High school job prep
Want a job? So does every student ever! Maybe career and technical education classes are the way to go. Shaun Dougherty says you could be more likely to graduate and earn more if you do.
Typically, a student’s education is supposed like this: elementary, middle, high school. College. Job.
The idea that high school can directly prepare students for a job is more controversial. But it has a long history. Vocational education goes back to the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 – the law that first authorized federal funding for what is today called “career and technical education” (CTE) in American schools.
Nowadays, most good jobs require a college degree. But a new study finds that some CTE students are more likely to graduate from high school, actually do better in college, and earn higher wages than their peers.
The report’s author, Shaun Dougherty, joins Stephen to talk about his findings.