Professional services
Topic: Tertiary, Quaternary and Quinary Activities · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 6 "Tertiary and Quaternary Activities"
Meaning
Professional services are services that need specialised training. The main ones are health care, engineering, law and management. People who provide them, such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and managers, charge fees for their work. They depend on knowledge and skill gained through long study, not on machines. They are usually high-order services, which means they are fewer in number and serve people from a wide area.
Example
Lawyers who argue cases at the Supreme Court in New Delhi provide professional services. Clients come to them from all over India and pay them fees.
Don't confuse with
- Personal services: housekeepers, cooks and gardeners help with daily life and usually need little formal training.
- Regulated services: these are services such as transport, telecom, energy and water supply, which are controlled by corporations set up by law. Being regulated is not the same as needing professional training.