Objectives

To determine whether current State Education Department (Department) career and technical education (CTE) activities are sufficient to meet high-demand, high-growth, and high-salary job market needs; and what the Department, school districts, and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) can do to enhance CTE programs. The audit covered the 2015-16 through 2018-19 school years and additional information through January 9, 2020.

About the Program

CTE prepares students to succeed in future careers by introducing them to workplace competencies and providing hands-on learning in the high school setting. According to a national non-profit entity that represents State CTE directors, the high school graduation rate for students who have completed two consecutive CTE courses in the same program is about 90 percent – 15 percentage points higher than the national average. The Department is responsible for overseeing CTE funding and State CTE programs. CTE programs may be Department-approved (Approved programs) or may operate outside of the Department approval structure (Local programs).

Key Findings

• Department oversight efforts need improvement to ensure CTE programs offered through the secondary school system align with student goals and the needs of the State labor market. We found that CTE programs and respective student enrollments generally do not align with occupations that are most in demand, fastest growing, or highest salaried in the State. Department of Labor statistics indicate 41 percent of Approved programs (421 of 1,021) are providing students with skills for occupations that pay less than the State average. Additionally, enrollment in certain CTE programs exceeds the number of open positions in the job market. For example, for the 2018-19 school year, enrollment in Approved programs for chefs and head cooks exceeded the occupational demand by 224 percent.
• Students encounter several barriers to enrolling in and successfully completing CTE programs, including scheduling restrictions and insufficient program support by officials. Cost concerns, including BOCES CTE program reimbursement rates and low CTE instructor pay, may also restrict program growth and student opportunity.

Key Recommendations

• Ensure Approved and Local programs, as well as student enrollments, align with State workforce needs and meet the career goals of secondary school students.
• Work with schools to ensure they are adequately promoting, supporting, and teaching CTE programs.