Establishing Program Standards to Meet the Needs of Postsecondary Trade and Industrial Education

The focus of this study was to develop standards that can be used for establishing and assessing high-quality postsecondary trade and industrial programs. A four-round Delphi technique was used to generate consensus regarding program standards. The panel of experts, comprised of postsecondary administrators of trade and industrial programs, was used to determine which program standards should guide the development and assessment of high-quality trade and industrial education programs. The result was a list of 17 standards and descriptions. The standards included Academic Integration, Advisory Committee, Curriculum, Employer Feedback, Faculty Qualifications, Meaningful Employment, Placement Rates, Program Design, Program Review, Safety, Soft Skills, Student Achievement of Industry Credentials, Student Assessment, Student Advancement, Student Remediation, and Tools and Equipment. Postsecondary administrators can use the results to develop and assess existing programs, as well as to guide the design of new programs that meet industry labor needs.