Ohio CTE Expansion of Effective Access: A toolkit from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce provides CTE and workforce leaders with resources and recommendations to expand CTE programming across JobsOhio regions. Alongside an overview of the CTE landscape in the state, the toolkit outlines three steps leaders in each region should take:  

• Understanding Your Region’s Effective Access Status: Leaders should take the time to review the current CTE programs offered in their region and identify participation rates across school districts and counties. To this end, the toolkit provides data on middle and high school CTE participation for each JobsOhio region, allowing leaders to identify underperforming areas and provide targeted support. 
• Building New CTE Programming Where None Currently Exists: Once leaders identify areas where few CTE programs are offered, the toolkit provides a step-by-step process on how they can build new programs—from examining regional labor demand to consulting with industry partners and developing a curriculum. Additional resources are provided on connecting career pathways across the K-12 spectrum and developing programs in rural, suburban and urban areas. 
• Growing Existing CTE Programming to Further Increase Effective Access: Current CTE programs should be updated or expanded in order to grow CTE access across the state. One way leaders can do this is by conducting targeted outreach to students and their families; this can include hosting CTE exploration days, inviting employers to speak in schools and developing parent-focused fact sheets and resources. Additional strategies and resources are provided for leaders to create flexible program schedules, incorporate industry-recognized credentials into CTE courses and develop meaningful work-based learning experiences. 

Labor Market Returns to Community College Noncredit Occupational Education: An article by Peter Riley Bahr and Rooney Columbus in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis analyzes the labor market outcomes of community college noncredit occupational programs. 

The researchers examined community college students in Texas who enrolled in a noncredit program between fall 2011 and 2014 and found that, on average, students who participated in a noncredit program earned about $2,000 more annually two years after enrollment, a 3.8% increase compared to their previous salaries. Gains varied by cluster, with Transportation, Engineering Technologies and Construction seeing the highest salary increases. Men experienced higher gains than women, and programs with longer durations of instruction led to higher gains compared to programs with shorter durations. 

When disaggregating program duration by cluster, the researchers found that earnings gains for students who attempted the shortest-term programs (30 or fewer instructional hours) were the strongest in Construction, Engineering Technologies and Transportation programs. Among the longest-term programs (300+ hours of instruction), Nursing, Protective Services and Engineering Technologies saw the strongest gains. Enrollment in noncredit programs also led to a 5.6 percentage point increase in employment immediately after a program. 

National Postsecondary Credential Attainment: New data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center examines postsecondary credential attainment rates for students who first pursued a credential in fall 2019. Major takeaways from the data include the following: 

• The national six-year credential attainment rate for fall 2019 students was 61.1%, holding steady from previous cohorts. 
  • Attainment rates vary across institution types: students from private, nonprofit four-year universities had the highest attainment rate (74.6%), followed by public four-year universities (70.9%) and community colleges (44.1%).  
• Students who previously took dual enrollment (DE) courses were about 14 percentage points more likely to earn a credential (71.1%) compared to students with no DE experience (57.2%).  
  • This difference was larger for community college students: 57.1% of community college students with previous DE experience earned a credential compared to 40% with no experience. 
• Asian (75.7%) and white (69%) students had the highest credential attainment rates. Black (44%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (44.5%) and Native American (45.2%) students had the lowest rates. 
• Female students had a higher credential attainment rate (64.3%) than male students (58.1%). 
• Students who enrolled in a postsecondary program at age 20 or younger were significantly more likely to earn a credential (63.8%) than students aged 21-24 (35.6%) and students 25 or older (36.6%). 

The Blueprint for Statewide Re-enrollment Success: A report from ReUp Education analyzes New Jersey’s Some College, No Degree (SCND) initiative. Launched in 2022 through a partnership between ReUp and the state, the initiative aims to re-enroll adults who left college without earning a degree or credential—840,000 adults in New Jersey fall into this category. 

The report found that, since the program’s inception, over 13,500 students have re-enrolled in postsecondary education and over 1,400 have graduated with a credential. Of these graduates, 51% earned a bachelor’s degree and 49% earned an associate degree. Furthermore, more than 28,000 are currently exploring a return to education, with 45% seeking to re-enroll as soon as possible and 23% planning to return within 6-12 months. The top pathways for two- and four-year college graduates are Health Professions and Business/Management. 

ReUp also estimates that the initiative will contribute $128 million to the state economy and that each graduate will expand the tax base by $6,590 per year. Despite the potential economic return, adults identified barriers that prevent them from returning to school, including cost (51%), time commitment (21%) and lacking access to online or hybrid courses (7%).