A vocational school, also called a trade school, is a higher-level learning institution that specializes in providing students with the vocational education and technical skills they need in order to perform the tasks of a particular job. Vocational schools are traditionally distinguished from four-year universities by their goal to impart job-specific training and education to students who are typically bound for one of the skilled trades, rather than providing academic training for students pursuing careers in a professional discipline. While many schools have largely adhered to this convention, the purely vocational focus of other trade schools has since begun to shift "toward a broader preparation that develops the academic" as well as technical skills of their students, following the advent of the 1990s.