Professional Technical Education and Certificate of Advance Mastery
What is Professional Technical Education?
How Does PTE Fit With CAM?
Professional Technical Education is a state-approved sequence of courses that provides students valuable experiences and important knowledge and skills in academic and career areas. PTE programs prepare students for further education, the workplace, and family and community roles. For more information about PTE and CAM, visit www.pcc.edu/pavtec/ or www.ode.state.or.us/opte/. (You may also see PTE referred to as vocational and/or career and technical education.)
Frequently Asked Questions About Professional Technical Education
(Taken from http://www.acteonline.org)
What is career and technical education?
Career and technical education prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers, from registered nurse to computer technician, that require varying levels of education--from high school to postsecondary certificates to two-and four-year college degrees.
What subject areas are covered by career and technical education?
These are the subject areas most commonly associated with career and technical education:
- Business (office administration and entrepreneurship)
- Trade & Industrial (skills trades such as automotive technicians, carpenter, computer numerical control technician)
- Health Occupations (nursing, dental, and medical technicians)
- Agriculture (careers related to food and fiber production and agribusiness)
- Family and Consumer Sciences (culinary arts, family management and life skills)
- Marketing (merchandising and retail)
- Technology (computer-based careers)
Where is career and technical education offered?
In middle school, high schools, two-year community and technical colleges and other postsecondary schools.
How is it offered?
Public middle schools in the US typically offer some career and technical education courses, such as family and consumer sciences and technology education (a modular sequence of courses that enables students to explore a variety of technology-based careers). High school programs are offered either within a "comprehensive" high school or in separate "area vocational-technical schools." In some states, such as Delaware, both academic and technical courses are offered in full-time vocational-technical high schools. Usually career and technical programs are offered as a sequence of courses that are supplemented by work-based experiences such as internships or apprenticeships.
Is career and technical education only for students who are not college bound?
No. Career and technical education can provide a foundation of skills that enables high school graduates to be gainfully employed--either full-time or while in college. Nearly two-thirds of all high school graduates of career and technical programs enter some form of postsecondary program. Rigorous academic content tied to technical subject matter ensures that these students will be ready for college. And the internships and other cooperative work experiences that are a hallmark of technical education are attractive to all students who want to get a head start on a career, whether that career goal is doctor or nurse, automotive technician or computer sciences. Student career organizations for every subject area also help students acquire the employability and leadership skills that will enable them to succeed in the workplace. Tech prep programs link high school and community college curricula to help students make a smooth transition to postsecondary education and careers.
How many career and technical students are there in the US?
There are 11 million secondary and postsecondary career and technical education students in the US, according to the US Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
How many career and technical programs are there in the US?
Across the country, career and technical education programs are offered in about 11,000 comprehensive high schools, several hundred vocational-technical high schools and about 1,400 area vo-tech (vocational-technical) centers, which serve students from several "sending" (feeder) high schools. About 9,400 postsecondary institutions offer technical programs, including community colleges, technical institutes, skill centers and other public and private two- and four-year colleges.
Has anyone compiled a list of leading career and technical programs?
The US Department of Education has named career and technical education programs to its "New American High School" list and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education also has recognized programs with awards. ACTE and the American Automobile Manufacturers Association sponsor Awards for Excellence in Automotive Training.
How is career and technical education funded?
Programs receive about $1.3 billion annually from the federal government through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. That represents about 8-10 percent of the budgets for these programs, which receive most of their funding from local and state revenue. Other laws, such as Elementary and Secondary Education Act, The Higher Education Act, The Workforce Investment Act, and School-to-Work Opportunities Act also fund programs.
How are career and technical education and school-to-work related?
School-to-work or school-to-careers is an umbrella term that unites all career-related education, such as career exploration, tech prep, cooperative education and vocational education. School-to-work, a term used by a federal act passed in 1994, has spurred states and local school districts to establish more formal education systems to ensure that all students have knowledge of career pathways and opportunities to learn career skills "hands on," especially through internships or other forms of work-based learning.
Is there any proof career and technical education work?
Yes, according to many state and local studies. A 1991 New York study of 76,000 secondary vocational graduates found that 6 to 18 months after graduation, 91 percent were productively employed, in the military or enrolled in post secondary education. A recent large scale study of 13,000 Ohio vocational education graduates found that seven years after high school, the vocational graduates earned significantly more than a comparable group of non-vocational graduates and the earnings gap between the two groups appeared to widen with time.
Other Definitions
Tech Prep
(articulated program)
High school juniors and seniors receive
college credits for some professional technical
education courses. Following are samples of
Portland Community College professional
technical programs that are currently
articulating high school courses: Automotive
Service Technology, Computer Applications, Early
Childhood Education, and Drafting. Students
enrolled in high school professional technical
education courses should check with their
teachers for additional information on this
program or visit http://www.pcc.edu/pavtec.
Lower
Division Collegiate (articulated program)
Students earn college credit in high school subject areas such as Literature, History, Science or Math through
Lower Division Collegiate articulation. Students should check with their teachers and/or counselors to learn more about
Lower Division Collegiate advantages and requirements
or visit http://www.pcc.edu/pavtec.
PAVTEC
A "tech prep" consortium composed of all K-12 school districts within the Portland Community College district boundary, the college itself, and several other entities. The purpose of PAVTEC is to enhance the access of high school and PCC students to quality professional technical education. This encompasses a broad scope ranging from career development and guidance programs to technical skill development instruction programs. PAVTEC coordinates a number of programs and services including articulated credit for high school students. See http://www.pcc.edu/pavtec.
Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act
Who was Carl Perkins? Carl Perkins served in Congress for 36 years and devoted much of that time working for vocational (professional/technical) education. The first Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act became law in 1963. It has been reauthorized several times with the latest in 1998.
The purpose of the 1998 Carl Perkins Act is to develop more fully the academic, vocational, and technical skills of secondary and post-secondary students who elect to enroll in PTE programs by
- developing challenging academic standards
- promoting the integration of academic, vocational, and technical instruction and linking secondary and post-secondary vocational programs
- providing services and activities designed to develop, implement, and improve vocational and technical education
- providing professional development and technical assistance to staff that will improve vocational and technical education programs, services, and activities.
For additional information visit http://www.ode.state.or.us/opte/ or http://www.pcc.edu/pavtec.
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