Career and Technical Education: Perspectives on Program Strategies and Challenges

What GAO Found

Vocation and technical education (CTE) enables superior college and higher education college students to pursue in-demand from customers occupations these types of as manufacturing positions, and presents companies with a experienced workforce. The 4 picked states and 8 CTE software suppliers GAO interviewed supported unique college student populations by methods this kind of as leveraging condition, neighborhood, and other federal funding conducting requires assessments or participating with industry. Requires assessments can be useful tools for pinpointing students’ needs and uncovering ways to strengthen CTE plans. For example, just one CTE company discovered gaps in serving English learners and employed an interpreter to make info much more available. The company reported this motion elevated CTE application enrollment amongst this populace to 12 of 20 pupils in faculty year 2021-2022, as opposed to none in the prior college yr. Chosen state officials also emphasized the great importance of participating business companions to discover do the job-based understanding possibilities.

Selected CTE stakeholders, which includes condition officials, plan companies, and company reps, reported extensive-standing worries with providing, accessing, and replicating CTE courses (see figure). In some conditions, stakeholders supplied examples of how they are addressing CTE difficulties. For instance, to overcome adverse perceptions linked with CTE, two method suppliers explained their educational facilities have performed outreach pursuits to tell moms and dads about the benefits of CTE. In addition, two other stakeholders have taken measures to address issues with minimal lengthy-term outcome info, this sort of as building a program that can website link diverse data resources.

Worries Described by Chosen Stakeholders with Offering, Accessing, and Replicating Vocation and Technological Training (CTE) Courses

The Office of Schooling supports CTE plans by administering grants, supplying technological help, partnering with other federal agencies, and increasing investigation. For illustration, Training has taken measures to develop exploration on techniques for strengthening CTE university student results. Education’s What Is effective Clearinghouse is a central supply of evidence on schooling and gives educators with data on how to enhance CTE outcomes. Instruction officials also documented earning enhancements to the What Operates Clearinghouse website in 2021 to enhance users’ obtain to analysis on CTE.

Why GAO Did This Study

CTE courses offer learners opportunities to discover potential occupations though studying technical and employability abilities. Schooling administers resources for these applications as a result of the Strengthening Vocation and Technical Training for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). For fiscal calendar year 2021, Congress licensed about $1.3 billion to guidance CTE systems by way of Perkins V, and about 11 million college students participated in these programs in 2019-2020. Perkins V and a U.S. Property of Associates Committee report accompanying a fiscal year 2021 appropriations invoice include things like provisions for GAO to analyze CTE assistance and funding methods. In addition, GAO was separately questioned to review programs funded through Perkins V.

This report examines (1) strategies picked recipients of federal CTE resources have utilised to assist their CTE programs and guide distinctive pupil populations, (2) issues CTE stakeholders face and how they are addressing them, and (3) how Instruction supports CTE plans.

GAO interviewed officers from Training, condition officials in Delaware, Ga, Ohio, and Washington (picked dependent on CTE enrollment of learners from unique populations, amongst other components), representatives from eight CTE plan suppliers, and 14 additional CTE stakeholders, which include business enterprise representatives. GAO also reviewed CTE funding information and facts from the 8 CTE software companies and reviewed pertinent federal regulations and Schooling paperwork.

For additional information, contact Dawn Locke at (202) 512-7215 or [email protected].