California Community Colleges Produce Positive Employment Outcomes: Results from the Career Technical Education Outcomes Survey

Abstract

The current research investigates the employment outcomes of Career Technical Education (CTE) from California community colleges. We used three years of data from the California Community Colleges Career Technical Education Outcomes Survey–a survey of former community college students. We documented overall positive employment outcomes. Students earned a higher hourly wage (Hypothesis 1), improved their work status (Hypothesis 2), and improved their work term (Hypothesis 3) after their schooling compared to before their schooling, whether or not the student earned a degree or certificate. We also documented that wage increases were positively related to the degree to which participants’ job is related to their field of study. These results are consistent with the intended industry-specific curriculum of CTE programs: California Community College students receive positive employment outcomes from the training they receive in their CTE program.