Indicator: Access to in-demand CTE pathways
Definition
Career and technical education (CTE) pathway offerings are aligned to in-demand occupations, as defined by regional labor market data.
RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)
• K–12: Number and percentage of CTE program offerings considered “in demand”
• Postsecondary: Number and percentage of CTE program offerings considered “in demand”
Type(s) of Data Needed
Administrative dataWhy it matters
Recent studies of CTE offerings indicate that CTE programs are frequently misaligned with projected job openings in local regions. For example, one study of CTE programs in high schools in West Virginia found that only about half of the state’s CTE programs were aligned to at least one occupation in high demand among employers in the region. An earlier study in Tennessee found that only 18 percent of graduates concentrated in program areas aligned to high-demand occupations. Research shows that the benefits of CTE vary widely across fields, with certain high-demand fields such as health yielding greater economic returns to participants.
What to know about measurement
High schools and community colleges record program offerings as part of their regular operations, but to identify whether these offerings are aligned to occupations in demand by employers in the region, they must link such programs to labor market data. The meaning of what counts as an in-demand occupation or CTE pathway can vary across contexts. However, CTE programs can be classified as in demand if they are related to an occupation that meets one or more of the following criteria established by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network (O*NET): projected to have rapid growth or a large number of openings in the student’s state or region based on short-term occupational projections data, or considered to be a new and emerging occupation. These criteria have been established by O*NET for “Bright Outlook” occupations.
Source frameworks
This indicator appeared in four source frameworks reviewed for this report. Our emphasis on in-demand, quality career pathways aligns with work by the Alliance for Quality Career Pathways, a project of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Definitions of in-demand vary state to state, therefore our suggested metric relies on regional labor market data.
References
The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.