CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) GAP ANALYSIS
The main purpose of Career Technical Education (CTE) is to prepare learners to be college and career ready by providing core academic and technical skills necessary for them to achieve their career goals and attain economic success. CTE programs are designed to provide students with these skills and serve as a talent pipeline for the labor market of their region.
Program enrollment serves as the supply side of the labor market and Annual openings are used as a proxy measure to estimate the demand side of the labor market. Annual openings are a combination of new jobs and replacement jobs. The difference between the two is called the CTE Gap.
The goal of this analysis is to address unmet needs, improve access to CTE programs, and help provide a more skilled workforce to aid in economic development in the region.
For this analysis,
- CTE program enrollment data for 2022 – 2023 from Tullahoma High School is examined.
- Labor market projections (2020-2030) for the Southern Middle region of Tennessee is used to determine the labor market demand.
Currently, there are a total of 965 students enrolled in CTE programs at Tullahoma High School while there are 8,721 annual openings across these clusters.
| Clusters | Students Enrolled | Annual Openings | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | 196 | 156 | -40 |
| Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security | 168 | 368 | 200 |
| Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications | 130 | 36 | -94 |
| Transportation, Distribution & Logistics | 121 | 2,070 | 1,949 |
| Health Science | 115 | 1,316 | 1,201 |
| Architecture & Construction | 84 | 959 | 875 |
| Human Services | 68 | 540 | 472 |
| Business Management & Administration | 44 | 3,098 | 3,054 |
| Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics | 39 | 178 | 139 |
| Total | 965 | 8,721 | 7,756 |
This chart shows annual openings across all the 16 clusters mapped against the student enrollment in CTE programs at Tullahoma High School.
In summary,
- The top three clusters with highest CTE program enrollment are Information Technology, Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security, and Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications.
- There are no CTE programs for several clusters with high annual openings such as Marketing, Sales & Services, Manufacturing, Hospitality & Tourism, Finance, Education & Training, and Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources.
- The clusters with the highest shortage in skilled workers are Business Management & Administration, Transportation, Distribution & Logistics, and Health Science.
To learn more about the high-value occupations within these clusters, Explore Career Clusters.