• Changes in Vocational Coursetaking
• Vocational Coursetaking and Occupational Trends
• Conclusion
• References

While increased academic requirements may have resulted in some students having less time to take vocational courses, students’ predominant method for accommodating additional academic credits seems to have been to increase the total number of credits they earn rather than sacrifice vocational courses. In 1998, students earned an average of 18.3 academic Carnegie units,¹4.0 more academic credits than students earned on average in 1982 (figure 1). At the same time, students earned 3.5 more total credits in 1998 (25.1 credits) than in 1982 (21.6 credits). In contrast, students earned 0.7 fewer credits in the vocational curriculum in 1998 (4.0 credits) than in 1982 (4.7 credits).

Figure 1.—Average number of Carnegie units accumulated by public high school graduates, by type of coursework: 1982 and 1998

Another way to examine changes in vocational coursetaking is to compare the percentage of high school graduates who follow various curricular paths. This analysis shows that the primary shift in coursetaking between 1982 and 1998 was from a general education curriculum to a college preparatory curriculum, with a relatively small decline in the percentage of students concentrating in vocational education compared to changes in the other areas.²Between 1982 and 1998, the percentage of students who completed a vocational concentration declined from 33.7 to 25.0, or by 8.7 percentage points (figure 2). Over the same time period, the percentage of students completing a college preparatory curriculum increased from 8.7 to 38.9, or by 30.2 percentage points, and the percentage completing a general education curriculum declined from 58.2 to 42.6, a decline of almost 16 percentage points (not shown in figures).

So while a smaller percentage of students completed a vocational concentration in 1998 than in 1982, the decline is relatively small given other changes in coursetaking. Moreover, most vocational program areas did not experience a decline from 1982 to 1998.³The overall decline in the percentage of students completing a vocational concentration was due primarily to declines in the two largest vocational areas—trade and industry and business (figure 2). While the percentage of students concentrating in personal and other services was also smaller in 1998 than in 1982, relatively few students concentrated in this area in either year. In contrast, the percentages of students concentrating in health care, technology and communications, food service and hospitality, and child care and education were higher in 1998 than in 1982, although the percentages of students concentrating in these areas remained comparatively small. The percentages of students concentrating in agriculture and renewable resources and marketing and distribution were about the same in 1998 as they were in 1982.

Figure 2.—Percentage of public high school graduates concentrating (accumulating 3 or more credits) in various vocational programs: 1982 and 1998

One factor that may influence a student’s decision to concentrate in a specific vocational area is labor market demand; students may be more likely to concentrate in vocational areas that prepare them for occupations with increasing job opportunities. Although the labor market influences on vocational enrollment are likely to be complex (e.g., the accuracy of students’ perceptions of labor market demand is unknown), it is nevertheless useful to examine changes in vocational education in light of changes in the labor market.

Figure 3 presents the percentage change in the number of jobs in specific occupations between 1983 and 1996; the vertical line represents the average percentage change for all occupations during this time period.⁴At least some of the change in student concentration in specific vocational areas appears to coincide with these changes in occupational employment. As noted above, child care and education, health care, food service and hospitality, and technology and communications were vocational areas in which the percentage of students concentrating was higher in 1998 than in 1982. Consistent with these changes, the occupational groupings of child care workers and teacher aides, health service occupations, food preparation and service occupations, and technicians and related support occupations experienced higher-than-average growth rates between 1983 and 1996.

Figure 3.—Percentage change from 1983 to 1996 in number of jobs, by occupational grouping

Further, the two vocational areas that largely account for the overall decline in the percentage of students concentrating in vocational education. trade and industry and business. roughly correspond to precision production, craft, and repair occupations and secretaries and typists,⁵ both of which experienced below-average growth rates between 1983 and 1996.⁶

