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Career-Tech Program Enrollment Up 5% Since 2015

February 20, 2018

LANSING – Career and Technical Education (CTE) enrollment in K-12 public schools statewide has risen almost five percent since 2015 and may be headed for further growth under a push to expand CTE and professional trades program statewide, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) said today.

The enrollment climb is timely as schools celebrate February as CTE Month, which Governor Rick Snyder declared as part of a national CTE awareness campaign.

Regional celebrations have included:

  • A Muskegon Area Career Tech Center open house, Connect with Tech Night, where local teens were encouraged to connect with one of five career-related programs that matched their college and/or career interests; and
  • The 28th Annual Macomb Career Technical Education Administrators Association (MCTEAA) Awards Breakfast honoring several persons from Chippewa Valley Schools.

“CTE Month is a time to share the many successes our programs have built in Michigan,” State Superintendent Brian Whiston said. “We must keep up the momentum to help make Michigan career- and college-ready so they can compete for high-paying jobs in the 21st-Century marketplace.”

Whiston said he is proud to report that from 2015 to 2017, Michigan CTE’s

  • enrollment rose from 104,038 from 2015 to 109,005, an increase of 4,967 or 4.8 percent; and
  • programs rose from 1,754 to 1,915, an increase of 161 or 9.2 percent.

Also, the overall CTE graduation rate for 2015-16, the latest year available, remained at around 96 percent for the third straight year – about 15 percentage points higher than each year’s overall graduation rate.

“We’re headed in the right direction as we continue to implement Michigan’s plan to become a Top 10 education state in 10 years,” Whiston said. “CTE is a vital part of the overall strategies offers multiple pathways for students to succeed.”

Additionally, the statewide placement rate for 2017 was 96.3 percent, meaning that at least 19 out of 20 CTE students were placed in postsecondary education, or advanced training, in military service, or were employed in the third quarter following the program year in which they left school. The statewide placement rate has been more than 95 percent for the last four years.

MDE’s CTE Office provides oversight and support to all state-approved CTE programs. These programs provide real-world experiences, leadership, and work readiness-skills to students.

Each year, MDE conducts the Statewide Follow-Up Survey of students who completed a state-approved CTE program. The results from the survey are used to calculate the state’s placement rate for CTE students.

The 2017 response rate on the Follow-Up Survey was 87.7 percent and has consistently remained above 85 percent. Here is a breakdown of CTE students’ continuing education pursuits:

Certificate

Associates Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Apprentice, On-the-Job Training or

Other

Total

632

(4.4%)

5,114

(35.8%)

7,781

(54.5%)

756

(5.3%)

14,283

Snyder, Whiston and Talent and Economic Development (TED) Director Roger Curtis are partnering on initiatives to give students more pathways to success in college and careers, with goals of expanding CTE and trades programs statewide; and establishing an industry-recognized CTE credential for students that count as transferable college credits.

For more information about Michigan CTE, visit: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-2629---,00.html.

For information about the Michigan Career Pathways Alliance, visit: https://www.michigan.gov/micareerpathways.