Work-Based Learning opportunities are also available through the Career Launch program. As part of Career Launch, students have the flexibility to participate in individualized job shadowing, develop professional skills, and be released from school for paid work experience.
Approximately 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE nationwide. In fact, the high school graduation rate for CTE concentrators is about 90 percent, or 15 points higher than the national average.
A recent Gallup-Lumina Poll found that U.S. business leaders say candidates’ knowledge and applied skills in a specific field are more important than where the candidate went to school or what their major was. Students gain this technical knowledge and applied skills from CTE. (Source: 2013 Gallup-Lumina Foundation Business Leaders Poll on Higher Education)
A recent study found that 80 percent of students taking a college prep academic curriculum with rigorous CTE met the standard for college and career readiness, compared with 73 percent of students taking the same academic core without rigorous CTE. (Source: Southern Regional Education Board, High Schools That Work 2012 Assessment)
Students with a concentration in CTE are nearly 15 percentage points more likely to graduate high school than the national average. (Source: Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education data; Civic Enterprises et al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic: Annual Update, 2014)