In the two remaining vocational areas, the link to the labor market is not as apparent. The percentage of students concentrating in marketing and distribution was statistically no different in 1998 than in 1982, while marketing and sales occupations grew at a higher-than-average rate between 1983 and 1996. About the same percentage of students concentrated in agriculture and renewable resources in 1998 as in 1982, although agriculture, forestry, fishing, and related occupations experienced a decline relative to other occupations between 1983 and 1996. This broad occupational group, however, consists of farmers and other farm occupations, which made up about half of agriculture, forestry, fishing, and related occupations in 1996, as well as a variety of other occupations, such as veterinary assistants and gardening workers. While farmers and other farm occupations have declined over the past 2 decades, other occupations in this group have generally experienced average growth or better (not shown in figures). Thus, to the degree that courses in agriculture and renewable resources are relevant to occupations related to agriculture but not necessarily farming, enrollment trends may be consistent with occupational trends, remaining at roughly stable levels.

The decline in vocational coursetaking from 1982 to 1998 is relatively small compared to increases in academic coursetaking. The potential tradeoff between academic and vocational coursetaking seems to have been mitigated by students taking more courses overall and fewer courses in the “general” curriculum. Further, the decline in vocational concentration was due primarily to declines in the trade and industry and business program areas. These vocational areas roughly correspond to occupations that have experienced below-average growth rates since the early 1980s. In addition, the four vocational program areas in which a larger proportion of students concentrated in 1998 than in 1982 prepare students for occupations that have experienced above-average growth rates. These findings suggest that changes in vocational coursetaking may at least in part reflect responses to labor market trends.

¹In secondary education, 1 Carnegie unit is awarded for the completion of a course that meets one period per day for 1 school year, or the equivalent. All student data included in this Stats in Brief refer to public high school graduates.

²A concentration in vocational education is defined as the completion of 3 or more credits in a single vocational program area such as business. A college preparatory curriculum includes the completion of at least 4 credits in English; 3 credits in mathematics at the algebra 1 level or higher; 2 credits in biology, chemistry, and/or physics; 2 credits in social studies with at least 1 credit in U.S. or world history; and 2 credits in a single foreign language. A general education curriculum meets neither of these criteria. Students meeting the criteria for both a vocational concentration and college preparatory curriculum are counted in both groups; therefore, the percentages sum to more than 100.

³This analysis does not examine the protective services vocational program area because less than 0.1 percent of students concentrated in this area in 1982 and 1998.

⁴Note that figure 3 presents the percentage change rather than numerical change. Some of the occupational groups with high rates of growth account for a relatively small share of all jobs. The assumption made in this Stats in Brief is that changes in course enrollments are most likely to be influenced by occupational growth rates, even if the total number of jobs in those occupations is small compared to other occupations.

⁵The occupations of secretaries and typists were pulled out of administrative support occupations to highlight the main occupations for which business vocational education programs prepare students. The more general category of administrative support (excluding secretaries and typists), which includes a number of clerical occupations, experienced about average growth between 1983 and 1996.

⁶The other vocational area in which fewer students concentrated in 1998 than in 1982, personal and other services, roughly corresponds to cosmetologists and related workers, which also appears to have experienced below-average growth since 1983. However, there is not enough statistical evidence to determine if the growth rate of cosmetologists and related workers is significantly different from the total growth rate of all occupations.

References

Levesque, K., Lauen, D., Teitelbaum, P., Alt, M., and Librera, S. (2000). Vocational Education in the United States: Toward the Year 2000 (NCES 2000–029). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Medrich, E., Brown, C., Henke, R., and Ross, L. (1992). Overview and Inventory of State Requirements for School Coursework and Attendance (NCES 92–663). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Rosenthal, N. (1995). The Nature of Occupational Employment Growth: 1983–93. Monthly Labor Review, 118 (6): 45–54.

Data sources: The NCES High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores (HS&B-So:1980/1982), “High School Transcript Study” 1998 High School Transcript Study (HSTS); and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Industry-Occupational Employment Matrix 1983–96 Time Series. Author affiliations: D. Hurst, Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI); L. Hudson, NCES. For questions about content, contact Lisa Hudson (lisa.hudson@ed.gov). To obtain this Stats in Brief (NCES 2001–026), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877–433–7827) or visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov).