Applications should be made during the senior year. Overall requirements and length of training period will vary from program to program and training may occur in a school, hospital or on the job. Further information may be found in the Guidance Resource Center. A technical school offers various specialized programs designed to prepare students for occupations such as engineering technician, electronics technician, and draftsman. Technical institute training, like that of a junior college, usually requires two years, but it may take from one to three years.
Students can enter most technical schools directly from high schools.
Some technical programs are offered in junior or community colleges. Technicians hold jobs, which stand midway between craftsmen or production workers and engineers or scientists. The difference between technical training and training in a trade is that the emphasis in technical training is in learning scientific principles, such as the operation of machinery. Trade training, on the other hand is more concerned with hands-on application. The technician who prepares plans from the design of an engineer must be able to understand both engineering and design principles as well as the actual operation in the shop.