What is a Tech Prep Program?

A Tech Prep program links secondary and post-secondary curriculums and programs of study to build a seamless path for students from high school to certificate or degrees at vocational technology centers and colleges and then to high-skill, high-wage jobs. In Florida, Tech Prep is the leading school-based component of the Florida’s School-to-Work workforce development strategy.

The Tech Prep Education Act

Congress passed the Tech Prep Education Act in 1990 as an amendment to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act. According to the act, the term Tech Prep education program means a combined secondary and postsecondary program with the following characteristics:

leads to an associate degree or 2-year certificate;

provides technical preparation in at least one field of engineering technology, applied science, mechanical, industrial, or practical art or trade, or agriculture, health, or business;

builds student competence in mathematics, science and communications through a sequential course of study; and

leads to placement in employment.

Florida's Tech Prep Consortia

In each of the 28 Tech Prep regions, local business and industry representatives, high schools, and technical and community colleges, and other stakeholders come together to form a Tech Prep consortium. In 1991, the first year of Tech Prep implementation in Florida, there were 11 Tech Prep consortia. Today Florida has 28 consortia in place encompassing all 67 school districts and 28 community colleges. The consortium identifies ways to help define and support the implementation of a local Tech Prep initiative that will meet the community’s needs. The consortium also plays an ongoing role in assessing Tech Prep results and making continuous quality improvements.

Tech Prep Implementation in Florida

The following statistics, reported as of the end of the 1996-97 school year¹, show the progress that has been made in implementing Tech Prep programs in Florida:

As of the end of the 1996-97 school year, 127 Florida high schools are offering Tech Prep programs. This represents 35% of Florida’s 364 senior high schools, or more than one in every three high schools involved in Tech Prep.

There was a 66% increase in total Tech Prep enrollments between 1996 and 1997, from 78,725 students in 1996 to 130,763 students in 1997. This represents 22% of the total state public high school population of 588,379 for 1996-97.

Tech Prep requires formal and specific articulation agreements between high schools and community colleges or vocational-technical centers. This agreement links their programs of study, usually two to four years of high school with two years of college, to organize a structured career path for students. As of the end of 1996-97, a total of 1,302 high school programs were supported by 1,048 articulation agreements.

Myths & Realities: Frequently Asked Questions about Tech Prep

Isn’t Tech Prep just another way of tracking students into vocational education?

No! Tech Prep programs of study focus on a broad range of occupations and many aspects of an industry. This is an important departure from traditional vocational education, which has tended to focus on preparation for specific entry-level jobs. Tech Prep incorporates occupational skills into the broader knowledge and competencies necessary for long-term success in an industry or career cluster.

According to the Manasota Consortium, "Barriers are slowly coming down as teachers, administrators and the general public recognize the relevance and importance of Tech Prep Programs of Study."¹

Does Tech Prep put less emphasis on academic skills for students?

Absolutely not. In traditional education, academic and vocational curricula and instruction have been artificially divided, to the disadvantage of students and teachers. One of the chief aims of Tech Prep education is to integrate academic and vocational studies. Tech Prep education also puts content to be learned in the context of work, with a contextual approach known as applied academics. In applied academics, students acquire the background and skills they need for the workplace or for further education. Both applied academics and integrated vocational/technical coursework are important components of Tech Prep education.

Are Tech Prep students as prepared for college as other students?

Yes! Data from the first year of a study of Tech Prep outcomes¹showed that Tech Prep students perform as well on college placement examinations as other students at both the community college and university levels.

IWC's Role in Tech Prep

The IWC supports Florida’s Tech Prep initiative through evaluation and research activities.

Evaluation. IWC provides leadership and technical assistance for evaluating the effectiveness of Tech Prep at both the local consortium and state levels. Findings have been documented based on qualitative and quantitative data from many sources, including annual report data, survey data, on-site visit documentation, and available data on outcomes from state databases

Evaluation activities focus on the following: organization of Tech Prep consortia, including employer involvement; participation in Tech Prep programs; definition of a Tech Prep student; strategies and barriers in program and curriculum development and integration, staff development, promotion, and consortium-level evaluation; and student outcomes.

Research. IWC has pursued a Tech Prep evaluation research program with two primary objectives: (1) to determine the impact of Tech Prep education on student outcomes, and (2) to compare the performance of Tech Prep graduates to that of non-Tech Prep graduates. The overall research strategy is to analyze and synthesize existing data from state-level information systems and follow-up databases.