Melissa Canney is the Director of Innovation Policy for ExcelinEd.
Earlier this month, the Fordham Institute released How Aligned is Career and Technical Education to Local Labor Markets? This new report analyzes how well the career and technical education (CTE) courses students take align with national and local labor market demand.
Many of the report’s findings and takeaways support ExcelinEd’s work in the CTE space—specifically that CTE program alignment is an issue, but it is something that states can take steps to improve.
Overall, the authors find that there is much work to be done in terms of alignment.
This report also provides an important analysis of CTE course-taking patterns by race and gender, noting significant differences in enrollment patterns across career clusters. It also offers an in-depth analysis of alignment in ten metropolitan areas, allowing readers to contextualize the local variations that make up these national trends.
This research adds a new lens through which policymakers, educators and employers can build upon to improve the alignment of their CTE programs.
When reviewing this report, it’s important to understand the following caveats and considerations related to both the supply side (student CTE participation) and demand side (labor market demand) data used in this analysis.
Despite these limitations, this research is a significant contribution to understanding the alignment between CTE course participation and local employment. The research leverages student and employment data in a new way that is long overdue. Most importantly, it is a jumping-off point for conversations to understand and improve CTE program alignment, quality and student outcomes that should include policymakers, educators, employers and families.
As we’ve outlined in our CTE playbook series, these conversations must be approached holistically to ensure that there is not only alignment between CTE programs and labor market demand, but that aligned programs are high-quality and lead all students to successful high-wage, high-skill, in-demand careers as measured by student outcomes (in addition to participation).
ExcelinEd’s CTE playbook series outlines steps states can take to ensure their CTE programs lead students to successful career outcomes. Explore the complete series or take a look at some of highlights in the blog post #AskExcelinEd: How Can Your State Align CTE Programs with Industry Needs?
As always, please let us know if you have questions or if ExcelinEd can assist your state in developing or strengthening CTE programs for students.
(1/2) H/T @MichaelPetrilli and @educationgadfly on this new #CTELaborAlignment research. Alignment with employer demand is critical.
— Patricia Levesque (@LevesquePat) April 4, 2019
@Elevate2c founders and #bluumfellows Matt & Monica created their program with input from business leaders in the community to help connect students with relevant #CTE opportunities. https://t.co/2dsJUiwQHw
— Bluum (@BluumOrg) April 16, 2019
"CTE must be seen as the path to earning postsecondary credentials that students can use to be successful in the evolving workforce." @samanthagutter shares a few common themes that emerged during the Perkins V listening sessions. Read more: https://t.co/dQPLzhLTeg
— SCORE (@SCORE4Schools) April 15, 2019