(The Center Square) – Career and technical education programs last year produced “the highest number of credentials earned by our students in state history,” North Carolina Superintendent Catherine Truitt told fellow Council of State members Tuesday.
Truitt pointed to the Department of Public Instruction’s recently released 2022-23 Credential Attainment Data Report. High school students in career and technical education earned more than 325,000 credentials that year, the highest number in the 13 years the department has tracked the rate.
“North Carolina does a really good job of providing … career and technical education,” Truitt said. “But one of the things that I’ve been laser focused on is making sure the credentials they are earning are aligned to employer needs across the state.”
The data report shows students in the career and technical programs achieved a 41% credential attainment rate for the 2022-23 school year, up 13% from 28% in 2021-22. An increase of 44% in credentials aligned with the North Carolina Workforce Credentials partners list is a key to the state’s success, Truitt said.
“One of the things we’ve changed the last few years is making sure our districts have what they need in order to align their offerings to workforce development,” she said. “Through myFutureNC we’ve created a list of workforce aligned credentials that match employer need in North Carolina.
“Some districts are even able to tailor that to their community,” Truitt said.
The credential report underscores a focus on computer science, with more than half of the top 10 credentials on the workforce list related to computer software. Other popular credentials include food certifications, national incident management, carpentry, and nurse’s aide. The report shows the graduation rate for career and technical education students is 98%, compared to the statewide rate of 86.5%.
“We conduct data dives with districts to help them identify where priority credentials are being left on the table,” Trey Michael, the education department’s director of career and technical education, said in a recent statement. “Then, we provide professional development to directors and teachers to improve their credential attainment in those areas. Because of this, more students than ever before are graduating from North Carolina public schools ready to take on in-demand jobs that contribute to a strong and healthy economy in our state.”
Other discussions at Tuesday’s meeting included Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey’s decision to oppose a 42% homeowners insurance rate hike requested by the North Carolina Rate Bureau; and the $13.5 million settlement involving Attorney General Josh Stein's Department of Justice office, the federal Department of Justice, and Pittsburgh-based First National Bank of Pennsylvania.
Causey said over 25,000 have weighed in on the proposed rate hike in recent weeks, and “almost nobody is in favor of it.” A hearing is set for Oct. 7 in the event the state and bureau do not reach a settlement.
“Everybody is saying inflation is up, the price of groceries is up, taxes are up, we can’t stand a big increase,” he said.
