A follow-up study of vocational participation of students at Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center

Abstract

In an attempt to evaluate the impact of vocational education programming on post-release performance, a study was conducted to gather follow-up data on students who were released from the Department of Correctional Education School at Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center (NBJCC) during the 1993 and 1994 calendar years. The population for this descriptive study consisted of 167 males age 17 to 21. Data were successfully collected on 137 members of the population.

Findings from the study were as follows: 1. Nearly half of the total study group were employed. 2. Approximately one fourth of the total study group continued their education. 3. Students who earned a vocational education certificate of completion were more likely to be employed than students who earned a lesser vocational certificate of credit or no vocational certificate at all. 4. Students who earned a vocational certificate of completion and a General Education Development (GED) certificate were more likely to be employed than all other NBJCC students. 5. Less than half of all vocational program completors were employed in a field related to their vocational training. 6. Nearly half of all vocational program completors were employed in food service. (Not a field of vocational training at NBJCC) Based on the findings and conclusions in this study, recommendations for policy practice and research in vocational education are provided.