Despite the fact that Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares students for high-wage careers and in-demand jobs (Gordon & Schultz, 2020), it silences the voices it aims to empower by focusing on career alignment rather than community. This dissertation examines perceptions in rural communities in Wyoming to determine how CTE programs can…

The efficacy of the CTE curriculum and program delivery can be affected by both internal and external factors. In an effort for community colleges to improve graduation and retention rates, institutions are developing enrollment and retention strategies that involve scheduling options. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was…

The problem to be addressed by this study is that Maine's workforce is facing a significant shortage of skilled labor which is impacting the sustainability and growth of Maine's economy. The shortage of skilled workers extends from trades to medical professionals and is worsened by Maine's unique demographical and geographical factors. In response…

This research explores how faith-based groups experience vocational discipleship within a shared context of generative craft learning. Qualitative interviews were conducted with thirty-one participants from nine different vocational groups to understand their formative experience of collaborative work. This study attempts to gain a critical…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the critical factors of professional instruction that positively influence employee engagement. The setting for this study was a 7,500-student, two-year college and career training institutional district that is located in the midwestern region of the United States. The research sample for…

Community colleges serve a crucial role in providing higher education access for U.S. English learner (EL) populations. Many ELs are placed in community college academic ESL programs in order to prepare them to transition to taking courses in the wider college. Yet, the success of academic ESL programs has been mixed at best, with these programs…

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain community college career technical education (CTE) department chairs' lived experiences toward synthesizing leadership skills. This study sought to identify the lived experiences of CTE department chairs at community colleges. The research question was "How do CTE department chairs…

This study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of industry's perception of the effectiveness of community colleges, specifically from industries in the advanced manufacturing sector, within the state of Michigan. This study investigated interactions, awareness, and perception of effectiveness by industry leaders with community college CTE…

The purpose of this study is to compare the immediate college enrollment of students who participated in the community college's dual credit program in high school with students who did not participate in the dual credit program. Data from a local community college's dual credit program is analyzed to understand the effects of participation,…

This dissertation conducts an evaluative case study on a community college's Career-Technical Education (CTE) Cultural Resource Management (CRM) technical certificate program to bridge the CRM workforce gap. The study assesses the program's design and development quality by aligning the program theory with stakeholders' needs, including…

When examining career pathways, post-secondary institutions such as community colleges align education and training to career success, aiming to connect students to gainful employment. Career pathways support the skill needs of industries and incorporate competencies in an occupation or field represented by certificates and degrees awarded by the…

Career Technical Education (CTE), including Career Technical Agricultural Education (CTAE) in Georgia, are experiencing difficulty retaining quality teachers. This problem is exacerbated in rural communities, which have a smaller workforce pool and fewer nearby colleges to certify CTE/CTAE teachers (Morton, 2021). A potential solution to offset…

Community colleges prepare nontraditional students for a variety of careers. Although the colleges promote flexible class schedules and faculty who understand their students' social and economic statuses, nontraditional students often need help prioritizing their college responsibilities. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was…

This qualitative study aimed to conceptualize how Oregon Community College Career and Technical Education program administrators perceive Professional Skills attainment in their students. The overarching themes that emerged from analyzing interviews with administrators at several community colleges were administrators' belief that Professional…

Career technical education and skilled trades have been the subject of a social stigma that continues to make it a habit of mind that career technical education is inferior to a 4-year college education. This stigma is partially responsible for a shortage of skilled labor. This study aimed to explore how educators describe and understand the…