History of Business Education

 

            The idea of business courses has been around for a long time. Shorthand can be traced back to ancient Greece, and bookkeeping was developed during the Middle Ages (NBEA). Over the years this type of vocational  or career and technical education has grown to include many other business classes.

            Vocational education in the United States began in the 1600’s with the apprenticeship system. Children were placed with a master to learn a trade. For the elite families, preparatory schools were available. These schools provided classes for students to go on to a profession. Bookkeeping and casting were courses that were available (NBEA). However, apprenticeship was the path to take for “boys who desired to pursue business careers [to receive] their training” (NBEA). As a result, they were able to receive hands-on training, like an internship.

            During the 1800’s, vocational education was promoted because of the need to produce goods (NBEA). Business colleges or commercial colleges were established to prepare students for the workforce. “James A. Bennett was an early leader in [this] development” (NBEA). He believed that students should learn through replicating the work that they would be doing in the work force. Students went to business school to learn exactly what they needed to get a job. During the Civil War, there was little demand for business schools. However, the end of the war brought a “rapid growth of business schools” because of the need for employment (NBEA).  In 1827, Massachusetts required every public high school, with a community of 500 or more, to “include bookkeeping as a subject” (NBEA). The first typewriter, invented by Christopher Latham Sholes in 1868, created a demand for a course in typewriting. It became the “most popular business subject” and “became a graduation requirement in some school[s]” (NBEA).

             The 1900’s brought business classes into the secondary curriculum. Enrollment was very high, resulting in a decrease in private business schools and allowed for additional courses to be offered at the secondary level. “Larger high schools were able to develop complete programs of business training” to be completed within 3-4 years (NBEA). The idea of marketing education was also introduced around this time. Because many looked down upon sales clerks, few high schools included retail store training in their curriculum. In 1914, the first cooperative education program was established. Seniors were able to spend time with local employers to gain “real office experience” (NBEA).  In 1917, thanks to Frederick G. Nichols, “the father of business education”, vocational programs began receiving federal funding (NBEA).Retail selling education and economic education joined the business department because of a major emphasis on consumer behavior. There was also an emphasis on “educat[ing] youth in personal finance concepts” (NBEA). Throughout the rest of the century, laws and acts have advocated business education and provided funding for this program.

Before the 1900’s, there was very little formal training available to business teachers (NBEA). Teachers would receive their training through their own work experience, attending a business school, or self-instruction (NBEA). Colleges began offering various types of business education programs in the early 1900’s. Students graduating in business education reached a peak in the 1960’s. Since then, most of “these programs have been eliminated” (NBEA).

Business curriculum started off  with subjects like typewriting and bookkeeping. However, the 1900’s and the decades following stressed needs for different skills. Many classes are offered because of advances in technology. Communications skills were stressed in the late 1980’s. The 1990’s brought an “emphasis on teamwork… [leading] business education programs to teach collaborative work and management skills” (Hell).  The millennium focused on preparing students to enter the work force. Today, curriculum teaching these skills have become incorporated into the courses taught in business programs. Courses found in Utah high schools could include accounting, business communication, business law, business management, web design, desktop publishing, keyboarding, entrepreneurship, leadership principles, and word processing (USOE).

Today, business education is defined as “education for and about business” (NBEA). It not only includes educating students about business and preparing them for a career, but also educating students about being consumers. Business education has evolved over the centuries and it will continue to involve as the needs of society change.

           

Works Cited

NBEA. "The Foundations of Business Education." Effective Methods of Teaching Business Education. Reston, VA: National Business Education Association, 2008. Print.

Hell, Karl. "Business Education." Reference for Business. Encyclopedia of Business 2nd Edition, 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.

USOE. "Business Education Course Information." Career and Technical Education. USOE, 12 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.