New Report: CTE Participation in High School Linked to Positive Post-Secondary Outcomes

A synthesis of 28 studies conducted over the last 20 years suggests that students who participated in career and technical education (CTE) programs during high school were more likely to be employed after graduation than similar classmates who did not participate in CTE. The report, titled "What We Know About the Impact of Career and Technical Education: A Systematic Review of the Research,” was put together by the CTE Research Network, whose stated mission is to “expand the evidence base on the impact of CTE programs on student outcomes.” Said another way, the organization wants to know if there is a causal relationship between CTE participation and workforce outcomes after high school.

With a looming Skills Gap breathing down our necks and the cost to attend universities rising steadily, career and technical education has been working its way back into the mainstream for many students across the country. A study completed in 2019 showed that close to 85% of high school graduates had completed at least one year of CTE coursework. And that was five years ago. These results confirm that outreach projects undertaken by organizations such as Be Pro Be Proud SC¹ — which is part of a larger national effort to introduce middle- and high-school students to careers in Skilled Professions — are having an impact on the mindset of students and parents as they consider post-secondary options.

Here are a few of the highlights from the CTE Research Network report:

• CTE has statistically significant positive impacts on several high school outcomes, such as students’ academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills, and college readiness. There is no discernible impact on student discipline or attendance.
• Students who take CTE are more likely to enroll in 2-year colleges compared to those who do not take CTE. However, no differences were found for enrollment in 4-year colleges and progressing in college. There is also no impact on the likelihood of completing a college degree.
• Those who take CTE courses in high school are also more likely to be employed after high school than those who did not. However, CTE course-takers had similar earnings as those who did not take CTE.
• The Network team found no statistically significant negative impacts of CTE participation.

Career and technical education courses are not reserved for just young men, or for those from specific backgrounds or geographic regions. The 2019 study showed that girls and boys participated equally in the programs, as well as students of various ethnicities, students from schools large and small, urban and rural, and students from every corner of the United States. CTE coursework lends itself to learning specific skills and habits that can be used in future pursuits, regardless of career path. 

While the report does not conclude that CTE participation ensures employment after high school or promises career success, it does suggest that taking this coursework is a net positive for students. The growing availability of programs across the country will allow more students than ever to safely explore skills and careers — for little to no cost — that they may never have considered before; regardless of the career path ultimately chosen, every student has something to gain from participating in CTE. Let’s encourage them to do just that.

1  The Be Pro Be Proud SC project, modeled after the Arkansas Be Pro Be Proud initiative that began in 2016, was created and launched in 2020 to close the gap between job seekers and employers as companies seek to retain and replenish a qualified workforce as more experienced workers begin to retire. Taking a unique, targeted approach to removing the stigma from “blue-collar” jobs, its goal is to educate students and the public on the appeal and the importance of these jobs for our economy.

Modules simulating the actual work in various sectors are housed within the workshop, which travels throughout the state to schools, fairs, career centers, conventions, government events, military re-entry programs, and more. 

Be Pro Be Proud SC is made possible through a public-private collaboration of leaders of the Associated Industries of South Carolina Foundation (AISCF) and the Department of Employment & Workforce (DEW), and other state education, workforce, and economic development agencies. Capital to build the mobile workshop and provide the job simulators comes from the private sector. DEW and other public sectors fund the campaign’s operation. 

Article reprinted with permission of Choosing Trades. For more content like this, visit Choosing Trades HERE.