Polytechnics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An institution offering a diverse range of technical and vocational training programs in various fields of study
2. A specialized school focused on practical knowledge and skills in engineering, technology, and applied sciences
3. An establishment dedicated to educating students in multiple technical disciplines, often providing hands-on experience alongside theoretical learning

Etymology: Its Greek source, "polytechnos," meant "skilled in many arts," from "polys" (many) and "technē" (craft or skill). In ancient Greek, "technē" covered any practical craft, not machinery, so the root is the same one behind "technical" and "technology," but the original sense was much broader. The adjective was revived in the modern era, most famously by the École polytechnique, founded in Paris in 1794, and London's Royal Polytechnic Institution, opened in 1838, brought the idea to English-speaking audiences. In Britain, "polytechnics" became a formal category of higher education in the 1960s. The 1966 government white paper "A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges" set them up as vocational institutions alongside universities. Under the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, most were granted university status, and many quickly adopted the name "university."

Synonyms: technical schools, vocational colleges