Bridging the Skills Gap: Career and Technical Education in High School
SEPTEMBER 2019 | U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Career and technical education (CTE) provides an important pathway to success for high school students and offers each student opportunities to personalize his or her education based on their career interests and unique learning needs. CTE refers to courses and programs designed to prepare students for careers in current or emerging professions. At the high school level, CTE provides students with opportunities to explore a career theme of interest while learning a set of technical and employability skills that integrate into or complement their academic studies. High school CTE is meant to connect with and lead to postsecondary programs of study or additional training after high school, which may include more specialized technical instruction. These pathways can culminate in postsecondary degrees or certificates, apprenticeships, or employment. Learn more about CTE
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A critical workforce challenge in the United States is the skills gap, particularly among jobs that require either a high school diploma, postsecondary certificate, or associate’s degree.[1] Jobs requiring these “middle skills” outnumber the adults in the workforce who possess them, and this gap presents a barrier to American economic competitiveness. There are 30 million jobs in the United States that do not require a bachelor’s degree that pay median earnings of $55,000 or more. [2] CTE provides an important avenue for young adults to gain these skills beginning in high school. How do we engage a new generation of young Americans and prepare them for rewarding careers? Last year, Congress reauthorized the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century (also referred to as Perkins V), the federal legislation that supports CTE programs and whose purpose is to address these critical issues.[3]
This data story explores both access to and participation in CTE in high school, as well as the outcomes of students who concentrate their studies in CTE, using national and state-level data from the Department. Learn more about the data sources.
While definitions vary by state, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) issued non-regulatory guidance on two different measures of student participation in CTE. At the high school level, the term CTE participant refers to a student who earned at least one credit in any CTE course. The term CTE concentrator refers to a student who earned two or more credits within a single program of study, such as Health Science or Business Management and Administration. Learn more about CTE participants and CTE concentrators.
Over three-fourths of 9th-grade public school students in 2009 had participated in CTE by their senior year in 2013 (77 percent). These students had earned at least one CTE credit in high school. Percentages of students who participated varied across some demographic characteristics such as sex and race/ethnicity. These percentages included all public school students, regardless of high school graduation status. Learn more about CTE participants by select student characteristics.
Over one-third of 9th-grade public school students (37 percent) in 2009 had concentrated in CTE by 2013. These students had earned two or more credits in a at least one program of study in high school. Percentages of students who concentrated varied across some demographic characteristics such as sex and race/ethnicity. These percentages included all public school students, regardless of high school graduation status. Learn more about CTE concentrators by select student characteristics.
CTE concentrations in STEM and STEM-related career clusters represented one-third of all CTE concentrations in high school. However, the percentage of concentrations in these career clusters varied widely by state.
Among 10th-grade public school students in 2002 who were CTE concentrators in high school, the median annual earnings eight years after high school were $23,950, compared to $20,015 for non-concentrators—almost a $4,000 difference. In addition, 41 percent earned less than $20,000, compared to 45 percent of non-concentrators.
The data explored in this story highlight CTE access, participation, and educational and labor market outcomes. They tell an interesting story of the potential benefits of a concentrated sequence of CTE courses in high school. Concentrating in CTE can provide students with a strong foundation of technical knowledge and employability skills to complement their academic studies and prepare them for both college and career options.
Data Notes
High School Longitudinal Study of 2009
National participation data were based on a longitudinal study using a nationally-representative sample of a cohort of students from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. The cohort consisted of 9th-grade public school students in fall 2009 and followed up with a collection of high school transcripts in 2013 to examine course credits earned during high school. The study included over 23,000 9th-graders from 944 schools in 2009.
Education Longitudinal Study of 2002
National outcome data were based on a longitudinal study using a nationally-representative sample of a cohort of students from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:02), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, to permit analysis of longer-term education and labor market outcomes. The cohort consisted of 10th-grade public school students in spring 2002 and followed up with a collection of high school transcripts in 2005 to examine course credits during high school. The study included over 15,000 10th-graders from 750 schools in 2002.
Fast Response Survey System
The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) survey “Career and Technical Education Programs in Public School Districts” (FRSS 208) collected nationally representative data on career and technical education (CTE) programs for the 2016–17 school year. The topics covered included entities that provide the CTE programs, the locations at which the CTE programs are offered to high school students, and work-based learning activities and employer involvement in CTE programs, as well as barriers preventing the school district from offering CTE programs and barriers to student participation in CTE programs. The survey was mailed to approximately 1,800 public school districts with high school grades in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The unweighted survey response rate was 87 percent, and the weighted response rate using the initial base weights was 86 percent. The report Career and Technical Education Programs in Public School Districts: 2016–17 (NCES 2018-028) presents selected findings from the survey.
Consolidated Annual Report
The Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) is a single reporting instrument developed by the Department of Education that enables eligible agencies to submit the narrative performance report pursuant to 2 CFR 200.328 and 34 CFR 76.720, the financial reports pursuant to 2 CFR 200.327 and 34 CFR 76.720, and the performance data reports pursuant to section 113 of the Perkins Act. Data submission for the previous fiscal year is due by December 31 of each year.
Data Limitations
High school graduation rates: In this data story, a CTE concentrator is defined as a student who has completed at least two course credits in a single career and technical education (CTE) subject, according to the student’s high school transcript(s), while a non-concentrator could be any student who did not meet this criterion. Because they are required to have completed at least two course credits in a single subject during high school, CTE concentrators may be more likely to have complete transcript data and/or have completed high school than non-concentrators. Please use caution when comparing the high school graduation rates of these two groups.
Employment earnings (including median earnings): The analysis of employment earnings in this data story includes all students in the sample who have data available. It is not restricted to students who were working full time and full year. Due to differences in employment status between CTE concentrators and non-concentrators, please use caution when comparing the earnings data of these two groups.
Note on significant differences
Only statistically significant differences (at p < .05) are discussed except where noted. If differences between groups are not statistically significant, we use the phrase “no measurable difference.”
References
[1] Burrowes, J., Young, A., Restuccia, D., Fuller, J., and Raman, M. Bridge the Gap: Rebuilding America’s Middle Skills, 2014. Retrieved from : https://www.hbs.edu/competitiveness/Documents/bridge-the-gap.pdf
[2] Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, Good Jobs That Pay without a BA: A State-by-State Analysis, 2017. Retrieved from: https://goodjobsdata.org/wp-content/uploads/Good-Jobs-States.pdf
[3] Pettey, Richard. It’s Time to Rethink Career and Technical Education. Homeroom: The Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education, December 19, 2018. Retrieved from: https://blog.ed.gov/2018/12/time-rethink-career-technical-education/
[4] For state data, the term CTE “concentrations” is used instead of CTE “concentrators” because a subset of students might have concentrated in more than one career cluster and would be counted in each applicable career cluster.
[5] “Graduated from high school” is defined in this data story as having obtained a regular high school diploma, a GED or other high school equivalency, or a certificate of attendance.
