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CTE Research Review

March 18th, 2015

SkillsIndustry-related research is leading the news this month with new reports from the manufacturing and technology sectors.

First up, new data from the National Federation of Independent Business shows that while 98 percent of small business owners say they are optimistic overall, but finding qualified workers remains a problem. In fact, 29 percent reported difficulty in finding and hiring skilled workers – the highest since April 2006 – and of that number, 89 percent said they are seeing few to no applicants.

However, despite this struggle to attract skilled workers, only 20 percent reported raising wages over the past three months and 14 percent plan to raise them in the coming months.

Manufacturing Industry

The Manufacturing Institute, in partnership with Deloitte, released two parallel studies that explore at the manufacturing skills gap and public perceptions of the industry.

In the skills gap study, researchers predict that the United States will need to add nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs over the next 10 years, but roughly 2 million of those jobs will go unfilled due to a shortage in skilled labor.

The second survey is part of The Manufacturing Institute’s Public Perceptions Index, which first started in 2009. The 2015 update found that the U.S. public greatly supports the manufacturing industry and would choose a manufacturing plant be built in their region over other employers. However, the same public said they were “unwilling to encourage their children to pursue careers in manufacturing.”

Also, from the Brookings Institution, a new report looks at the German manufacturing industry for shareable lessons and strategies to aid the U.S. manufacturing industry.

Technology Industry

IBM released a new study on Millennials (those aged 21-34) and how they and others view their effect in the workplace. The survey looked at the preferences and behavioral patterns of Millennials, Gen X (aged 35-49) and Baby Boomers (aged 50-60), and found that Millennials “want the same things their older colleagues do. While there are some distinctions among the generations, Millennials’ attitudes are not poles apart from other employees’.”

The findings are categorized around five common myths about Millennials and three “uncomfortable truths”.

Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate

 

 

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CTE Research Review

February 25th, 2015

Nursing Shortage Projected

Select figures from the report, “Making Skills Everyone’s Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States.” Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workforce (CEW) has released a new report, “Nursing: Supply and Demand Through 2020,” which says the country will soon face a shortfall of 193,000 nursing professionals. Yet despite the coming shortage and a growing interest in the nursing profession from young people, the report finds that postsecondary programs reject up to half of qualified applicants.

The researchers cite inadequate faculty, facilities and clinical placements as barriers to training all of the qualified applicants. Programs providing training for Associate’s Degree in Nursing rejected 51 percent of qualified applicants, while programs for a Bachelor’s in Nursing rejected 37 percent.

New PIAAC report: Making Skills Everyone’s Business

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) has launched a new report, “Making Skills Everyone’s Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States.” Using data from the 2013 Survey of Adult Skills report, the report renews the call to “upskill” those 36 million U.S. adults with low skills in numeracy, literacy and problem solving in technology-rich environments.

As a result of a nationwide listening tour to solicit feedback on the state of U.S. adult education and the 2013 survey findings, this new report takes a deeper look at the 2013 data and outlines seven strategies to transform U.S. adult education. The recommended strategies are:

  • Act collectively to raise awareness and take joint ownership of solutions
  • Transform opportunities for youth and adults to assess, improve and use foundation skills
  • Make career pathways available and accessible for every community
  • Ensure that all students have access to highly effective teachers, leaders and programs
  • Create a “No Wrong Door” approach for youth and adult services
  • Engage employers to support upskilling more front-line workers
  • Commit to closing the equity gap for vulnerable subpopulations

In Case You Missed It

Image Caption: Select figures from the report, “Making Skills Everyone’s Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States.”

Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate

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CTE Research Review

February 18th, 2015

Although so-called millennials are on track to be the most educated generation in American history, they are still lagging behind their international peers in critical skill areas such as literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments, according to a new report.

The report, “America’s Skills Challenge: Millenials and the Future,” takes a closer look at Americans born after 1980, ages 16-34, and finds that not only do they lag behind those in other countries, the numbers show millennials are lagging behind previous surveys of U.S. adult skills.

Researchers drew from data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, (PIAAC). The researchers looked not only at the lower quartile of Americans, as in previous PIAAC work, but also found alarming results for the best-educated U.S. millennials as well.

The answer is not simply to acquire more education, the authors argue, but rather a greater focus on skills in order to combat growing inequality for current and future Americans.

Some of the highlighted findings include:

  • In literacy, U.S. millennials scored lower than 15 of the 22 participating countries. Only millennials in Spain and Italy had lower scores. In numeracy, U.S. millennials ranked last, along with Italy and Spain.
  • In problem-solving in technology rich environments, U.S. millennials also ranked last, along with the Slovak Republic, Ireland, and Poland.
  • The best-educated U.S. millennials — those with a master’s or research degree — only scored higher than their peers in Ireland, Poland and Spain.

