What does "vocational" mean?

1. (job-specific training) teaching the practical skills you need for a specific job or trade. 2. (relating to a vocation) relating to a person's career or a strong feeling that they were meant to do a certain job.

How do you use "vocational"?

Usually placed before a noun like 'training', 'course', or 'qualification'.

vocational

adj.

US //voʊˈkeɪʃənəɫ// UK //vəʊkˈeɪʃənəl// vo·ca·tion·al

1 job-specific training (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

teaching the practical skills you need for a specific job or trade.

relating to education or training that provides the specific skills and knowledge required for a particular occupation or trade.

Example

The local college offers vocational courses in car repair and hair styling.

Example

The government is investing in vocational education to ensure that school leavers possess the technical competencies required by the modern manufacturing sector.

Usage

Usually placed before a noun like 'training', 'course', or 'qualification'.

Teacher's tip

Learners often confuse this with 'academic'. Explain that vocational training is for jobs like plumbing or nursing, while academic study is for subjects like history or philosophy.
- academic
- theoretical
2 relating to a vocation (adj.)
C1 Advanced Formal

relating to a person's career or a strong feeling that they were meant to do a certain job.

of or pertaining to a vocation or a sense of calling to a particular career path.

Example

She felt a vocational calling to become a doctor from a very young age.

Example

The counselor provided vocational guidance to help the students identify which career paths best matched their natural aptitudes.
- career related

Origin

From vocation + -al.