Evaluating Equity, Access, and Outcomes in Workforce and Technical Education

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This papers in this session explore the intersection of workforce preparation, educational equity, and labor market alignment within vocational and career-focused pathways. Together, these papers analyze how demographic backgrounds, geographic constraints, and emerging technological shifts shape student trajectories and economic outcomes. The first paper addresses contemporary technological barriers, examining how generative AI and digital inequality intersect to influence career development and readiness within vocational higher education. The second paper focuses on English Learners in Ohio to evaluate how their participation in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs affects milestone workforce credential attainment. Finally, the third paper studies rural CTE dual enrollment pathways to understand their alignment with regional labor markets and their broader impacts on long-term postsecondary success. The research featured in this panel highlights how workforce development policies and targeted educational pathways can be optimized to improve equity, adapt to technological disruptions, and secure strong economic returns for diverse student populations.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Calaia Samara Ellice Jackson Franco, University of Delaware

Discussant

• Benjamin M Smith, American Institute for Boys and Men

Individual Presentations

• From Access to Outcomes: Generative AI, Digital Inequality, and Career Development in Vocational Higher Education - Presenting Author: yaxuan liu, Peking University

• English Learners, CTE Participation, and Credential Attainment in Ohio - Presenting Author: HAOFEI LI, The Ohio State University

• Rural CTE Dual Enrollment Pathways: Participation, Labor Market Alignment, and Postsecondary Outcomes - Presenting Author: Brian M Phillips, RAND Corporation

• Early Postsecondary and Labor Market Outcomes from Texas P-TECH High Schools - Presenting Author: Emma Grace Alterman, MDRC