Technical Institutes

‘Technical institute’ is a generic term, which does not denote a specific form of institution internationally but is loosely used to describe educational institutions that prioritise vocational or skills-based learning. Technical learning includes all levels from basic to postgraduate; however, in common parlance, ‘technical’ is seen as the converse to ‘academic’, with an inference, in some countries, that it is of lower status. This has become a self-reinforcing process whereby institutions that are designated technical, despite providing platforms for progression to skilled employment, are often regarded as being somewhat inferior to purely academic places of learning.

Evolution of the Term

At the turn of the 17th century, when a number of Greek and Latin words were absorbed into English, the Greek tekhnikos was borrowed to indicate skill ...

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