A CTE (Career Technical Education) STORY.
“Steve” was a high school graduate with a wife and a baby. Not as common today as it was back then, but not out of the norm. For him, as he said, “college was not an option”. What was an option was getting an associate degree in Diesel Mechanics. That training led him to a great paying job that allowed him and his young wife to raise their family. It also led him to the computers that are a large part of working in the automotive industry. That led to another degree and another good paying job. (1)
Now at almost 60 years old he looks back on his experience and realizes that what made all the difference was the CTE education that he got after graduation. Now, as an advocate for CTE education for all high school students he reflects on his journey and what might have happened if the work he did after graduation had been there BEFORE he finished his studies? What would it do for other kids who are just like he was? Not ready, willing, or able to go to college.
A certificate program right out of high school fed and clothed my babies pretty well. It improved my quality of life far beyond what would have been possible otherwise. I believe that many times, the folks just coming out of high school just don’t know what they want to do for the rest of their life, and some just aren’t interested in going to college. For those people, CTE might be the best option out there.
If I wanted to get a bachelor’s today, I’d do it. There’s nothing stopping me but a lack of desire. I just don’t see where one would benefit me enough to justify the cost. But I’ll tell you what I know.: There are lots of people who wished they’d have done something fun, like learning how to weld, or fix an air conditioner, or maybe build an engine, before they started college. They’d have had a better idea of what they wanted to study, made better grades, and gotten more out of their education.” (2)
WHO NEEDS CTE EDUCATION?
KIDS WITH A PLAN FOR COLLEGE.
When you’re talking to kids who are set on where they’re going after college, one thing is certain, those that are on a CTE pathway are more successful. How much more successful? The graduation rate for students within a CTE focused program is over 8 percentage points higher. Those students are also more likely to graduate college and are more likely to be successful in the working world.
For kids going to college or postgraduate education, many of them are going to need to work. Those students coming out with a CTE background are closer to the kind of job they will need to make through their college years. They are closer to knowing what they want and how to get there. The research shows that the CTE path helps kids going to college as much as it helps kids who are going for an associate degree or entering the working world.
KIDS WITHOUT A PLAN FOR COLLEGE.
As we’ve seen, students who move through a CTE centered program are more likely to graduate. And that high school diploma means so much. That sense of accomplishment is so powerful. Especially for a student who may seem aimless. For young men it’s especially powerful. Being in a CTE program made a huge difference for young men over the past five years.
A study in Connecticut showed that young men who applied for a CTHSS program in the eighth grade had a graduation rate 10 percentage points higher in comparison to those who didn’t. And overall there was a whopping 33 percent increase in graduation rates for those in the program versus those who were not. It’s really no secret that being part of a CTE program is more engaging and creates more success for all students.
The other benefit is that students who came out of these programs had a stronger connection to their career interests, skills, and values which allowed them to access those careers that were in high-demand, high-skilled and higher paying. Those students found more success in their careers exiting high school than students who didn’t come through a CTE focused program.
So even though they chose to bypass higher education it didn’t mean that they needed to bypass a successful and rewarding career.
MINORITIES AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
There is still a serious education gap in this country between white students and black and Latino students. They graduate at a rate of 11 percent and 8 percent below their white counterparts, respectfully. Based on what we’ve seen from CTE course work in the general population, if it were offered more in these minority communities it just might help to bridge that achievement gap.
Right now there’s also a significant employment and wage disparity between people of color and their white counterparts. The latest studies show that blacks make up only 7 % of the highest earning jobs and Latinos make up 12 %, which is well below their numbers in the overall workforce. Again, the introduction of the CTE pathways at a higher rate in underserved communities could be the avenue for getting better jobs, better pay and better results for the people that need them the most.
Currently there is also a wide gap in how many students in minority communities are getting exposure to CTE courses. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics on the federal CTE program show that white and Black students participate in at least one CTE course at about the same rate (82 percent), and their Hispanic peers participate at a rate of 78 percent. These data also show the gaps persist and worsen as students progress. Twenty-two percent, 18 percent, and 16 percent of white, Black and Hispanic students, respectively, achieve the CTE concentrator status of three CTE courses. A survey of Illinois High School Association CTE coursework found similar underrepresentation in CTE programs that consist of more STEM programming. Most recently, white students earned more credits on average in CTE (3.2 credits) compared with Black (2.9 credits) and Hispanic (2.6 credits) students.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
One of the least served communities in our schools are those students with disabilities. Where it shows the most is in their post-graduate employment. They are the least employed, the lowest paid and are usually the first let go when it’s time to downsize. However, like the minority community, they too are more successful when they are exposed to the CTE pathways.
Research shows that students with disabilities in secondary school CTE programs were less likely to drop out and more likely to be employed, to have paid competitive jobs, and to work full time after high school. In addition, students with disabilities who had paid or unpaid work experience in high school had better employment outcomes–higher wages, more hours, more continuous employment.
Furthermore, students with disabilities mainstreamed into regular CTE or academic classrooms, obtained paid competitive jobs more often and felt better prepared to keep their jobs. Qualitative studies reviewed imply that integration of academic and vocational curricula promoted meaningful engagement and inclusion of students with disabilities by increasing persistence, academic achievement, and postsecondary engagement.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYONE!
It sounds like there isn’t a student out there that wouldn’t benefit from being in a CTE focused school setting. They graduate at higher rates, excel at post-graduate schooling, and have more success in their careers, no matter what it might be. So it sounds like the most important thing we can do is to push for more equity and inclusion in our school systems as it pertains to getting our kids into CTE classrooms.
Generation Z is the most racially and diverse group of students of all time. And they are coming into a labor market that requires them not only to have job skills, but the skills to maneuver in the real world. They need Entrepreneurial skills as well as job skills.
Recent labor market data make a compelling case for school districts nationwide to prioritize equity by following the lead of innovative CTE programs such as those in Denver and Boston. By collecting data and acknowledging opportunity gaps in fields such as STEM, states can create programs that increase access to and participation in CTE programs that lead to well-paying jobs among Black, Latin, and disabled students.
That’s why Career Day is focused on getting these programs into schools all over the country. By aligning our program with CTE courses and offering a collection of Entrepreneurial skills we are helping schools, after-school programs, and nonprofits cross the gap between students and bring these needed benefits to everyone. The next generation needs help when it comes to finding, landing and keeping meaningful employment. And they have the skills necessary to navigate the working world, like financial literacy, goal setting, workplace civility and emotional maturity. It’s a bold new world out there and we need to give our students all they need to be successful!
References:
https://sivadinc.com/value-cte-programs/
https://nths.org/blog/how-cte-changed-my-life/
