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Vocational Education

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Also known as career or technical education, vocational education refers to formal training and instruction for technical, paraprofessional, skilled, or semiskilled occupations, usually without requiring or providing a bachelor’s degree. RAND researchers have examined the relationship between vocational education and effective workforce planning and development, state policies influencing vocational education, vocational education quality, and more.

Report

Bridge to Opportunities: Connecting Probationers to High-Wage Jobs

May 25, 2018

Probation agencies face significant challenges to helping their clients find jobs, and earn living wages. One program focused on the construction industry aimed to improve the earning potential of individuals on probation in Sacramento County, California.
Research Brief

Educators and Employers Could Align Efforts to Fill STEM Jobs

Feb 7, 2019

Middle-skills STEM workers are in high demand in the oil and natural gas industry, but they need the proper training and credentials. Better collaboration between employers and colleges could bridge the gap between the skills and knowledge employers seek and what instructors emphasize.

Explore Vocational Education

Commentary

Job Training Is More Effective When Educators, Government, and Industry Work Together

The United States is facing economic gaps wider than have been seen in a century. To keep the nation economically strong and able to provide middle-class lifestyles to its citizens, educators, government, and private industry need to work together to shape training opportunities.

Jul 6, 2021
Research Brief

Building Ohio's Workforce through Stackable Credentials

Ohio has been a leader in scaling stackable credential programs since passing initial legislation on stackable credentials nearly 15 years ago. Over this time, Ohio saw strong growth in short-term credential programs. And most individuals who stacked credentials earned a degree.

Jun 8, 2021
Report

Stackable Credential Pipelines in Ohio: Evidence on Programs and Earnings Outcomes

Stackable credentials allow individuals with short-term credentials to build on them with additional credentials throughout their careers. The authors of this report examined educational programs in Ohio and earnings gains from stacking credentials.

Jun 8, 2021
Journal Article

Patterns and Predictors of Postsecondary Re-Enrollment in the Acquisition of Stackable Credentials

This paper uses 15 years of education and employment data from Ohio to examine the predicators of student re-enrollment in postsecondary education after the completion of certificates in Ohio Technical Centers, community colleges, and universities.

Jun 4, 2021
Report

Examining Career and Technical Education in National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs

The authors examined career and technical education opportunities for participants in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16-18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school.

Apr 12, 2021
Report

Fortifying Education as a Pathway to the Middle Class

Education levels in the United States have been rising for 50 years, including large gains for many demographic groups. Adults with college degrees have higher incomes than their less-educated peers. But declining public support for higher education and increasing costs are making it harder to obtain degrees.

Mar 25, 2021
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2019–2020

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people experiencing difficulty in traditional high school through a 5.5-month residential program. The authors of this report document the progress of program participants in 2019 and 2020.

Mar 15, 2021
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2018–2019

In the fourth annual report on the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a residential, quasi-military program for youth struggling in traditional high school, researchers provide information on participants who entered the program in 2018.

Nov 6, 2020
Tool

Making Improvements to Stackable Credential Pipelines: A Toolkit on Using Data to Drive Improvement in Ohio Postsecondary Institutions

Stackable credential programs are designed to make it easier for students to earn multiple postsecondary credentials within a field. This toolkit provides steps for identifying issues in and making improvements to stackable credential pipelines.

Sep 23, 2020
Report

Career Guidance in Schools: Research with schools and providers of career guidance services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

This report examines the provision of career guidance in schools and colleges in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region.

Jul 21, 2020
Research Brief

How Can the United States Prepare a Workforce for Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics?

As industrial robots become more advanced, there likely will be a shortage of technicians with the skills to work with, program, and repair them. This brief presents findings of RAND researchers' analysis of the state of training for these workers.

Jul 6, 2020
Report

An Analysis of Education and Training Programs in Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics

As industrial robots become more advanced, there likely will be a shortage of human workers with the technical and nontechnical skills to work with, program, and repair these robots. RAND researchers assess the state of training for these workers.

Jul 6, 2020
Report

Stacking Educational Credentials in Ohio: Pathways Through Postsecondary Education in Health Care, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, and Information Technology

RAND researchers examine students who earned postsecondary certificates in Ohio and went on to earn additional educational credentials. The researchers describe which types of credentials were earned and how students progressed through institutions.

May 11, 2020
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2017–2018

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16 to 18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. An ongoing program analysis seeks to understand how the achievements of ChalleNGe graduates compare to similar youth who do not participate in the program.

Oct 15, 2019
Commentary

How Work-Based Learning Can Bring Employers and Students Together

Work-based learning experiences help college grads better prepare for work. WBL programs often serve as a workforce pipeline for companies. WBL is also successful at the K-12 level and at "upskilling" adult workers. There are several ways Congress could foster and strengthen WBL.

Jul 24, 2019
Report

Raising the Bar for Graduation Pathways to College and Work: Early Signals on How Louisiana's Education Policy Strategies Are Affecting College and Career Readiness

This report, part of a four-part series on implementation and outcomes of Louisiana's education initiatives, focuses on Louisiana's high school graduation pathways, which aim to improve college readiness, career readiness, and financial aid access.

Jun 11, 2019
Report

Preparing New York City High School Students for the Workforce: Evaluation of the Scholars at Work Program

This report evaluates the Scholars at Work program, which connects students in Career and Technical Education courses at New York City high schools with local employers to improve the career chances of the students and meet the needs of employers.

Mar 28, 2019
Report

Supporting Middle-Skills STEM Workforce Development: Analysis of Workplace Skills in Demand and Education Institutions' Curricular Offerings in the Oil and Gas Sector

In this report, researchers examine the alignment of college STEM education with the needs of employers in the tri-state region of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, as well as STEM areas in which college students need more support.

Feb 7, 2019
Report

Evaluation of the Creating College and Career Readiness Initiative in Kentucky

This report presents findings from an evaluation of the Creating College and Career Readiness initiative, which used a suite of personalized software in the kindergarten-12th grade setting in rural Kentucky schools.

Sep 27, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Vocational Education

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