Postsecondary Occupational Education

Vocational education is both a high school and postsecondary program, although Perkins III, as written, seems primarily focused on high schools. Research has shown that there are significant differences between students in high school and in college with respect to the reasons they enroll in vocational courses as well as in overall enrollment trends. Moreover, the primary institutions that deliver vocational training—high schools and community colleges—are fundamentally different. Nonetheless, Perkins III makes few distinctions between high schools and colleges with respect to federal objectives, program strategies, or accountability requirements.

Two issues are quite distinctive about postsecondary occupational education and will receive substantial attention under the NAVE. Growing evidence on participation and outcomes suggests that vocational education at this level is beneficial. Postsecondary vocational education also has direct implications for workforce development.

A. Participation and Outcomes

In contrast to vocational education at the secondary level, occupational program enrollments at the postsecondary level continue to grow at a rate in keeping with the sub-baccalaureate level more generally. In addition, available evidence clearly establishes a shift toward enrollment of older students. Such a shift in the demographics potentially signals a diversity of roles if not a changing role for occupational education at the postsecondary level—which may have implications for federal policy.

The economic benefits of postsecondary occupational education are a key measure of the importance and impact of occupational programs. Most analyses in the literature find a significant return to an associate's degree. However, there are two caveats: first, there is evidence to suggest that the benefits are uneven;^[9] and second, very few students complete an associate's degree.^[10] NAVE will examine both the participation and benefits of postsecondary occupational education. In addition to the benefits for those who complete a degree, NAVE will examine the benefits of occupational education by field, for those who do not earn degrees, and for particular sub-groups of students.

Who participates in postsecondary occupational education and why?

Knowing the characteristics of those who enroll, and how enrollments are changing provides an important context for studying postsecondary occupational education. Of growing importance is an older student population that pursues more nontraditional pathways. The key questions to be addressed are:

• Who enrolls in postsecondary occupational education and how has this pattern changed? How do the characteristics of those who pursue occupational education compare with those in nonoccupational programs at the sub-baccalaureate level?

• In what types of institutions do postsecondary occupational students enroll?

• What are the occupational enrollments by program area? Have enrollments by program area changed over time? Are patterns of participation in nontraditional programs changing? How important is "not-for-credit" course taking?

• Has there been a shift in the timing of when postsecondary occupational students enroll?

• What are the educational goals of postsecondary occupational students? Does "reason for enrollment" vary by student characteristics?

What is the contribution of occupational education at the postsecondary level?

The increasing prevalence of degree noncompletion suggests the need to both understand the trends in and to more fully document the contribution of postsecondary occupational education to wages and earnings beyond simply looking at those who attain a degree.

• How important is degree completion compared with skill acquisition (i.e., are alternative measures, such as industry-generated credentials, more beneficial in the labor market than traditional measures?) Are degrees less beneficial and thus less important in some fields?

• What is the contribution of postsecondary occupational education to wages and earnings?

• Does the impact vary by student characteristics, course taking, or field of study?

B. Postsecondary Occupational Education and Its Alignment with WIA

A major issue at the postsecondary level is coordinating occupational programs with the workforce development system. When Congress enacted Perkins III and the WIA, it believed that a plethora of job training programs created excessive administrative burden upon states and discouraged access to services. Therefore, Congress is likely to be particularly interested in the relationship between Perkins and the WIA.

Workforce development is likely to be affected not only by the institutional alignment of Perkins and WIA, but also by the extent to which students complete their training. Although there are still many occupations that require only minimal training and lower-level education, occupations requiring at least an associate's degree are projected to grow faster and with larger projected numerical increases than those requiring less education or training.^[11] Despite (or perhaps as a consequence of) increased enrollments in postsecondary education, degree completion rates are low and are decreasing at the sub-baccalaureate level.^[12] Of particular concern is the disproportionately high and growing rate of postsecondary dropping out among "disadvantaged students" (such as students of lower socioeconomic status, minority students, and those with lower high school grades). Given the diversity of the students who attend postsecondary institutions, the explanation for the comparatively low completion rates is unclear and more than likely many-layered. The NAVE intends to shed light on this issue by better understanding educational pathways and their implications for workforce development.

What role does postsecondary occupational education play in development of state and local workforce development strategies?

The 1998 WIA presents opportunities to integrate occupational education with workforce investment systems (through the optional use of state-unified plans of WIA and Perkins and the provision of workforce development services, through one-stop career centers, at postsecondary providers). Several basic questions need to be addressed:

• What is the relationship between local workforce boards and postsecondary occupational programs? To what extent do local workforce boards impact postsecondary occupational programs?

• What is the interaction/relationship between postsecondary institutions and one-stops? Are one-stops used to integrate postsecondary occupational education and other workforce training programs?

What is the quality of postsecondary occupational programs (as measured by available indicators)?

Several dimensions of program quality are the: (1) nature of programs offered (as measured by faculty quality and responsiveness to labor market demand); (2) "the program of study" students actually pursue;^[13] and (3) results (as measured by employer satisfaction). Relevant research questions include

• What are the qualifications of occupational faculty (compared to past/academic 2-yr. faculty)? To what extent are postsecondary occupational faculty involved in professional development activities and of what type?

• Are the occupational programs offered related to local labor market needs, and do they change adequately in response to local labor market needs (e.g., do enrollment trends coincide with anticipated labor market demand)?

• What is the projected level of education needed for mid-level occupations, and do students attain the level of education consistent with projected labor market requirements? Do educational requirements vary by occupational field or by geographical region?

• Are employers satisfied with postsecondary occupational education? To what extent are they involved in postsecondary occupational programs (e.g., prevalence of co-ops, involvement on advisory boards, use of postsecondary institutions in hiring practices etc.)? Are students satisfied with postsecondary occupational education?

• Now that states are no longer required to set aside funds for a sex equity coordinator or special populations, how are these issues addressed?

• What is the typical postsecondary occupational education pathway? How efficiently do occupational students progress toward goal completion (i.e., are course-taking patterns coherent and/or of a meaningful quantity or are students simply "milling around")? What are the persistence patterns of occupational students?

• As measured by degree/certificate attainment or critical number of courses, are completion rates of occupational students commensurate with those of non-occupational students at the sub-baccalaureate level? Do completion rates vary by student characteristics (old versus young; by goal)?

• What are the factors that contribute to longer persistence and higher completion rates? How is persistence and completion affected by differences in student goals and pathways?

⁹ Not all fields of study lead to significant positive rates of return. See W. Norton Grubb, Learning and Earning in the Middle: The Economic Benefits of Sub-baccalaureate Education (New York: Teachers College).

¹⁰ Based on the HS&B sophomore cohort, of all students who enroll in a 4-year college complete at least a bachelor's degree. Thomas J. Kane and Cecilia Elena Rouse, "The Community College: Educating Students at the Margin Between College and Work," Journal of Economic Perspectives (Winter 1999): 63-64.

¹¹ George T. Silvestri, "Occupational Employment Projections to 2006," Monthly Labor Review (November 1997): 58-83.

¹² D. Boesel and E. Fredland, Is There Too Much Emphasis on Getting a College Degree? (Washington, D.C.: National Library of Education, June 1998).

¹³ That is, what courses are students taking or combining, and what is their progress?

Secondary Vocational Education Program Management