Career Technical Education: Reducing Wage Inequality and Sustaining California’s Innovation-Based Economy

This research study from the Milken Institute makes the case for postsecondary CTE and offers policy recommendations to help develop, fund and expand high-quality programs.

Share

Career Technical Education: Reducing Wage Inequality and Sustaining California’s Innovation-Based Economy

This research study from the Milken Institute makes the case for expanding enrollment in California’s postsecondary Career Technical Education (CTE) programs by comparing wage outcomes for students obtaining CTE associate degrees compared to other degrees. The study finds that a CTE degree has a wage premium of 71.4 percent. The paper further identifies essential components of a high-quality CTE system, including employer engagement, regional alignment and, importantly, providing sufficient funding to support CTE programs. The paper concludes with a call to action, identifying specific ideas that policymakers in California and elsewhere can adopt to help expand CTE in postsecondary institutions. 

Submit a resource or resource edit to the Learning that Works Resource Center