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Why Career & Technical Education

WHAT IS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION?

Career and technical education (CTE) prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers and further educational opportunities. These careers may require varying levels of education—including industry-recognized credentials, postsecondary certificates, and two- and four-year degrees.

CTE is offered in middle schools, high schools, area career and technical centers, community and technical colleges, and other postsecondary institutions.

The most recent Report to Congress on the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act revealed that approximately 14 million students participated in secondary and postsecondary CTE programs during the 2007-2008 school year.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), almost all high school students take at least one CTE course, and one in four students take three or more courses in a single program area. One-third of college students are involved in CTE programs, and as many as 40 million adults engage in short-term postsecondary occupational training.

CTE is at the forefront of preparing students to be "college- and career-ready." CTE equips students with:
  • core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities
  • employability skills (such as critical thinking and responsibility) that are essential in any career area
  • job-specific, technical skills related to a specific career pathway

Within CTE, occupations and career specialties are grouped into "Career Clusters." Each of the 16 clusters is based on a set of common knowledge and skills that prepare learners for a full range of opportunities.

Further specialization is achieved through comprehensive Programs of Study, which align academic and technical content in a coordinated, non-duplicative sequence of secondary and postsecondary courses, and lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.

Career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) are an integral part of CTE. CTSOs prepare young people to become productive citizens and leaders in their communities by providing unique programs of career and leadership development, motivation, and recognition for students enrolled, or previously enrolled, in CTE programs.

CTE Increases Student Achievement:
  • A ratio of one CTE class for every two academic classes minimizes the risk of students dropping out of high school. (Plank et al, "Dropping Out of High School and the Place of Career and Technical Education," 2005.)
  • 81 percent of dropouts said that "more real-world learning" may have influenced them to stay in school. (Bridgeland et al, "The Silent Epidemic," 2005.)
  • The more students participate in CTSO activities, the higher their academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career self-efficacy and college aspirations. (Alfeld et al, "Looking Inside the Black Box: The Value Added by Career and Technical Student Organizations to Students' High School Experience," 2007.)
  • Students who complete a rigorous academic core coupled with a career concentration have test scores that equal or exceed "college prep" students. These dual-concentrators are more likely to pursue postsecondary education, have a higher grade point average in college and are less likely to drop out in the first year. (Southern Regional Education Board, "Facts About High School Career/Technical Studies.")
  • CTE students are significantly more likely than their non-CTE counterparts to report that they developed problem-solving, project completion, research, math, college application, work-related, communication, time management, and critical thinking skills during high school. (Lekes et al, "Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs, Academic Performance, and the Transition to College and Career," 2007.)

CTE Meets Individual and Community Economic Needs:
  • According to the BLS, of the 20 fastest growing occupations, 10 require an associate's degree or less. Furthermore, of the 20 occupations with the largest numbers of new jobs projected for 2018, 13 require on-the-job training or an associate's degree.
  • More than 80 percent of respondents in the 2005 National Association of Manufacturer's Skills Gap Report indicated that they are experiencing a shortage of qualified workers overall—with 13 percent reporting severe shortages and 68 percent indicating moderate shortages. CTE plays a vital role in helping American business close this gap by building a competitive workforce for the 21st century.
  • A person with a CTE-related associate degree or credential will earn an average of between $5,000 and $15,000 more a year than a person with a humanities or social sciences associate degree—and those with credentials in high-demand fields such as healthcare can average almost $20,000 more a year. (Jacobson et al, "Pathways to Boosting the Earnings of Low-Income Students by Increasing Their Educational Attainment," 2009.)
  • According to the state of Washington, for every dollar spent on secondary CTE students, federal and state governments will receive seven dollars back in social security, Medicare, and federal and state taxes. (Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, Workforce Training Results-2006, January 2007.)

FACTS ABOUT CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is crucial to providing the strong workforce training needed to fill the good-paying jobs vital to restoring the economic health of our nation. CTE programs also produce strong educational returns, strengthening student engagement in school, achievement in academics and technical skills, and transitions from high school to postsecondary education and from education to careers.

