A Fresh Look at Career and Technical Education Nancy Hoffman, Jobs for the Future, May 2011
The Problem How youth are faring today Rising youth unemployment Low high school completion rates Low certificate, AA and BA completion rates Even with degree, many poorly integrated into labor force, some permanently left behind Goals of Lumina, Obama, College Board 55% to 60% of population with degree by 2020 25 unrealistic & what of the forgotten half?
School completion: Dramatic change in global skill supply U.S. rate has stagnated while most industrialized countries have improved. 100 90 80 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1 13 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 1 27 0 United States Czech Rep Estonia Germany Switzerland Denmark Canada Norway Sweden Russian Fed Austria Slovenia Israel Slovak Rep New Zealand Hungary Finland UK Netherlands Luxembourg EU19 Avg OECD Avg France Australia Iceland Belgium Poland Ireland Korea Chile Greece Italy Spain Turkey Portugal Mexico Brazil Source: Schleicher (2007) based on OECD data. Approximated by percentage of persons with high school or equivalent qualfications in the age groups 55-64, 45-55, 35-44, and 25-34 years
College level graduation rates Even more alarming, U.S. college completion rates have stagnated while others have improved. 70 2005 1995 60 50 15 Decline of the relative position of the US from 1995 to 2005 40 2 30 20 10 0 Australia Iceland New Zealand Finland Denmark Poland Netherlands Italy Norway UK Ireland Sweden OECD Avg Hungary Japan EU19 Avg Israel United States Spain Portugal Slovak Rep Switzerland Greece Czech Rep Austria Germany Slovenia Turkey Source: Schleicher (2007) based on OECD data. Percentage of tertiary type A graduates to the population at the typical age of graduation.
The current US reality: only 40% of 27-year olds have earned an AA or higher
Current High School CTE policy Young people want to be prepared for work: 1 in 5 concentrate in CTE in high school; most take at least one career course; majority in community colleges enroll in career fields. (NCES) Strategy: Engage disconnected and low achieving youth Promote career exploration Keep all options open Prepare all for college (and career) but really college
Some worrisome patterns post high school California recent research on community college CTE credential attainment (IHELP): 255,000 degree seeking students 2004 05 30% of course enrollments in CTE Within 6 years, 3% earned voc AA degree, 5% earned certificate Completers took almost no remedial courses and stumbled on courses like math and physiology
College for All does not mean everyone needs a BA; even in this decade, many jobs with career ladders do not require a BA
But every young person needs to integrate into the labor market Healthy youth development Belief in future Exercise of agency Place in the pubic world Testing of competence Discovery of skills, talents, and proclivities Civic participation based on faith in government Productive economic future Live independent of family Participate in economy as a consumer Form a family Change career as economy demands
In strong VET countries, 50 to 75% of upper secondary students are in vocational education and training
Availability of career-tech in secondary schools increases upper secondary graduation rates Share of Upper Secondary Students in Career Tech Upper-Secccondary Graduation Rates (unduplicated-oecd) 100% 95% 90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 60% 55% 50% Canada Portugal Spain Iceland Greece United States New Zealand Sweden Germany Netherlands Austria Finland France Belgium Switzerland United Kingdom 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Source: OECD Education at a Glance
What the US should envy from abroad: Qualifications systems Employer engagement Intermediaries to ease burden on employers providing work based learning Problem based skills and content teaching in the workplace combined with school Standardized applied assessments Regional entities linking labor market needs and educational programs Youth guarantees for struggling young people
Must haves for a (better) system ***Employer and business leader engagement in design and support of effective pathways to careers Structured pathways with clear requirements, timelines, and outcomes leading from high school though postsecondary credential completion; Opportunities to engage young people in workplace learning; Effective career counseling and guidance, including scaffolded exposure to employers and career pathways beginning in the middle grades New institutional structures at the regional labor market level to provide coordination, quality assurance, and sustainability.
Not a system but many promising practices within and across states High Schools that Work Career Academies Project Lead the Way Linked Learning Cristo Rey, Big Picture, and Year Up Perkins funded CTE programs of study Earn and learn early colleges
CTE and Regional Labor Market Needs New NGA Report, Degrees for What Jobs? Raising Expectations for Universities and Colleges in a Global Economy Profiles Minnesota, Washington, Ohio and North Carolina s employer engagement strategies Proposes that higher education be less independent, take on broader economic development role Provides promising examples of employer engagement but doesn t quite link the two Nice intermediate step is identifying the reorientation needed in higher ed, but doesn t ask employers to step up