| The Hispanic population is the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States. Census information indicates that Hispanics will constitute about 13% of the total population by 2010 (National Association of Hispanic Publications, 1995, p. 3). With increasing populations, the number of Hispanics in the labor force will ultimately continue to rise as well. This segment of the population will be increasingly important to the enhanced competitiveness of the United States in the global economy. The continued shift from a goods-producing economy to one that is service-oriented, has increased the level of workplace competencies necessary to be economically stable. The problems that plague Hispanics will have severe ramifications for the United States' productivity if they are not addressed.;The purpose of this research was to investigate Hispanic students' participation in postsecondary technical programs in community colleges and two-year proprietary institutions in the United States based on their career development path in secondary schools. The data used in this study was based on the NELS:88/94 survey from the second follow-up in 1992 and the third follow-up in 1994.;Major findings. (1) Hispanics in postsecondary education were typically of low socioeconomic status. (2) Of those Hispanics enrolled in postsecondary education in 1994, 23% were actually enrolled in technical and occupational programs. (3) Protective Services (3.1%), Mechanic (2.6%), and Dental/Medical Technician (2.3%) were the programs with the greatest Hispanic enrollment. Programs such as Precision Production (.2%), Electronics (.6%), and Engineering Technology (1.1%) had low enrollments of Hispanics. The low enrollment in the last three programs indicates that high numbers of Hispanics fail to enroll in occupations considered to be high-skill/high-wage work. (4) The regression analysis for likelihood of outcomes to associate's degrees, certificates, and diplomas indicated that students who had not taken a vocational course during the last two years of high school, who felt that the skills they obtained were enough to get a job in five years, had plans of attending college directly after high school, and who sometimes or often discussed college with parents were more likely to choose programs that led to an associate's degree or less. |
