Bringing Clarity to a Critical Statewide Workforce System

CTE is delivered at the local level with funding from state and federal sources. As a result, there is no standard model through which CTE is delivered. Outcomes and outputs vary widely depending on specific areas of study. Multiple agencies play a role in its administration at the state level. And at the local level, CTE is delivered by CTE districts, which are groups of school corporations that have joined together to offer training.

Given the complexity of CTE administration, determining whether the state was maximizing its return on investment presented a daunting challenge, as did understanding whether students and businesses received the program’s desired benefits.

Because of the multitude of funding sources and administrative agencies involved, leaders had a hard time discerning whether a course met its desired outcome; it was entirely possible for a course to meet the guidelines and bring funds into the District but fail to meet a need in the community.

For example, cosmetology may be cost-effective as an offering, but should it be incentivized during a period where the state faces a critical shortage of industrial mechanics? CTE is an important element of the workforce landscape and one of few funding streams that span K-12, post-secondary, and adult education—all of which contributes to CTE’s being one of the least fully understood but most potentially valuable systems.

Thinking strategically about the structure of CTE and its return on investment became a priority for the state. First, leaders and policymakers needed to understand as much as possible about how the system functioned.

With support from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) engaged Resultant to provide insight into Indiana’s CTE system.

Initial Pain Points for CTE

• Decentralized, non-standardized processes
• Multiple, overlapping agency responsibilities
• Lack of ROI transparency on outcomes and successes

Within a sprawling and ever-changing system, finding answers starts with simply collecting the facts.

The long history of CTE in Indiana meant, not surprisingly, that not only was there a mountain of data but that it reflected some entrenched ideologies and procedures that had outlived their usefulness. We helped to create an objective, comprehensive, and meaningful compendium of information to reveal gaps in program data and opportunities for improvement.

Our in-depth report on CTE’s history, administration, funding, and curriculum provided the neutral recounting of facts that might not have been possible from within the system. It gives leaders and policymakers the information they need to effect the change that the whole state is invested in.

Indiana’s CTE system plays a vital role for schools, students, and employers. A new, more thorough understanding of how that system functions at every level provides stakeholders the facts they need to determine where the program can go—and to meet new challenges like remote learning and an evolving statewide economy. That clarity has informed decisions about structure and course incentives to facilitate greater effectiveness for CTE, improving outcomes for the citizens it serves.