University of Hawaiʻi Merges Career and Technical Education Efforts

On July 1, the University of Hawaiʻi’s Office of the State Director for Career and Technical Education merged with Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education.

Under this merger, approved by the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents, Hawaiʻi P–20 will provide overall management and direction of the Perkins V federal grant program as well as provide leadership, direction and coordination for all career and technical education in the state.

Currently more than 26,000 Hawaiʻi public high school students participate in career and technical education programs statewide.

Hawaiʻi P–20’s main work focuses on strengthening the educational pipeline for all students, from early education through postsecondary education and training.

It will continue to provide strategic direction for the statewide career pathways work, which has evolved to have the same mission, goals, partnerships, stakeholders and much of the same accountability as the Office of the State Director for Career and Technical Education (OSDCTE).

“This merger allows us to focus on ensuring that our efforts are coordinated and aligned to prepare our students for in‐demand careers with living-wage jobs- in Hawaiʻi,” said Hawaiʻi P–20 Executive Director Stephen Schatz.

This reorganization utilizes Hawaiʻi P–20’s capacity for data use through its management of the Hawaiʻi Data eXchange partnership to monitor, evaluate and provide analysis to CTE stakeholders regarding implementation progress, effectiveness of improvement efforts, and quality of the CTE system and programs from the perspective of graduates and employers.