RIPEC releases recommendations for career and technical education to help new board

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council has released a preliminary analysis of the state’s career and technical education system, identifying three areas for the state’s new Career and Technical Board of Trustees to discuss – funding, alignment and employer involvement.

The nonprofit RIPEC partnered with Brenda Dann-Messier, former assistant secretary for career, technical and adult education at the federal Department of Education, to prepare the report.

“The existing career and technical education system in Rhode Island has a number of excellent career preparation programs, elements of a high-quality system and many dedicated and talented staff and students. However, the state’s career and technical education system is not currently aligned and duplication and gaps in the career preparation programs available to students exist,” the report states.

According to the state Department of Education, during the 2013-2014 academic year, 7,350 high school students were enrolled in 127 career and technical education programs administered across 10 regional centers, 18 high schools and one charter school, representing approximately 17 percent of the state’s high school students.

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During the 2012-2013 academic year, the state department said the greatest percentage of career and technical education students were enrolled in programs in the arts, A/V technology and communications career cluster. Architecture and construction, and hospitality and tourism, were the next most popular programs.

During the 2013-2014 academic year, the career and technical education center with the largest total enrollment (excluding The Met) was the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center with 617 total students enrolled, followed by William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School with 608 students enrolled.

The report noted the resurgence in career and technical education as policymakers see the need for a skilled workforce, especially as some jobs remain unfilled and retirement looms for other workers in the sector.

The board was established last year by the General Assembly in response to those issues, and is tasked with improving the coordination and direction of career and technical education in Rhode Island. The General Assembly also created a nonprofit organization to provide funding for career and technical education programs.

The report states that funding for career and technical educationis primarily through the federal Perkins Act. It states that the board needs to examine if existing funding streams are sufficient to operate a “high-quality career and technical education system” and also needs to determine if funds are being used “efficiently and effectively.”

In addition, the board also needs to increase employer involvement in development and implementation of career and technical education programs, the report states.

“The state’s career and technical education system is not currently aligned to the needs of employers and numerous program gaps and duplications exist. Inconsistent program descriptions and data limitations hampered RIPEC’s ability to fully determine how effectively the current system serves students and employers. Therefore, the report concludes that the Board of Trustees should examine alternative methods of data collection as part of a deeper analysis of Rhode Island’s career and technical education system that should also include post-secondary and adult education programs,” the report states.

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