Strong majorities of educators in K-12 and college say their students’ interest in work-based learning has increased in recent years—and many of them expect their institutions to introduce new technology-based courses in the years ahead.
Those are some of the core findings of a pair of EdWeek Research Center surveys, which offer a comparative look at the direction of career-focused coursework in K-12 schools and colleges.
The survey finds that more than 3 in 10 of the K-12 officials surveyed predict that the number of courses they offer in digital technology, IT, AI, and cybersecurity will increase over the next five years. More than 4 in 10 college-level officials indicated the same thing.
The K-12 results come from a nationally representative survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center from Sept. 18 through Oct. 27 last year. A total of 472 educators participated, including 144 administrators in schools that offer career and technical education, and 114 district-level administrators who had some connection to CTE.
The survey of postsecondary educators was conducted from Nov. 6 to Dec. 16 last year and included responses from 592 faculty members or instructors, 51 administrators, and three respondents who identified as “other.”
Overall, 71% of the pre-college educators surveyed say that interest in CTE among their students has increased in the past five years, either a little (37%) or a lot (34%). Just 7 percent think students’ interest has decreased a little or a lot during that time
The results are similar among postsecondary educators, with 58% of respondents at that level saying student interest in work-based learning has increased a lot or a little, while 12 percent said student interest has declined.
When the K-12 educators were surveyed on which types of CTE offerings they expect to grow over the next five years, the largest portion, 31% selected the broad category of digital, AI, and cybersecurity offerings. The next-largest areas are construction, including civil engineering (18%); advanced manufacturing (also 18%); education (17%); and physical and behavioral health and human/personal services, including cosmetology (17%).
Only 14% of educators responded that they expected no such growth in CTE over the next five years.
Categories for potential five-year growth on the low end of responses included financial services, which was grouped with real estate (9%), and marketing, at 8%.
Postsecondary educators expect work-based learning course offerings to increase the most in digital technology, IT, AI, and cybersecurity, cited by 41% of respondents; followed by physical and behavioral health and human/personal services, a category that includes cosmetology (22%); advanced manufacturing, including engineering (20%); and education, 18%.
The opportunity to get job experience while in school
Experts on career- and work-based learning said the survey results underscore the emphasis many education institutions are placing on giving students access to on-the-job skills that employers are likely to value.
“The results make sense,” said Artem Gulish, senior federal policy advisor at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. “Employers increasingly want candidates with at least some work experience, even at entry-level.”
It follows that students will seek out that training, and schools and colleges want to deliver it, Gulish said. In addition, work-based learning courses present opportunities for students to “develop professional networks and find mentorship,” he said.
Gulish said he was somewhat surprised that fields such as marketing and finance were on the low end of predicted course growth at both the K-12 and postsecondary levels.
“Some institutions may already offer work-based learning experiences in these areas, while others may not see as much student demand” for those courses, he said.
But he was not surprised that classes focused on technology, including artificial intelligence, appeared poised to grow.
“These align closely with the greater demand for work experience, especially as AI becomes more capable of performing tasks previously assigned to entry-level workers,” Gulish said.
Anne Stanton, president of the Linked Learning Alliance, a San Francisco-based group that advocates for stronger workforce readiness and partners with school districts and colleges , said the survey findings “affirm what we’ve long known: Learning comes alive when students can see—and experience—how the classroom connects to real careers.
“That’s illuminating and motivating for every learner, from K–12 through college,” she said.
Stanton says she urges educators to focus “not only on what they offer, but how they implement career-connected learning. Better outcomes depend on high-quality, well-supported experiences.”
