Abstract:

In this Rural Native American Tribal Community there are a combination of risk factors, including high poverty, high unemployment, and low educational attainment combined with rural factors such as geographic isolation, limited economic opportunities and inadequate access to resources. The result is a population more susceptible to negative outcomes, including a lack of specialized skills to meet the regional need for individuals qualified for specialized occupations.

This project aims to address these risk factors and negative outcomes by providing an on-ramp to continued education for Tribal members, other Native Americans, and community members. This on-ramp includes collaboration with two community colleges to offer access (both virtual and in-person) to career and technical education services that result in either certification or associate degrees that lead to immediate employment opportunities. Services and resources provided include culturally sensitive student academic advising, financial support (direct assistance and/or student stipends), mileage, access to the computer lab, internet access/navigation, printing, headphones, large on-screen text reading, and tailored placement assistance in collaboration with schools and work-based learning partners.

Program objectives include:
- During the 60-month project period, based on research of occupational trends and analysis of existing post-secondary programs of study, staff will develop and disseminate annual needs assessments to ensure CTE programs of study meet the emerging educational and occupational needs of the Community.
- By the end of the 60-month project period, the project will enroll 350 Tribal and greater community members, with 65% of total enrollments being Native American students, by increasing outreach efforts and providing enrollment process support.
- By the end of the 60-month project period, the project will remove concentrator barriers to CTE by strengthening student support services and resources to increase the project completion rate to 40% of total CTE concentrator enrollments.
- By the end of the 60-month project period, the project will improve post-training student support services and resources to increase placement into employment, education, or military service to 60% of total CTE concentrator enrollments.

This project is 3/5 completed and results are already quite promising. Two community colleges are offering 19 certificate and associate degree programs, both virtual and in-person, for participants. Annual needs assessments have resulted in changing program offerings and adjusting the project approach. Student evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive. Enrollment has reached 50% of the target number of 350. Student completions are 30%, which compares favorably to the overall completion rate for the participating community colleges. Native American enrollment stands at 53% of the current cohort of students, which is very close to the established target. Placements stand at 65%, which exceeds the established goal.

Program evaluation includes documenting the work that has been completed, monitoring program impact, data analysis, and measuring program quality.

Keywords:

Career/Technical Education, Continued Education, Employment.