Dive Brief:
- California’s community college system is embarking on a $6 million rebranding effort to entice students to explore career and technical education opportunities, part of a broader $200 million annual effort to expand CTE programs statewide, according to Inside Higher Ed.
- The new innovations will include revisions to curricula and new faculty hires, along with increased career support for students, and the state also hopes to build stronger partnerships between schools and employers, with additional plans to allow CTE curriculum approvals to happen on the local level rather than being set by the state.
- Though CTE programs are increasingly seeing boosts in funding — along with support from local, state and federal lawmakers — some believe that there remains a form of stigma about their prospects among applicants, who may deem CTE to be “a second-class option.”
Dive Insight:
Rebranding efforts like California’s may be necessary, as bipartisan political support and bumps in funding have not dissipated the stigma that CTE programs are an alternative pathway for students who aren't necessarily college material. But many CTE programs create pathways to in-demand, high-wage jobs.
Though specific programs can vary, CTE programs often are less demanding in terms of cost and time, often not requiring the time and financial commitment of a conventional four-year degree. This could entice students who may not be interested in pursuing a traditional education due to cost and the uncertainty of a high-paying job at its conclusion. States like California can benefit from basing much of their marketing and rebranding on positive student outcomes. Students may no longer consider CTE “second-rate” if the opportunities available to graduates and the salaries they earn are more widely touted.
Public colleges and universities could benefit from expanding their own CTE programs, as such programs may be more attractive to state legislatures allocating budgets. Many public institutions face dropping enrollment and declining revenue and states may be less willing to fund schools at a high level without the probability of positive outcomes. Colleges can point to CTE programs as a way to boost enrollment by marketing them to previously “unconventional” student populations, while state legislatures could see these graduates a safer investment for future economic growth in the state compared to the recipient of a conventional four-year degree.
Furthermore, the growth of free community college programs in several states, like Tennessee, could make CTE more attractive for students by touting it as a career-driven extension of their K-12 educations. Many students not considering a traditional college path could likely be convinced to spend another two years in school to receive training for a specific career field with better wages than those they'd receive with only a diploma.