Award After Postsecondary CTE Completion shows the count and percentage of students who earned a CTE postsecondary award continued to earn postsecondary awards afterwards.

The data help us understand whether students who earn postsecondary awards affiliated with a CTE program continue to earn subsequent certificates and/or degrees.

Exploring the Award After Postsecondary CTE Completion report can answer questions like:

How many postsecondary CTE completers earned a bachelor’s degree after completing their postsecondary CTE award?

Observe the purple sections representing subsequent bachelor’s degrees across the three bars, representing the different postsecondary CTE awards earned.

To calculate Award After Postsecondary CTE Completion, the report uses one cohort of postsecondary CTE completers as the base population. These are the students who have earned a postsecondary award that was affiliated with a postsecondary CTE program. These awards are typically below the baccalaureate level and are distinguished by < 1 Year Certificate, 1-2 Year Certificate and Associate Degree.

Then, the postsecondary CTE completer records are combined with postsecondary award records, looking for any awards earned after the postsecondary CTE completion date. The highest further postsecondary award is then counted or else No Further Award.

Report Labels

Postsecondary CTE: These are programs that are both state approved and non-state approved programs that result in a degree below the bachelor’s degree that have a direct career relationship, and upon the completion the student has the qualifications, knowledge and skills necessary to directly enter the workforce within the chosen field of study. Also known as occupational programs. 

Postsecondary CTE Completers: A cohort of students defined by the year in which they have earned a certificate or degree affiliated with a postsecondary CTE program.

Postsecondary CTE Award: A certificate or degree affiliated with a postsecondary CTE program.

< 1 Year Certificate: Postsecondary award, certificate or diploma of less than 1 academic year.

1-2 year Certificate: Postsecondary award, certificate or diploma of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

Further Award: The highest postsecondary award earned after completing a postsecondary CTE award.

Data Collection

The Center for Educational Performance and Information, National Student Clearinghouse, the Michigan Office of Career and Technical Education and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity - Workforce Development collected the data used to complete this report:

• Student Transcript and Academic Record Repository to locate enrollment in a Michigan public community college or university. For details on the data definitions and how the data are collected, refer to the STARR Data Collection Manual
• The NSC StudentTracker database to locate enrollment from out-of-state or non-STARR participating colleges or universities. For a list of all colleges and universities that CEPI has available in its postsecondary data system, refer to the Postsecondary Entity List.
• The Career and Technical Education Information System collects high school enrollment information for state approved CTE programs including expenditures, enrollment, and follow-up. The data helps determine 61a(1) fund distribution and is required for federal Perkins reporting including Core Performance Indicators and the Consolidated Annual Report.
• The Program Inventory Database contains program information submitted by community colleges, including whether a program is occupational in nature.