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State CTE director describes enrollment, concentrator outcomes and $121 million capital program
Summary
Wade Sick, state director for Career and Technical Education, briefed the committee on CTE enrollment and outcomes, student organizations, work‑based learning expansion and large capital grants for CTE centers funded through recent appropriations.
Bismarck — Wade Sick, state director for the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education, updated the Joint Education Committee on CTE enrollment trends, concentrator outcomes, workforce partnerships and recent capital investments to expand career‑tech access.
Sick said about 26,000 unique students enrolled in at least one CTE course in 2023–24, with roughly 9,700 identified as CTE concentrators (students completing at least two courses in the same pathway). He said CTE concentrators graduate at much higher rates than the statewide average: about 97.9% for CTE concentrators versus about 82% statewide. He also noted large disparities in subgroup outcomes: Native American students graduate at about 63% statewide but CTE concentrators in that subgroup graduate at about 93%.
The agency supports roughly 14 area career‑tech centers that together serve more than 118 school districts, funds approximately $41.5 million in state grants for secondary and postsecondary CTE operations in the 2023–25 biennium, and administers federal Perkins funds (approximately $12 million available by federal formula) that require a local comprehensive needs assessment for recipients.
Sick described a capital‑projects program created via multiple appropriations and ARPA funds that totaled about $121 million for center construction and expansion. He said preference was given to multi‑district partnerships and projects that included postsecondary or workforce training partners. The agency reported 13 funded projects across the state under that program.
Work‑based learning is the agency’s performance accountability measure, Sick said. The department provided block grants to support local work‑based learning coordinators and trained a cohort of coordinators; 16 funded coordinators are placing more than 1,300 students annually in community work‑based learning experiences. The agency also added tools such as Compass (a matching platform embedded in RU Ready ND) and a virtual‑reality career exploration platform to increase student exposure to careers.
Sick said CTE includes career and technical student organizations (DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, SkillsUSA and TSA) that together involve about 12,000 student members and provide leadership and competitive experiences.
Why it matters: Sick said CTE concentrators have substantially higher graduation rates and strong post‑program placement (about 90% of concentrators found in postsecondary enrollment or employment), arguing that CTE pathways are a core strategy for workforce development and for improving outcomes for underserved groups.
Committee members asked about apprenticeship and credential alignment; Sick said some high‑school programs have arrangements allowing students to receive credit toward apprenticeships or to bypass portions of adult apprenticeship programs and the agency is working to expand stackable credentials and articulation agreements.
