Collaborative Study:

Introduction

In recent years the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia has conducted numerous survey research projects for the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. Most of these survey projects have measured the level of satisfaction of graduates with their technical college education. One important population of technical college graduates not included in past studies is graduates who were dually enrolled in high school and a Technical Certificate of Credit program at a technical college. The pilot Collaborative Study used a mail survey to measure the satisfaction of these graduates. This report summarizes the overall findings of the pilot Collaborative Study.

Response Rate

Overall, 454 surveys were mailed, with 44 being returned as undeliverable. Of the 410 graduates who received surveys, 87 replied, for a response rate of 21 percent. (Note: all percentages are rounded to the whole number.) Graduates from five technical colleges participated in the pilot study [with the number of respondents in parentheses]: Coosa Valley Technical College (9), North Georgia Technical College (26), Sandersville Technical College (11), Valdosta Technical College (9), and West Central Technical College (32).

Respondents are evenly split by gender (54% female and 46% male). Over three-fourths of respondents are white (77%) and 21 percent are African-American. Asian, Other, and Hispanic descent were chosen by only one respondent each.

Survey Findings

Survey findings are presented in the order that the questions appear on the survey. (See Appendix A for a copy of the survey instrument.)

· Question 1. Which high school did you attend?

Respondents represent a total of 29 high schools. Listed below are the nineteen high schools attended by two or more respondents [the number of respondents in parentheses].

Coosa Valley: Cedar Town (5); Model (3)

North Georgia: Habersham Central (2); Lumpkin (2); Stephens (4); Towns (5); Union (5); White (2)

Sandersville: Brentwood (2); Hancock Central (5); Washington (3)

Valdosta: Cook (2); Lowndes (2); Valdosta (4)

West Central: Douglas (4); East Coweta (3); Lithia Springs (2); Newman (15); Northgate (7)

· Question 2. Which track were you on in high school?

Fifty-nine percent of respondents were on a college-preparatory track in high school, while 67 percent were on a vocational track. Twenty-three respondents (26%) indicated that they were on both tracks.

· Question 3. When did you graduate from high school?

Since one of the main goals of collaborative programs is to help reduce the high school dropout rate in Georgia, it is significant that 98 percent of respondents graduated from high school. (Note: The other two respondents are still in high school; no respondents indicated that they “do not expect to graduate.”) Respondents finished high school in the following years: 1998 (7%), 1999 (15%), 2000 (18%), 2001 (39%), and 2002 (21%).

· Question 4. How did you find out about the technical college programs available through your high school?

Respondents initially learned about the technical college programs available through their high school from the following sources: a high school counselor (61%), a representative from a technical college (44%), a teacher (44%), and a friend/peer (28%). Examples of other sources of information about collaborative programs are school field trips to technical colleges and announcements made by the high school principal.

· Question 5. What year in high school were you in when you started the technical college program?

Sixty-five percent of respondents started their technical college program during their senior year of high school and 35 percent started in their junior year. Two additional respondents wrote on their surveys that they began the technical college program in their freshman year.

· Question 6. When did you finish your technical college program?

Eighty-five percent of respondents completed their technical college programs. These respondents graduated in the following years: 1998 (4%), 1999 (9%), 2000 (14%), 2001 (59%), and 2002 (13%).

Of those that graduated from both their high school and their technical college programs, 57 percent graduated from the two schools in the same year and 84 percent graduated from both within one year of each other.

· Question 6a. If you did not graduate from your technical program, how many courses did you complete?

No data can be reported for this question due to the low number of respondents who did not graduate, and because few respondents correctly answered the question. For example, some provided the number of semesters completed while others left the space blank. Consequently, this question should be reformatted or deleted altogether in future studies.

· Question 7. Since completing high school, have you…

Since completing high school, all of the respondents have found a job, continued their education, or both. Most respondents either have entered the workforce (78%) or are continuing their education (66%). More specifically, 30 percent entered another technical college program, 37 percent enrolled at another college or university, and 3 percent have either not found work or have become unemployed (but are continuing their education). Respondents could choose more than one option, so the following are the most common combinations of post-high school activity:

· 30 percent entered the workforce

· 21 percent entered the workforce and entered another technical college program

· 22 percent entered the workforce and enrolled at another college or university

· 13 percent enrolled at another college or university

· 5 percent entered another technical college program

· Question 8. What is your job?

