February is recognized as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month in North Carolina, highlighting programs designed to help high school students prepare for future education and careers. CTE provides hands-on training in fields such as Health Science, Manufacturing, and Information Technology.
Data from NC TOWER, a state tool that tracks workforce and education outcomes, shows promising results for students who concentrate in CTE pathways. For the Class of 2023, 77% of CTE concentrators secured jobs in North Carolina within a year after graduation, while 68% enrolled in community college or university during the same time frame.
Looking further ahead, a decade-long study followed about 32,000 students from the Class of 2014 who completed CTE programs. By 2024, 71% were employed with median annual earnings at $40,342. The data revealed variation by career cluster:
– Manufacturing concentrators reported the highest median wage at $49,653.
– Those focused on Transportation, Distribution & Logistics earned $48,598.
– Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics concentrators had median earnings of $47,630.
– Employment rates were highest among Human Services (75%), Health Science (73%), and Transportation-related clusters (73%).
– Agriculture-focused students saw a 72% employment rate and median wages of $38,667.
The employment rates reflect only positions covered by North Carolina’s Unemployment Insurance system; self-employment or work outside the state is not included.
NC TOWER allows users to explore regional data related to these trends at tower.nc.gov. There are also studies available examining how CTE impacts specific student groups such as those with disabilities.
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