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This chapter presents data from two 1999 surveys on occupational program activities at the public secondary and less-than-four-year postsecondary education levels in America. Findings suggest that: 66% of all public schools offered at least one of the listed occupational education programs; vocational schools were more likely than comprehensive schools to offer the listed occupational programs; 90% of all less-than-four-year postsecondary education institutions and 91% of less-than-two-year institutions offered at least one of the listed occupational programs; various procedures exist to ensure a match between course content and occupational skill requirements, five of which were included in the survey; most secondary schools with one or more of the listed occupational programs had developed or adopted skill competency lists for their programs; skill competency lists for at least one program were developed or adopted exclusively by educators, without industry input in about 32% of all public secondary schools that offered at least one listed occupational program; the majority of public secondary schools with listed occupational programs used some criteria to determine whether a student was a program completer, with vocational schools more likely than comprehensive schools to use criteria to determine whether a student was a program completer; vocational schools were more likely than comprehensive schools to prepare their students for a state or industry regulatory exam; and 53% of less-than-four-year postsecondary institutions and 84% of two-year institutions with listed occupational programs offered institutional certificate/diplomas in all their programs.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 77.501; chapters 1-5 are indexed from TD/TNC 77.502 to TD/TNC 77.506. Show less

The structure of data collection and reporting on vocational education in the United States is driven by the decentralised and individualistic nature of the school system. As a result, the U.S. education system is missing two elements that make describing vocational education relatively easy or straightforward: uniformity, which helps to formulate a standard definition of vocational education; and formal programmes, which help to track participants in vocational education. The uniformity issue arises from schools' strong tradition of local control; the programme issue arises from America's philosophy of 'letting a thousand flowers bloom'.

Excerpt from publication.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/IRD 88.423. Show less