programmes. It has been suggested by several authors that teachers receiving non-traditional certificates do not perform as well as traditionally prepared teachers. Several aspects of alternative certification for vocational educators must be postulated for effectiveness to warrant in the classroom of today and for the future. Hence, this article delves into topics critical to teacher preparation. First, the reasons underlying alternative certification including the private sector as teachers. Next, a variety of definitional issues of alternative certification programmes currently in place in many states will be elaborated on. Since the inclusion of students with disabilities has infiltrated vocational classrooms it is imperative to discuss briefly how this affects the alternative certification programmes that are now in existence. Finally, the economical issues of whether a traditional certification programme is more costly than an alternative certification programme is also discussed. © 1999 Journal of Vocational Education and Training. All right reserved.