Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there was a significant difference in six areas between general education high school students who had no occupational training and high school students who had completed occupational training in a regional occupational health careers program as part of the last two years of their high school course of study. The study determined differences in (1) high school graduation rates, (2) further training/education, (3) employment status, (4) rate of pay, (5) job advancement, and (6) how students feel about the usefulness of their high school education. Two groups of high school students were selected for this study. One group of 102 students was completers of a regional occupational health careers program during the 1991-92 school year. The other group was general education high school students from the same high schools as the ROP completers who began tenth grade the same year as the students who completed a regional occupational program. A total of 102 students was included in the final sample. Two groups of fifty-one students were matched on grade point average, ethnicity, and gender. A structured telephone follow-up interview was conducted to obtain the data needed for analysis. Descriptive statistics were generated using SPSS/PC 6.1 statistical software. The findings indicate that high school students who completed a regional occupational health careers program had significantly higher graduation rates, were more likely to continue their education by enrolling in college, had higher rates of employment, had greater rates of advancement, and felt their high school education was more useful than high school students who had no occupational training. Recommendations included providing all students access to career preparation programs, giving more attention to marketing the benefits of career preparation programs, and recommending that all career preparation programs include a strong worksite learning component.