Career and Technical Education

Career and technical education (CTE) connects students in a hands-on way to what they are learning, whether it's witnessing the complex chemistry behind the internal combustion engine or writing a detailed quarterly business plan. Academics and job skills, when taught together, can focus a student's attention on career goals and provide the tools to reach those goals.

Employer demand for students with this blend of academics and job skill training continues to grow, especially in high-demand fields such as health care and construction.

CTE provides skills for today and innovations for tomorrow
Because career and technical education programs pair relevant, applied learning with real world work experience, CTE students are able to take their education beyond the classroom and identify what they need to know to get the job done today--and in the future. Students are able to take CTE classes in middle and high schools, Skills Centers, community and technical colleges, in apprenticeship programs and more.

Key areas where students learn about careers

Agriculture (careers related to food and fiber production and agribusiness)
Business (accounting, business administration, management, information technology and entrepreneurship)
Family and Consumer Sciences (culinary arts, family management and life skills
Health Occupations (nursing, dental, and medical technicians)
Marketing (management, entrepreneurship, merchandising and retail)
Technology (transportation, manufacturing, electronics, aviation, biotechnology, computer graphics, construction)
Trade & Industrial (skilled trades such as automotive technician, carpenter, and computer numerical control technician)

Return on Investment
Workforce Board studies routinely show CTE and professional/technical students pay back the public's investment in their education by earning more and therefore paying more in taxes--at a rate of seven to one. Those who complete a CTE program are expected to earn almost $60,000 more by the time they are 65 than those who have not participated in CTE. See the four-page pamphlet CTE: An Investment in Success to learn more.

Get connected to CTE programs and initiatives

See what's new in career and technical education at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Read about Washington's CTE profile from the Association for Career and Technical Education.
Get updates from the Washington Association for Career and Technical Education (WA-ACTE).
Learn more about career clusters at the The States’ Career Clusters Initiative.

See what Workforce Board's Performance Data says about Career & Technical Education

Technical High School Feasibility Study, Sept. 2009