Center for American Progress

Batel: Rethinking the School-to-Work Pipeline with Career and Technical Education That Is Rigorous, Inclusive, and Equitable
In the News

Batel: Rethinking the School-to-Work Pipeline with Career and Technical Education That Is Rigorous, Inclusive, and Equitable

Author Samantha Batel discusses expanding and redesigning career and technical education (CTE) programs to strengthen the school-to-work pipeline.

Today’s modern economy brings with it modern challenges. Significant job growth in fields like health care and computer science requires a greater share of the workforce to have some type of postsecondary degree or training. To equip students — particularly those from underserved communities — for this reality, states, districts, and schools must rethink the pipeline from school to work.

Career and technical education (CTE) is one path forward. Over the past four years, media mentions of CTE have quadrupled. In 2017, 49 states and Washington, D.C., enacted more than 200 new policies related to CTE and career readiness. This year, at least one-third of governors prioritized workforce development and CTE in their State of the State addresses — and for good reason.

The above excerpt was originally published in The 74. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Samantha Batel

Senior Policy Analyst