CHART: Average scores on the PIAAC literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments scales for adults age 16–34 (millennials) and adults age 16–24, by participating country/region

Average scores on the PIAAC literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments scales for adults age 16–34 (millennials) and adults age 16–24, by participating country/region

Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate

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CTE Research Review

February 12th, 2015

A lot of new research and resources have been released over the past month. Here’s what you may have missed:

New Studies

Georgetown’s Center for Education and the Workforce has published two new reports of interest to the CTE community. The first, “College Is Just the Beginning,” examines the world of post-secondary education and training and found that roughly $1.1 trillion is spent annually.cew

Researchers split the sum between colleges and universities ($417 billion) and employers ($177 billion in formal training; $413 billion informal on-the-job training). However, that employer number comes with a caveat – employers spend more because education providers may only have a student for a handful of years while an employer may have them for decades. The study also found that federally funded job training is the smallest component, ringing in at $18 billion.

The cost of training also varies widely among industries depending on the intensity of the training. Manufacturing, for example, was found to be the most training intensive.

The center also released a new report called, “The Undereducated American,” which looks at the country’s number of college-going workers and claims that supply has failed to keep pace with growing demand since the 1980s, resulting in widening income inequality.

Other studies of note:

New Surveys and Forecasts

A new public opinion poll from the Association of American Colleges and Universities found strikingly large gaps between employers and recent college graduates regarding career readiness.

While the survey found that employers continue to overwhelmingly endorse the need for broad learning and cross-cutting employability skills, they gave their recent hires very low marks on 17 learning outcomes related to being well-prepared for careers.

Meanwhile, recent graduates held a very different view of their preparedness with some of the largest gaps being critical thinking, written communication and working with others.

Another survey of note:

New Data

A new report from the Government Accountability Office takes aim at state data systems. Despite the $640 million federal investment, the results are state systems linking education and workforce data that are riddled with holes. While the systems have had some success, there are many challenges remaining and questions about sustainability when federal funding goes away.

Other data of note:

  • The National Center for Education Statistics has updated two data sets of interest
    • Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education at the national and state level (FY 2012)
    • Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education School Districts (FY 2012)

Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate

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This Week in CTE

February 6th, 2015

TWEET OF THE WEEK wordle-thumbnail
@OfficeofEdTech: @BarackObama’s budget incl. $200M to ensure Ts receive support & training to effectively use #edtech tools http://tech.ed.gov/eett/ #edchat
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ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Getting Credit for What You Know
Increasingly occupational certifications in areas like IT, manufacturing, healthcare and energy are filling the skills gap, and helping students find well-paying jobs.
Read More

RESEARCH REPORT OF THE WEEK
Gallup Student Poll: Job Confidence Lower in Higher Grades
A new poll by Gallup finds students in elementary and middle school are more optimistic about job prospects than those in high school. Only about half of students grades 10 through 12 strongly agreed with the statement, “I know I will find a good job after I graduate,” compared to 68 percent of fifth graders that strongly agree.
Read More

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Delivering Career Technical Education Fact Sheet
We recently released a fact sheet, Delivering Career Technical Education, providing a quick overview of the variety of systems career technical education is delivered through, from comprehensive high schools to career academies.
Read More

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK
NASDCTEc and ACTE Release State Policies Impacting CTE: 2014 Year in Review
February 5 NASDCTEc and the Association for Career Technical Education released State Policies Impacting CTE: 2014 Year in Review, providing a state-by-state review of policy changes impacting CTE during 2014 across the country. To learn more read our blog post, press release and full report.

CTE MONTH
Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, proclaimed February CTE Month!
Read More

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications Associate 

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Interest in State CTE Policy Growing Across the Country

February 5th, 2015

spr1For the second consecutive year, a significant number of states have developed and implemented new policies and programs to advance Career Technical Education (CTE) at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

In a new publication, “State Policies Impacting CTE: 2014 Year in Review,” legislative and regulatory bodies in 46 states and the District of Columbia approved roughly 150 policies relevant to CTE. The paper was jointly authored by NASDCTEc and the Association for Career and Technical Education.

This continued interest shows a growing awareness in using CTE as a means to increase postsecondary credential attainment, provide students with real-world experience and prepare a workforce with the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain the nation’s competitive edge, the paper argues.

The paper is the second installment in the “Year in Review” series. The inaugural paper from 2013 can be viewed here. The legislation and policies collected in these papers does not imply an endorsement by NADSCTEc, ACTE or state CTE leaders. Rather, the hope is that by collecting these policies into one document, NASDCTEc and ACTE can continue to inform the community and in turn lead to the adoption of positive CTE policies across the 50 states.

While funding activity grabbed the top spot for the second year in a row, industry partnerships and work-based learning emerged as a newly popular category, with 28 states passing legislation or approving policies designed to accelerate employer engagement with CTE and offer real-work experiences for students.

Policymakers maintained their interest related to high school students earning college credit as well as how credit transfers across institutions. States such as Nevada approved a new policy in 2014 to develop statewide articulation agreements for all CTE programs of study to ensure that earned credit in an approved program has total transferability.

While several of the policy areas that were active in 2013 were also prominent in 2014, there were a few exceptions, notably governance. Fewer states made changes to CTE governance structures or clarified regulatory authority in 2014 than in the year prior.

Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate

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This Week in CTE

January 23rd, 2015

TWEET OF THE WEEKblog-thumbnail-thiswek
US Labor Department @USDOL • Jan 20 #Apprenticeship is an earn-while-you-learn training model that works. Find opportunities http://www.dol.gov/apprenticehsip #SOTU
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ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Top 5 Issues for 2015 Expanded: Education
Learn about the top five issues states will likely address this year, including school readiness for all, academic success for at-risk populations and innovative state accountability systems.
More

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Consortia Formation and Characteristics under Perkins IV
The National Center for Innovation in Career and Technical Education released the first two units of a five-unit training that shares data and findings from a recent study of consortia formation under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.
More

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Federal Flash Weekly Video Series
A new video series from the Alliance for Excellent Education, features Bob Wise and Phillip Lovell providing a five minute roundup on this week’s State of the Union address, including reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
More

PARTNER UPDATE OF THE WEEK
2014 State CTE Policy Review Webinar and Paper
In partnership with Association for Career Technical Education (ACTE), we are hosting a webinar discussing the major state policy trends affecting CTE from 2014. This includes new laws, executive actions and regulatory activity. This webinar will coincide with the release of the second annual “2014 State CTE Policy Review,” a joint publication from ACTE and NASDCTEc.
More

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications Associate

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CTE Research Review

January 14th, 2015

Research Image_6.2013In case you missed it, the Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment, CAPSEE, has a slew of new reports focused on labor market outcomes for postsecondary education and certificates. Three of particular interest are:

New Briefs from ECS

Education Commission of the States has released a series of new briefs that may be of interest to the CTE community such as college guidance and student transitions. Be sure to explore the research database for new studies including a new examination of career professionals-turned-teachers.

O*NET Database Updated

The National O*NET Center has completed its annual update to their Tools and Technology database, which includes more than 60,000 tools and technologies and covers the 900+ occupations in its current taxonomy. Check it out today!

Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate

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Upcoming Webinars

January 6th, 2015

Strategies for Financing CTE
January 15, 2015, 2 – 3 p.m. ET
Authors of the new report, “State Strategies for Financing CTE,” will unpack the study’s important findings. Co-hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures, this webinar will explore the ways in which states are financing CTE at the secondary and post-secondary levels using state and federal funds, including a closer look at performance-based funding approaches. For an overview of the report, check out our Learning that Works blog.

Speakers:

  • Steve Klein — Director, Center for Career & Adult Education and Workforce Development, RTI International/Principal Investigator for the National Center for Innovation in Career and Technical Education
  • Laura Rasmussen Foster — Program Director, RTI International/National Center for Innovation in Career and Technical Education
  • Suzanne Hultin — Policy Specialist, Education Program, National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Andrea Zimmermann — State Policy Associate, NASDCTEc

Register Today

2014 State CTE Policy Review
February 5, 2015, 3 – 4 p.m. ET
States are increasingly looking to CTE as a means to help close the skills gap and boost the number of people with a postsecondary credential. Join us as we step through the major state policy trends affecting CTE from 2014 including new laws, executive actions and regulatory activity. This webinar will coincide with the release of the second annual “2014 State CTE Policy Review,” a joint publication from ACTE and NASDCTEc.

Speakers:

  • Catherine Imperatore, Research Manager, Association for Career and Technical Education
  • Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium

Register Today

Employer Engagement: State Perspectives
February 10, 2015, 2 – 3 p.m. ET
Join us on February 10th from 2 – 3 PM ET to take an in-depth look at how specific states and employers inform, align and enhance their CTE systems at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Phil Cleveland, Alabama State Director of CTE and Workforce Development
  • Dr. Blake Flanders, Vice President of Workforce Development, Kansas Board of Regents
  • Andrea Zimmermann, State Policy Associate, NASDCTEc
  • Steve Voytek, Government Relations Manager, NASDCTEc

Register Today 

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications Associate

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This Week in CTE

December 19th, 2014

TWEET OF THE WEEKblog-thumbnail-thiswek
Opportunity Nation @oppnation Almost 98% of CEOs said the #SkillsGap threatens their businesses. Enter, #STEM #CTE #wkdev. #justsaying http://bit.ly/1yjgGAv

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Success in the New Economy: How Prospective College Students Can Gain a Competitive Advantage
This great new video highlights the skills gap and workforce needs, making the case for CTE.
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ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Governor Enacts Career and Technical Education Legislation
Governor Chris Christie signed into law five bills that will advance career and technical education and address the workforce needs of New Jersey employers.
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ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation opens scholarship application process for both students and educators for 2015 
The application deadline for scholarships is May 2015. Scholarships for students are primarily focused on high school students pursuing post-secondary studies involving the hospitality/restaurant/food service sector. Scholarships for educators are for those who teach in culinary programs.
More

INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
The OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Development (FPLD) new website is now live
The new website includes a new, comprehensive database of Forum materials, including country fact-sheets on partnership models, examples of local development projects, thematic handbooks, publications and events proceedings.
More

PARTNER UPDATE OF THE WEEK
Show us your STEM
Change the Equation launched a new crowdsourcing effort bringing together individuals, STEM programs and business to showcase how STEM impacts students across the country. You can share a story, engage online, make a video or a Vine.
More

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