Preparing students with competencies necessary for initial employment is one of the purposes of Career Technical Education (CTE) in North Carolina. Assessing the quality of CTE training received by students is necessary to determine how well this goal is accomplished. Career Technical Education and local CTE administrators annually survey the concentrators of CTE programs to determine outcomes derived from the CTE.

The chart provides a three year trend of employer ratings of graduating seniors (who completed a CTE concentration) on soft skills and technical qualifications. In addition the chart shows the size of the employing firms responding.

Feedback from Employers* about the Graduating Seniors Who Completed a Career-Technical Concentration**



2001-02

1999-00

1997-98


SOFTSKILLS

RATING

 RATING

 RATING

 

Teamwork

80%

78%

78%

above average

Attitudes

78%

74%

74%

above average

Dependability

77%

76%

74%

above average

Appearance

76%

74%

72%

above average

Attendance

73%

72%

71%

above average

Punctuality

72%

69%

69%

above average

 

 

 

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS

 

 

 

 

Ability to use equipment and tools

75%

75%

74%

above average

Knowledge of job duties

73%

72%

72%

above average

Accuracy in work

71%

73%

70%

above average

Technical information

70%

67%

65%

above average






No. of employers responding to survey

2,933

3,287

4,390




SIZE OF EMPLOYING FIRM


2001-02

1999-00

1997-98


Number of Employees

Percent Employing CTE Graduating Concentrators

 

1-9 Employees:

22%

21%

21%

of Graduating Concentrators

10-49:

38%

35%

32%

of Graduating Concentrators

50-99

17%

15%

14%

of Graduating Concentrators

Total 1-99:

77%

71%

67%

of Graduating Concentrators

 

 

 

 

of Graduating Concentrators

100-499:

15%

19%

22%

of Graduating Concentrators

500-999

3%

4%

5%

of Graduating Concentrators

Over 1,000:

6%

6%

7%

of Graduating Concentrators




* Employers were asked to evaluate 2001-02 CTE concentrators in comparison to other new employees of approximately the same age.


** A CTE concentrator is a student who has completed four technical credits in a career pathway and who has completed all other high school graduation requirements.