Rural CTE programs lag in work-based learning activities

While nearly all (98 percent) of U.S. public school districts offered career and technical education (CTE) programs in the 2016-17 school year, such programs differed between rural and city districts and faced barriers to participation from both the districts and students. Rural districts are much less likely to have work-based learning activities as a part of their CTE programming, according to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics.

The report, based on a 2016-17 survey of career and technical education programs offers a glimpse of the current CTE landscape in the U.S., including data about work-based learning activities and employer involvement in those programs. The data showed that a larger percentage of city districts than rural districts offered CTE programs with work-based learning activities, including student-run enterprises or services (72 percent of city districts compared to 43 percent rural); mentoring by local employers (87 percent compared to 55 percent); on-the-job training, internships, practicums, clinical experiences, or cooperative education (95 percent compared to 68 percent); and apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeship programs (35 percent compared to 26 percent).

Employers who are involved in CTE programs were shown to participate in a number of ways, including serving on advisory councils, advising on in-demand occupations, providing guidance on industry standards, and serving as guest speakers.

The report identifies several barriers to participation from both districts and students. A lack of funding or high cost of programs was the most frequently cited barrier that districts faced in offering CTE programs (50 percent of districts), followed by finding or keeping teachers for in-demand industries and occupations (44 percent of districts), and facilities or space limitations (43 percent of districts). Districts reported that barriers affecting student participation in CTE programs include a lack of time in students’ schedules (25 percent of districts), students’ difficulty finding work-based learning (23 percent of districts), and transportation for work-based learning (20 percent of districts).

However, districts also reported that the following were not barriers to student participation in CTE programs: teachers’ or guidance counselors’ negative perceptions of CTE (58 percent of districts), transportation to CTE programs (44 percent of districts), and lack of student support services for special populations (42 percent).