ICYMI: Report: Industry credentials earned in high school out of step with employer demand

Originally published by Education Dive.

By: Linda Jacobson

Dive Brief:

Dive Insight:

The report only focuses on 24 states because most don’t have the data to examine the credentials students are earning and whether they match up with the demands of employers. But with state lawmakers striving to close the “skills gap” and many states including these types of credentials as an indicator of career readiness under the Every Student Succeeds Act, having accurate data will become even more important, Quentin Suffren, the managing director of innovation policy for ExcelinEd, said during a press call on Tuesday. “This focus is only going to grow,” he said, adding that high school CTE programs and credentials available to students will also be a central element in states’ plans for Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education funding, due next April.

“To be clear: We are not suggesting that CTE programs are failing to teach the skills they promise,” the report says. “But it is clear from our analysis that the credentials these programs provide too often have little currency with today’s employers and are, therefore, of questionable career value to students.”

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