The ROP promotes career technical education as a style of teaching that blends hands-on learning with classroom instruction. Students from UNI who enroll in ROP classes learn from credentialed industry professionals who have insight on skills and qualities which industry employers are currently looking for. Students can also potentially obtain internship and employment opportunities by taking specific Coastline ROP courses.

ROP/CTE Facts

Careers that are the focus of ROP require varying levels of education including industry-recognized credentials, postsecondary certificates, and two-and four-year degrees. CTE is offered in middle schools, high schools, career and technical centers, community and technical colleges, and other postsecondary institutions. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), almost all high school students take at least one CTE course, and one in four students take three or more courses in a single program area. One-third of college students are involved in CTE programs, and as many as 40 million adults engage in short-term postsecondary career training.

CTE is at the forefront of preparing students to be “college-and career-ready.” CTE equips students with:

• core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities;

• employability skills (such as critical thinking and decision-making skills) that are essential in any career area;

• job-specific, technical skills related to specific career pathways.

Within CTE, occupations and career specialties are grouped into “Career Sectors.” Each of the fifteen state sectors is based on a set of common knowledge and skills that prepare learners for a full range of opportunities. Further specialization is achieved through comprehensive Programs of Study, which align academic and technical content in a coordinated, non-duplicative sequence of secondary and postsecondary courses. These programs lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level or an associate or baccalaureate degree.

Coastline ROP has courses and programs in 13 of the 15 state industry sectors including:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources

• Arts, Media, and Entertainment

• Building and Construction Trades

• Business and Finance

• Education, Child Development, and Family Services

• Engineering and Architecture

• Health Science and Medical Technology

• Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation

• Information and Communication Technologies

• Manufacturing and Production Development

• Marketing, Sales, and Service

• Public Services

• Transportation

CTE Increases Student Achievement

• A ratio of one CTE class for every two academic classes minimizes the risk of students dropping out of high school. (Plank et al, “Dropping Out of High School and the Place of Career and Technical Education,” 2005.)

• 81 percent of dropouts said that “more real-world learning” may have influenced them to stay in school. (Bridgeland et al, “The Silent Epidemic,” 2006.)

• The more students participate in CTSO activities, the higher their academic motivation, academic engagement, grades, career self-efficacy and college aspirations. (Alfeld et al, “Looking Inside the Black Box: The Value Added by Career and Technical Student Organizations to Students’ High School Experience,” 2007.)

• Students at schools with highly integrated rigorous academic and CTE programs have significantly higher achievement in reading, mathematics and science than do students at schools with less integrated programs. (Southern Regional Education Board, “Linking Career/Technical Studies to Broader High School Reform,” 2004.)

• CTE students are significantly more likely than their non-CTE counterparts to report that they developed problem-solving, project completion, research, math, college application, work-related, communication, time management, and critical thinking skills during high school. (Lekes et al, “Career and Technical Education Pathway Programs, Academic Performance, and the Transition to College and Career,” 2007.)

CTE Meets Individual and Community Economic Needs

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 20 fastest growing occupations, 14 require an associate degree or less, Furthermore, of the 20 occupations with the largest number of new jobs projected, 18 require on-the-job training, an associate degree or a postsecondary credential.

• Sixty-seven percent of respondents in a 2011 manufacturing skills gap study indicated that they are experiencing a shortage of qualified workers overall—with 12 percent reporting severe shortages and 55 percent indicating moderate shortages. CTE plays a vital role in helping American business close this gap by building a competitive workforce for the 21st century. (Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, Boiling Point? The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing, 2011)

• A person with a CTE-related associate degree or credential will earn an average of at least $4000 more a year than a person with a humanities associate degree – and those with credentials in high-demand fields such as healthcare can average almost $20,000 more a year. (Jacobson et al, “Pathways to Boosting the Earnings of Low-Income Students by Increasing Their Education Attainment,” 2009.

Want more information on career and technical education? The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. Visit ACTE’s Web site at www.acteonline.org or call 800-826-9972