Vocational Students Still Need Old-Fashioned Basics

I am always surprised by high school students who are not bothered by poor grades.

These students usually say that school is not important because they are not going to college and do not need academics to take up a trade.

Some of these same students take a genuine interest in vocational or “shop” classes, and learn some valuable skills along the way. Even so, aspiring tradespeople who neglect academic courses do so at their own peril.

I talked to some local professionals in the career areas mentioned most often by my non-college-bound students. This much is clear: Although college degrees are not needed for these fields, doing well in certain academic courses is.

For example, new technology in car design means that auto mechanics who service late-model cars need to be computer-literate.

“All the new cars have on-board computers,” said Dan Bluth, a mechanic in Mar Vista. “Now you need a computer background to diagnose problems with them.”

Electronics, or a science course that includes its principles, is also an important class, Bluth added. Many functions on cars are electronically controlled, especially on newer cars.

For example, “just to operate the one fan that cools your radiator, there are five (electronic) sensors,” Bluth said. “If just one sensor goes out, so does the whole fan.”

Carpentry and cabinet-making attract a lot of non-college-bound kids. Let’s hope that math attracts them, too. They will need it, says Ziggy Zimmel, a carpenter with D & Z Cabinet in Santa Monica.

“You need geometry and a lot of adding and subtracting, (because) most of these new designer kitchens have radius corners, islands and other irregular features,” he said. “It just isn’t a square box anymore.”

Zimmel also suggested a business course, or at least some general math, for those who hope to someday run their own shop.

Even if you hire an accountant, “you’ll do a lot of day-to-day bookkeeping . . . for buying more material or a new tool, and keeping track of money that comes in and is spent,” he said.

I am particularly impressed by the academic preparation needed to become a respectable plumber.

It all starts with a strong sequence of math courses, said Karen Freidenberger, a staff plumber at NBC-TV studios in Burbank.

“You need general math, then basic geometry and algebra,” she said, “or chances are that you’ll never surpass anything except being a go-fer or a ditch-digger.”

Not convinced? Consider just some of Freidenberger’s everyday calculations, which include measuring “offsets, circumferences, cubic feet and inches, water columns, radiuses, arcs, and adding and subtracting pounds per square inch on head pressure loss.”

Plumbers also need strong reading comprehension skills to understand “blueprints, application of installation standards, and health and safety code interpretations,” Freidenberger said. “They’re not easy and you could do something really hazardous.”

She also suggested taking a basic course in computers, since they now play a role in the business. Her department, for example, uses computers to process work orders and file reports.

With the emphasis placed on teen sports, many students plan to enter the fitness business after high school. But they will need more than a warm-up suit and pricey sneakers to succeed, according to Desiree Snelleman, a fitness manager at the Sports Connection health club in Santa Monica.

She suggested taking any high school class that “has to do with the human body: anatomy, physiology, public health, nutrition, or kinesiology.”

Exercise instructors, for example, need a good background in anatomy to know “how muscles work, interact, where they’re located, which exercises work which muscles, and how to avoid injury,” Snelleman said.

In fact, applicants to her club must pass a written test on such subjects before they are even granted an interview.

A favorite plan of those students who are sure they are skipping college, but are not sure about a career, is “I’m going to be an entrepreneur.”

It sounds nice, but aspiring moguls need strong math skills.

“You do need math, and I didn’t realize that,” said Joyce Rodin, a West Los Angeles hat designer and owner of Blues & Co., adding that she wished she had paid more attention to high school math. “You’ve got to keep records of sales, expenses, of money that goes out, and to figure if you’re making a profit.”

Without knowledge of math and basic accounting, Rodin warned, you could have some big problems. “Sometimes it feels like you’re making money when you’re not, because you’re not aware of how much you spent to make the item. You can end up making less (money) or actually losing money.”

The bottom line? Although vocational courses are excellent preparation for the trades and similar careers, doing well in some old-fashioned basics is not so unimportant after all.