(Radio Iowa) – More Iowa high school and middle school students are enrolling in educational programs offering courses directly related to employment in current or emerging occupations. Dennis Harden oversees the career and technical education area for the Department of Education, and says the number of courses increased seven-point-six percent in 2022 from the previous year. School districts are required to offer at least 12 units of coursework within four of the six C-T-E service areas.

Harden says all school districts experienced growth in courses with a statewide average of two courses being offered and the participation rate of students in 2022 was 73-point-one percent. He says the largest C-T-E service area with 90 programs is applied science, technology, engineering and manufacturing, followed by health science and information solutions, human services, business, and finally agriculture.