Ever wonder why some training programs take so long? For example, it can take between two and more than four years to earn a college degree. That’s because most college degree programs teach you more than you need to know to perform a job.
Skills-based training focuses on the essential. It teaches you how to do a particular job, then tests you on the skills you’ve learned. If you’re looking to get started in a new, fulfilling career quickly, a skill-based learning program might be right for you.
What is Skills-Based Training?
Skills-based training programs typically focus on teaching students how to perform a job. A skills-based program can be designed for people without absolutely no experience in a particular industry, or it can be directed at people who already work in a field and want to improve their skillset.
Compared to two- or four-year college programs, skills-based programs emphasize skills vs. knowledge. Knowledge refers to having the facts or information about something. Having skills means you can do something.
For example, you can gain knowledge of medical topics, such as how to draw blood from a patient. But knowing the basics of how taking blood works doesn’t mean you’d be able to succeed in taking a blood sample from someone. To gain the ability to draw blood, you’d need to practice doing it.
To develop skills, you need first to know about a topic. You then need to learn how to apply your knowledge to perform a task.
What Happens in a Skills-Based Training Program?
In a skills-based program, you learn how to apply your knowledge to a task. One way to think of it is that a skills-based program offers you plenty of opportunities to practice performing a job. You might get to work directly with patients, learn to drive a forklift, or code programs on a computer.
Benefits of Job Skills Training
The most significant benefit of completing a skills-focused training program is that the program prepares you for the ins and outs of the career you want. A common complaint among recent college graduates is that their two or four years of study didn’t actually prepare them for the real world.
People who graduate from two or four-year programs often go into the job market or start a career with unrealistic expectations. Or, they might find that they don’t actually know how to use the knowledge they gained over several years of study.
On a practical level, skills-based training programs are typically much shorter than other post-secondary education programs. While the length of the program varies based on the subject matter, you can generally expect to be ready to start your new career or advance in your current career in months, not years.
Programs that focus on developing skills also often cost much less than a typical college degree. Since the goal is to prepare you for a career or build your skills so that you can advance in your chosen field, you’re likely to see a skill-based pay or competency-based pay increase after you finish a program.
Specialized Training Examples
Orange Technical College has partnered with several local agencies to offer students skills-based training programs in various fields. Some of our programs are designed for people who have no experience in a particular industry and are looking to get started on a new career. Others are designed for people who want to improve their skills or learn new ones to get ahead in their jobs.
A few of the programs Orange Technical College offers include:
- Advanced welding
- Construction Basics
- Long Term Care Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Microsoft Office Bundle
- Phlebotomy
- Welding Assistant
Specialized training programs focus on careers where there’s a high level of demand. Once you complete a program, you’ll be ready for immediate employment with employers throughout Central Florida.
The Cost of a Skills-Based Training Program
The skills-based training programs available through Orange Technical College are meant to be affordable. Grant funding from the CARES Act: Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund means that the program cost is $0 for students.
If you’re ready to start a new career or develop your skills to take your current career to the next level, contact Orange Technical College today to learn more about the enrollment process.