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Career and Technical Education
Career and technical education is a powerful investment in our nation’s future, equipping students with the skills they need to earn good wages, help support their families, and contribute to our economy. As the United States faces profound economic changes that threaten middle-class stability, CTE provides a crucial link between education and the workforce, ensuring young people are prepared for the evolving job market.
Today's CTE can apply to students at all grade levels. It is integrated throughout the curriculum, which blends work-based learning with academic knowledge and real-world skills. These programs foster concrete and abstract learning alike—from skilled trades and applied sciences to technology, teamwork and critical thinking. Whether students choose to enter an apprenticeship immediately after high school or pursue further education, CTE offers flexible, innovative and diverse career pathways for students to pursue.
The AFT is proud to celebrate the innovative educators who dedicate their lives to preparing students for a wide range of careers. Scaling successful CTE programs will ensure that more students can take advantage of these opportunities, strengthening our economy and securing a prosperous future for all.
AFT affiliates with Micron have developed a pioneering learning toolkit that helps thousands of high school students hone the foundational skills necessary for career success in the booming semiconductor industry. Now this groundbreaking endeavor is expanding to two additional states with the help of a federal grant.
Toledo, Ohio, needed new workers. Kids needed a reason to stay in school. Now, thanks to an unusual collaboration of the teachers union, the city’s construction trades and the school district, there is a high school career tech program that benefits both.
When Letecia Miller started teaching graphic arts in the Los Angeles school district, her school had substandard equipment and not much money to upgrade. But Miller had a vision, and after years of persistence she secured the grants she needed to build an impressive graphic design studio for her students. The effort, she says, was worth it: Here’s her story about how career and technical education can be a powerful pathway for education in communities like hers.
More than 100 people from 19 school districts gathered in New York City for the annual Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute Jan. 18-20. Braving frigid temperatures and snowy forecasts, these educators and administrators marked the 31st year of a conference known for bringing together teams of different stakeholders, and creating space for them to hammer out solutions specific to the challenges their students and communities face.
The shortage of educators in Nevada is severe, but at the same time there are people right in the schools who would love to become teachers and fill the gap for students.
The AFT is making a significant impact on career and technical education by equipping educators with the skills and credentials to become OSHA-authorized trainers.
For AFT member Clare Berke, hands-on learning goes way back: She still remembers the “newspaper” she created in class with a friend when she was a fifth grader. Today she teaches her own high school journalism students through a range of opportunities to “try on” a career that has always inspired her.
Outside the phalanx of TV cameras, delegates and leaders—including many from the AFT—were shaping policy, including on education. Such was the case Aug. 21 when a panel of politicians, advocates and labor leaders sat down to discuss the most important aspects of career and technical education, and how we can continue to encourage its growth.
At “AI in Education and Beyond,” a joint AFT-Microsoft conference in Chicago Aug. 11-13, participants voiced joy and fear in the same breath: Excitement at the learning options artificial intelligence opens versus concern for student safety. Interest in how much mindless administrative work AI can save versus fear it will replace vital human expertise. Preparing kids for an AI-infused workplace versus alarm at the ever-widening digital gap.
In another indication that public-private partnerships are key to making career and technical education work, Washington, D.C., education leaders are celebrating a $9.5 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies that will go toward a new learning center for healthcare professions in an underserved area of the city.
This collection of free educational resources is carefully selected to help teachers guide primary and secondary students through the exciting (we swear!) world of career exploration. Embracing a diverse range of tools, from interactive websites to comprehensive lesson plans, these resources are designed to engage students in meaningful exploration of various career paths, fostering a deeper understanding of their own potential and aspirations.
We believe in providing all children the opportunity to learn by doing. Experiential learning, including career and technical education, engages them in deeper learning, provides them with real-world, real-life skills, and boosts academic achievement. Career and technical education is experiential learning at its best, and it prepares students not only for traditional trades programs but also for in-demand careers in healthcare, information technology, skilled manufacturing and more.