The authors examine the extent to which career technical education (CTE) participation in West Virginia aligns with local jobs and identify areas and strategies for growth by (1) summarizing the CTE career clusters that students are most likely to complete and how these clusters vary across the state, (2) examining how well CTE completions align with state and local jobs, and (3) highlighting strategies for expanding CTE and work-based learning.

Career Technical Education and Workforce Opportunities in West Virginia

Alignment and Areas for Growth

Christine Mulhern, Brian Phillips, Fernando Esteves, Jonah Kushner

ResearchPublished Nov 10, 2025

West Virginia has the lowest labor-force participation rate and one of the highest poverty rates in the United States. Furthermore, the state is facing a severe worker shortage. Thus, preparing young people for in-demand and high-wage jobs in the state is essential for both state economic and individual well-being.

Career technical education (CTE) and related work-based learning (WBL) programs in high school can help prepare students for good jobs to meet the state's workforce needs. Along with most states, West Virginia has pushed to expand CTE in high-wage, in-demand fields in recent years.

In this report, the authors examine the extent to which CTE participation in West Virginia aligns with local jobs and identify areas and strategies for growth. First, they summarize the CTE career clusters and programs of study that students are most likely to complete and how the popularity of CTE clusters varies across the state. Then, they examine how well CTE completions align with state and local jobs. Finally, they highlight strategies for expanding CTE and WBL and provide recommendations to state leaders for strengthening CTE.

Key Findings

  • Business, Health Science, and Agriculture are the career clusters within CTE that have the most completers in West Virginia.
  • These career clusters are generally well aligned with job opportunities in West Virginia, although alignment could be improved in some regions.
  • Health Science is the most promising area for expanding CTE in West Virginia. Other promising areas for growth include Construction, Manufacturing, and Transportation.
  • Many of West Virginia's largest and growing job fields have only moderate wages, so it is important to design CTE and related educational experiences to position students for high-paying jobs within these fields.

Recommendations

  • Continue expanding CTE in Health Sciences. Health Sciences has high projected growth, projected annual openings, and wages. Although it is a relatively popular career cluster, its job opportunities and high wages exceed most others in the state, so it should continue to be expanded.
  • Each region should review local jobs and align CTE offerings accordingly. Job opportunities and CTE enrollment vary across the state. Schools and districts should shrink the programs with poor job outlooks and expand the programs with the most-promising ones.
  • Position students for high-wage jobs within fields. Marketing, Hospitality, and Transportation have many jobs but low average wages. CTE programs should help position students for the high-wage jobs within these broader fields.
  • Increase student progression from initial participation to completion. Although CTE completions are well aligned with local jobs, many students who participate in CTE do not complete a program of study. State, district, and school leaders should work on increasing completion rates in clusters with high-paying local jobs.
  • Expand WBL opportunities beyond CTE courses. WBL is a promising approach for engaging students in career-oriented education and preparing them for in-demand jobs. The state should explore opportunities that can work for both students and employers.
  • Communicate program benefits and career pathways to prospective students and employers. Many students, families, and prospective employers are not aware of CTE or WBL programs. School and community leaders should help disseminate information about the benefits of these programs and how to participate.

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Mulhern, Christine, Brian Phillips, Fernando Esteves, and Jonah Kushner, Career Technical Education and Workforce Opportunities in West Virginia: Alignment and Areas for Growth. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4052-1.html.
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