A college graduate will earn $1.2 million more than a noncollege graduate over the course of their career. College graduates also find work more easily—workers with bachelor’s degrees are 24 percent more likely to be employed than workers without—and better weather recessions, technology shocks, and other shifts in the labor market. This dichotomy is not just unfair and unmeritocratic. One of the most salient fault lines in American life today is educational status, and progressive leaders who have a meaningful focus with concrete ideas to expand career and technical education (CTE) can also communicate how they plan to expand opportunity for those who are not seeking a college degree.
To increase awareness and identify policy solutions to close the gap between college graduates and everyone else, the Center for American Progress, in collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers, hosted an event to highlight replicable CTE programs in the Philadelphia region and convene experts—including elected officials, education system leaders, and business partners across various industries—to explore opportunities for CTE policy development at the local, state, and federal levels.