A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

The Emergence of Tech-Prep at the State and Local Levels - 1995

IV. The Organization, Leadership, and Resources Of Tech-Prep Consortia

The concept of an organizational partnership as a necessary structure for Tech-Prep implementation is clearly articulated in the Tech-Prep Education Act. The legislation stipulates that Title IIIE grants be awarded to consortia composed of both local educational agencies and postsecondary institutions. The range of eligible secondary and postsecondary consortium members is broad and includes area vocational education schools, secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, nonprofit institutions of higher education conferring two-year associate degrees or certificates or offering two-year apprenticeship programs, and some types of postsecondary proprietary schools. The act also instructs state administering agencies to give special consideration to grant applications from consortia that "are developed in consultation with business, industry, and labor unions," thereby encouraging the inclusion of these groups as Tech-Prep partners.

In this chapter, we discuss the composition and administration of Tech-Prep consortia. We first explore the definition of consortium membership, using the results of the survey data. In the second section, we describe the range of agencies and institutions that are members of Tech-Prep consortia. In the third, we focus on business, industry, and labor involvement in Tech-Prep. We briefly discuss consortium leadership and resources in the fourth and fifth sections, respectively.
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[Potential Student Involvement in Tech-Prep]

[Defining Membership in a Consortium]