CTE-Related Jobs Are in High Demand
  • According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 30% of the 46.8 million job openings created by 2018 will require some college or a two-year associate degree. (Carnevale, Anthony, et al, Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University, 2010, p. 13)
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that middle-skill jobs (jobs that generally require some significant education and training beyond high school but less than a bachelor's degree) will account for about 45% of all job openings projected through 2014. (BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition)
  • Of the occupations requiring postsecondary education, those requiring an associate degree are projected to grow the fastest, at about 19 percent. (BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition)
  • Nearly one in six "hot jobs," jobs paying above the median wage and having above average growth, will require an associate degree or some postsecondary training. (American Association of Community Colleges)
  • By 2018, the U.S. will need at least 4.7 million new workers with postsecondary certificates, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. (Carnevale, Anthony, et al, Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University, 2010, p. 1)

CTE Meets Individual and Community Economic Needs
  • Participation in skills-training programs increased wages and earnings, raised the probability and consistency of employment, and led to work in higher-quality jobs, according to Public/Private Ventures. (Maguire, Shiela, et al, Job Training That Works: Findings from the Sectoral Employment Impact Study, 2009)
  • A person with an associate degree or two year credential will earn, on average, over $5,000 a year more than a person with just a high school diploma and a person with a CTE-related associate degree or credential will earn between $5,000 and $15,000 more a year than a person with a humanities or social sciences associate degree. (Jacobson, L., et al, Pathways to Boosting the Earnings of Low-Income Students by Increasing Their Educational Attainment, Gates Foundation/Hudson Institute, 2009)
  • According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 43% of young workers with Licenses and Certificates earn more than those with an associate degree, 27% of young workers with Licenses and Certificates earn more than those with a bachelor's degree, and 31% of young workers with associate degrees earn more than those with a bachelor's degree. (Center on Education and the Workforce, Valuing Certificates, Presentation, 2009)
  • According to the Florida Department of Education, recent graduates who earned a career-focused associate degree or postsecondary certificate from a Florida community college are earning up to $11,000 more than bachelor's degree recipients from the state's eleven public universities. (Florida Department of Education, 2011)
  • According to the state of Washington, for every dollar spent on secondary CTE students, federal and state governments will receive seven dollars back in social security, Medicare and federal and state taxes. (Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, Workforce Training Results-2006, January 2007)

CTE Engages Students and Lowers the Dropout Rate
  • In a 2009 report for the Gates Foundation, 81% of respondents said that more learning opportunities which make the classroom relevant to the real world would have helped them to finish high school. (Bridgeland et al, The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2006)
  • A ratio of one CTE class for every two academic classes minimizes the risk of students dropping out of high school. (Plank, S. et al, Dropping Out of High School and the Place of Career and Technical Education, The National Centers for Career and Technical Education, 2005)
  • The more students participate in Career Technical Student Organization activities, the higher their academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career self-efficacy and college aspirations—factors often linked to high school graduation. (Alfeld, C., et al., Looking Inside the Black Box: The Value Added by Career and Technical Student Organizations to Students' High School Experience, National Research Center for CTE, 2007)

CTE Increases Student Achievement
  • Students using the National Research Center for CTE's Math-in-CTE model, which uses highly integrated CTE and academic teaching methods and courses, scored significantly higher on two national math assessments than students using traditional teaching methods. (Stone, J., et al., Building Academic Skills in Context, National Research Center for CTE, 2006)
  • Students who complete a rigorous academic core coupled with a career concentration have test scores that equal or exceed "college prep" students. These dual-concentrators are more likely to pursue postsecondary education, have a higher grade point average in college and are less likely to drop out in the first year. (Southern Regional Education Board, "Facts About High School Career/Technical Studies")
  • CTE students were significantly more likely than their non-CTE counterparts to report that they had developed problem-solving, project completion, research, math, college application, work-related, communication, time management and critical thinking skills during high school. (Lekes, N., et al., Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs, Academic Performance, and the Transition to College and Career, National Research Center for CTE, 2007)
  • Students in programs that blend basic skills and occupational training to generate more contextualized learning are far more likely to improve basic skills and earn college-level credits, according to researchers at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College. (Jenkins, David, et al., Educational Outcomes of I-BEST, Washington State Community and Technical College System's Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program: Findings from a Multivariate Analysis, 2009)

MORE INFORMATION

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation's largest education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. For more information visit ACTE's Web site at www.acteonline.org or call 800-826-9972.