5 Steps to Boost CTE Programs and Fill the Workforce Pool

Key points:

As the United States faces a shortage of essential healthcare workers, career and technical education (CTE) can help fill the gap and connect students to valuable career opportunities.

Training health care workers to fill a growing gap between available jobs and highly qualified candidates begins in high school, and that's where CTE comes in, according to A new report from iCEVmade by Catapult x.

The World Health Organization predicts a shortage of about 10 million healthcare workers by 2030, an alarming projection that highlights the need to help interested students explore healthcare fields. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2032, the United States will need about 1.8 million healthcare workers.

“As a global community, we need to engage students while they are young by partnering with industry and ensuring that all CTE educators have the tools, lab activities, career exploration materials and support to inspire the next generation of healthcare workers. Collectively, our health, quality of life and longevity depend on it,” said Dusty Moore, President and CEO of iCEV.

Access to industry certifications through CTE programs allows students to demonstrate their skills, qualifications, and abilities to employers immediately, connecting them to valuable career opportunities to fill the healthcare worker recruitment process.

But to do so, CTE programs need highly qualified educators with industry experience. In fact, recruiting teachers with industry experience is a top challenge for 60 percent of district CTE leaders, according to the iCEV study.

That challenge is closely followed by securing CTE program funding (53 percent), retaining qualified teachers (51 percent), developing work-based learning opportunities for students (48 percent) and finding engaging instructional materials (32 percent).

Student engagement also remains a challenge: 17 percent of CTE educators said their top challenge is a lack of student interest in a health sciences career. Developing work-based learning opportunities, finding engaging instructional materials, providing accommodations, and preparing students for industry certifications are among other top challenges cited.

Below are 5 actionable steps for CTE programs:

1. Establish alliances with local health institutions to access internships, expensive and/or large health equipment, and information on trends in the health industry.

2. Offer a wide variety of industry-recognized credentials and exams in dual credit programs, and encourage students to take two or more courses in a single healthcare CTE cluster.

3. Train school staff in best practices for CTE placement, focusing on student interest and required prerequisite skills.

4. Create review and evaluation committees comprised of CTE educators and administrators to review providers’ instructional materials, curriculum, resources, and services.

5. Develop relationships with employers to understand job readiness expectations and incorporate them into CTE courses.

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. She holds a degree from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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