Changing the Face of Education

Tech Prep is a national initiative linking career and technical education programs offered at the high school level to degree and certificate programs at the post-secondary level. In the Tech Prep Education Act of 1990, this initiative was implemented to strengthen education programs for youth who might not earn a four-year post-secondary degree.

At the national level, the goals of Tech Prep legislation were to (1) prepare students for promising careers, (2) to improve the quality of both academic and vocational education and enhance effectiveness of preparing students for careers by more closely integrating them, and (3) to improve education for the “neglected majority,” those students in the middle quartiles who would most likely finish high school but were unlikely to complete a four-year post-secondary education program.

Employers were concerned that young people lacked both the social and technical skills required to succeed in even entry-level jobs. Increasingly, employees in many fields do not require a four-year degree, but do require specific technical training.

In Arizona, Tech Prep takes a local approach to addressing these issues. Twelve local Tech Prep Directors work with consortium high schools and post-secondary institutions to oversee articulation efforts and provide activities that help connect students to their futures. Arizona Tech Prep has tailored this national initiative to serve each community’s unique population.