Career and Technical Education

Once seen as an alternative to college, modern Career and Technical Education (CTE) is designed to be a pathway into postsecondary education and prosperous careers for all students. However, there is a lack of rigorous empirical research on the efficacy of high school CTE for preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce.  Moreover, we do not know what factors may mediate these outcomes or whether CTE may benefit some students more than others. Through this project, the research team analyzed Michigan data to examine (a) the characteristics of CTE participants and completers...

The Youth Policy Lab partnered with Detroit Future City (DFC) to conduct a research study examining Detroit’s career-connected K-12 education landscape and its alignment with current and future workforce needs. YPL helped to shape the overall approach and direction of the study and led the quantitative data analysis. This included assessing the alignment between Career and Technical Education (CTE) availability and enrollment in Detroit and the current and future labor market demands in Southeast Michigan. DFC held several focus groups with K-12 education, business, and nonprofit leaders and r...

Funder: Michigan Department of EducationIn an effort to ensure all Michigan high school students are on paths to economic success, the Lab partnered with Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education and the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity to conduct research on the experiences and outcomes of young people that pursue career-focused educational pathways relative to peers who pursue other educational pathways. The team sought to understand the following questions: Who enrolls in secondary and post-secondary career pathway programs in Michigan?  ...