Graduates’ Perceptions of Their High School Career Technical Education Work-Based Learning Experiences

Little is known about how career and technical education (CTE) work-based learning (WBL) programs support student academic achievement and workforce outcomes. Guided by Kolb’s experiential learning theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore high school graduates’ perceptions of their CTE WBL experiences and to identify how completing a CTE WBL program supported and hindered their academic and workforce achievement. Ten graduates of CTE WBL programs were recruited via postsecondary CTE school outreach, Facebook, and LinkedIn groups and participated in a semistructured interview. Thematic analysis using open coding was conducted. The data analysis resulted in three identified themes encapsulating recent CTE WBL graduates’ perceptions: (a) instructional design translated into applied learning that bridged classroom and workplace; (b) WBL experiences catalyzed growth in resilience, critical thinking, and motivation; and (c) WBL equipped them with portable skills and credentials for workforce entry. These findings indicate positive personal, academic, and vocational outcomes for CTE WBL graduates. The implications for positive social change may include enabling practitioners to better inform CTE WBL students about success habits to maximize individual learning and encouraging intentional use of Kolb’s experiential learning theory to strengthen teaching and learning practices to improve systemic coordination and alignment between CTE programs and WBL sites.