Creating IT Career Pathways Through High School Career and Technical Education

The Creating Pathways to IT Careers Project is a research partnership between Western Michigan University (WMU), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and a Research-to-Practice Team consisting of business and practitioner stakeholders. The purpose of this project is to determine factors that influence enrollment, completion, and employment experiences of high school females in Career and Technical Education-Information Technology (CTE-IT) programs. Using population data collected by the Illinois State Board of Education regarding enrollment in secondary and postsecondary education and post-school employment, the project is investigating preparation for IT careers in the following areas:

(a) counselor and teacher support strategies provided in high schools to recruit and retain students in CTE-IT programs;

(b) student and school characteristics that influence CTE-IT program enrollment, school-directed work experience, and program completion; and

(c) the influence of student and school characteristics and support strategies on employment and/or enrollment in postsecondary education in an IT field.

Award # 0306092
Funded by National Science Foundation