In recent years, Ohio has made career and technical education a priority funding item.
During his 2023 State of the State Address, Gov. Mike DeWine talked about the benefits of young people learning trades like welding, carpentry and construction. The state invested $300 million in the expansion of these career technical education programs in Ohio high schools in its biennial budget.
“So often, the teachers would tell us that more kids want to take [career technical] courses, but there are waitlists because there simply aren’t enough open spots,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in his address two years ago.
The investment seems to have had its intended effect: A growing number of Ohio high school students are seeking out technical credentials, according to Aaron Churchill, a researcher with the educational think tank the Fordham Institute. But he believes more can be done.
“There are more students that are participating in career technical courses at Joint Vocational School Districts than we've basically ever seen on record,” Churchill said.
Where’d the money go?
The most recent investment into CTE went directly toward equipment and facilities. Churchill said these specialized career programs often require advanced and costly equipment in order to allow students to have hands-on experiences.
The money didn’t just lead to upgrades. Several school districts are building entirely new facilities, including at Bryan Middle Schools and Bucyrus City schools in rural northwest Ohio.
The bulk of the funding went to Joint Vocational School Districts, regional public school districts that focus on career training, said Churchill. That means that some school districts were left out.
“It’s very hard for a lot of our general education high schools to have a very robust career technical program in addition to having really great math, science, and AP college kind of driven academic programs as well.”
Churchill noted many high-poverty schools in urban areas lack access to technical programs that focus on high-demand jobs.
Workforce challenges
Many Ohio industries are struggling to find enough workers. Careers in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology are amid those hurting the most, according to the Ohio Top Jobs List.
Ohio has long struggled with a shortage of skilled laborers in manufacturing. But, as Central Ohio sees a boom in megafactories for semiconductors and EVs moving into the region, it’s become a more urgent issue.
They're a high priority to fill, Churchill said, because they offer students a path to high wage careers.
“A lot of these grants were specifically designed to promote programs in these high value, high priority career fields,” Churchill said.
Recommendations for future investment
As these job markets grow, Churchill hopes to see the legislature continue its investment in career and technical education. That said, he recommended a few changes to their funding model.
In his analysis of funding, Churchill suggested making more funding available for personnel, creating targeted technical training grants for high-poverty schools and expanding incentives for employers to participate in CTE programs.
Plus, he said the state could better understand the impact of its funds if it collected more data on students that opt into the vocational programs.
“We don't have a very easy way of connecting students from kindergarten to 12th grade, their student record through high school, with workforce records,” he said. “The state does need to continue to improve our data and evaluation systems to answer the question ‘Are we getting the bang for the buck that we want for these programs?’”
It’s too soon to say whether the investment has filled some of the workforce challenges the state has faced, but Churchill said he believes the work is making an impact.
“Students getting these high quality credentials in high priority areas, I think, will be in a better position than if you're just receiving a high school diploma or receiving a credential in a career field that is in less demand.”
