Oklahoma CareerTech schools hoping to boost enrollment 15% in next 5 years

Oklahoma’s career and technical school system has set a goal to increase enrollment across its campuses by 15% by fiscal year 2029.

This would increase enrollment to just under 600,000 students across Oklahoma’s CareerTech institutions .

Systemwide, enrollment at CareerTech increased 6.5% during fiscal year 2024 as a result of adding over 240 programs in school districts and increasing funding for career readiness training, according to a news release .

“These goals reflect both the increasing recognition of CareerTech’s value and the essential role it plays in addressing Oklahoma’s workforce needs,” said Brent Haken, director of Oklahoma CareerTech. “We’re confident enrollments in CareerTech programs will continue trending upward, considering we’ve added new programs and are modifying graduation requirements to include career training.

Haken said the 15% goal, officially set Thursday by the State Board of Career and Technology Education, is based on the demand coming from businesses.

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He said CareerTech’s plan to reach the new enrollment goal will include internal changes to make the agency more efficient. These include capitalizing on CareerTech’s eligibility for Oklahoma’s Promise funds, which offer scholarships to low-income families, utilizing more federal Pell funding and incentivizing more schools to participate in CareerTech programs.

Haken said CareerTech will make a budgetary request of over $211.8 million from the state Legislature for fiscal year 2026. That would represent a nearly 23% increase in the agency’s legislative appropriations.

CareerTech also aims to increase earned industry endorsed credentials, adult and career development enrollments and workforce and economic development enrollments by 10%. The institution also set a goal to increase completion rates at Skills Centers, where detained or incarcerated individuals can participate in CareerTech programs, from 44% to 70% and adult education and family literacy enrollments by 30%.

“Expanding access to career readiness programs is critical to meeting the demands of Oklahoma’s labor market and ensuring students are prepared for both a career and college,” Haken said.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma CareerTech schools hoping to boost enrollment 15% in next 5 years