· Question 9. Your current position is…(Related/Not Related to your previous technical training)

Almost fifty percent of respondents who entered the workforce are in a position that is related to their previous technical training. Examples of jobs that are related to the student’s program are web designer, flexograph press operator, cosmetologist, customer service representative, fork lift operator, veterinarian’s assistant, intern architect, carpenter, welder, and physical therapy technician.

· Question 10. Are you currently employed…

Seventy-five percent of those who entered the workforce are currently employed full-time (40 hours per week), while 25 percent work part-time.

· Question 11. What technical college do you currently attend?

Seventy percent of those who entered another technical college program did so at the same technical college where they participated in the collaborative program.

· Question 12. What is the name of your program?

· Question 13. Your current program is…(Related/Not Related to your previous technical training)

Seventy-four percent of respondents who entered another technical college program are in a program that is related to their previous technical training. Examples of related programs are Welding and Joining Technology, Accounting, Business Office Technology, CIS-Networking, Industrial Electrical Technology, CISCO Networking, and Medical Assistant.

· Question 14. Which college or university do you currently attend?

Respondents are currently attending sixteen different colleges and universities, fourteen of which are in Georgia. The most common responses were for Georgia Southern (2), Georgia State (5), Catawba College (2), and West Georgia (6).

· Question 15. What is your major/program of study?

· Question 16. Your major/program of study…(Related/Not Related to your previous technical training)

Fifty-nine percent of respondents who enrolled at another college or university are in a major/program of study that is related to their previous technical training. Examples of related majors are Pre-Veterinarian/Medical, Telecommunications, Computer Sciences, Nursing, Pre-Engineering, Pre-Medical, Architecture, and Pre-Physician’s Assistant.

· Question 17. Would you recommend attending a technical college?

Consistent with previous studies, an overwhelming majority of respondents (98%) would recommend attending a technical college.

· Question 18. How satisfied are you with your technical college experience?

Similarly, 90 percent of respondents are either satisfied (39%) or very satisfied (51%) with their technical college experience.

· Comments.

Space was provided at the end of the survey for the respondents to explain or expound upon their answers. Selected representative comments are:

· The technical skills I received during school are very useful in the workforce.

· The technical college experience…allows the student and teacher to have one-on-one contact.

· Attending a technical college gave me the hands-on experience that most jobs are looking for. It was also a great challenge.

· This program gave me the basic skills of the career of my choice. It helped me to grasp new and better ways of self-discipline.

· I think that technical colleges are the best way to get the skills, experience, and confidence to enter the workplace and succeed.

· I think that the benefits of taking technical college courses while in high school are gaining experience, being able to stand out among the crowd, and becoming more versatile in the job market right out of high school.”

Findings by College

Overall, it is clear that the collaborative programs provide a tangible incentive for high school students to stay in school and earn their diploma. The relatively low number of responses from each college, however, precludes valid analysis of the data on a school-by-school basis. One interesting observation, however, is that the only two respondents who have not yet graduated from high school are both from the same technical college, and are both still in high school. This suggests that the high school completion rate for dual enrollees may actually be 100 percent.

Conclusion

Five important conclusions can be drawn from the collaborative program pilot survey.

· First, consistent with the satisfaction rate of graduates found in previous studies, graduates of the collaborative programs are overwhelmingly satisfied with their technical college experience.

· Second, in light of current concerns regarding Georgia’s high school students, the findings indicate that these programs provide an additional incentive for high school students to stay in school and earn a diploma. Indeed, the statewide completion rate for the high school class of 2001 was only 71 percent, compared to 98 percent of those in a technical certificate of credit collaborative program.

· Third, the placement rate for graduates is 100%, as all of the respondents have either found work or are continuing their education.

· Fourth, graduates of these programs that stay in the DTAE system after graduation tend to re-enroll in programs that build on their previous training.

· Last, these overwhelmingly positive results seem to justify a statewide analysis of graduates of collaborative programs in order to document thoroughly this unique approach to improving the quality and diversity of educational opportunities in Georgia.

Appendix A: Survey Instrument