This week ACTE is releasing a new infographic describing opportunities in cybersecurity and how CTE prepares students for this high-wage, highly-skilled and fulfilling career pathway. With more than 300,000 unfilled jobs in the United States needing cybersecurity skills, CTE programs—including courses, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations and opportunities... Continue reading

Fill your fall reading list with new research and publications on CTE equity, industry-recognized credentials, career pathways and postsecondary outcomes. Credentials of Value: ACTE, among other education and industry leaders, participated in a working group convened by the Education Strategy Group, in partnership with the Council of Chief State School... Continue reading

In this fourth year of our High-quality CTE Initiative, ACTE is concluding a pilot test of our comprehensive, research-based quality CTE program of study framework. We will be releasing a finalized framework and evaluation rubric this fall, and we have already begun integrating the 12 elements of high-quality CTE into... Continue reading

Explore CTE’s role in developing the workforce in financial services with ACTE’s updated Sector Sheet. This brief has been revised with the latest on job demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs. There are almost four million “good jobs”—jobs that pay an average of $55,000 annually—in financial, consulting and business... Continue reading

At the end of August, CTE educators nationwide will begin receiving packets with questionnaires for CTE students and teachers. These questionnaires are a collaboration between ACTE and myOptionsTM, and they provide ACTE with valuable research on CTE program elements and student outcomes that informs our work and helps us develop... Continue reading

Read up on the latest publications addressing postsecondary CTE program quality and student outcomes as well as externships, education-workforce data sharing and how manufacturers use credentials in hiring. Ensuring Postsecondary CTE Quality: How can states promote postsecondary CTE program quality? A new report from Advance CTE examines strategies for encouraging... Continue reading

The following recently published research makes the case for the benefits of CTE to students, workers and regional economies. Students Want Technical Training: More students are considering community and technical colleges and programs, according to a survey of 500-plus U.S. high school sophomores, juniors and seniors conducted by the College... Continue reading

This summer CTE reading list addresses secondary CTE data in Iowa, the relationship between apprenticeships and community colleges, counts of how many credentials are available in the United States, and more. Iowa CTE: Iowa has published a first-of-its-kind report on recent trends in secondary CTE programs, students and teachers. The... Continue reading

Learn about CTE’s role in developing the workforce in biosciences with ACTE’s updated Sector Sheet. This brief has been revised with the latest on job demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs. The biosciences sector employed almost 1.7 million Americans across more than 77,000 businesses in 2014, with earnings that... Continue reading

CTE students exhibit key non-cognitive skills that lead to positive education and labor market outcomes, according to a new report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). AEI researchers Collin Hitt and Albert Cheng begin their analysis with a synthesis of CTE research showing that, on average, high school students who... Continue reading

New data on CTE in public school districts describes a diverse delivery system, extended learning opportunities and barriers to participation. Continue reading

New data from the Adult Training and Education survey is giving a more accurate picture of Americans’ education and training beyond high school. Continue reading

At least 16 governors have talked CTE in their State of the State addresses. With these governors’ support, the state outlook for CTE and career readiness in 2018 is bright. Continue reading

ACTE has produced a new research-based fact sheet connecting the general workforce skills that employers most need—professionalism, teamwork, critical thinking, oral and written communication, leadership and more—with research demonstrating that CTE helps students develop career readiness and employability skills that have value across industries and career fields. The research used... Continue reading

ACTE has updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce in hospitality and tourism with the latest on job demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs. Hospitality and tourism is vital to the nation’s expanding service economy. The restaurant workforce makes up 10 percent of the total... Continue reading

From career decision-making influences to education and workforce data governance to the impact of loans on community college student outcomes, the following publications address topics of relevance to CTE. Adding Skills to the AA: The American Enterprise Institute has published research and recommendations on how community colleges can make associate... Continue reading

What strategies are states using to promote career advising and development? Are counselors using effective career advising strategies? Advance CTE and the American School Counselor Association have investigated these and other questions in the recently published The State of Career Technical Education: Career Advising and Development, including these research findings:... Continue reading

Last year saw a significant expansion of state CTE policy, with 49 states and DC enacting 241 CTE-related laws, executive orders, boards of education actions and budget provisions, as documented in State Policies Impacting CTE: 2017 Year in Review from ACTE and Advance CTE. The publication summarizes each state’s CTE... Continue reading

The national profile of CTE continued to grow in 2017, with nearly every state adopting new policies related to CTE and career readiness Join ACTE and Advance CTE on Wednesday, January 31 from 2:00-3:00pm ET for a webinar that will unpack findings from our joint publication, State Policies Impacting CTE:... Continue reading

Start the new year off with these recent reports and research about CTE, on topics ranging from rural CTE access to a new website that hosts information on a variety of credentials to how career readiness has fared in Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans. Expanding access for rural students:... Continue reading

ACTE has updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce in the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Career Cluster® with the latest on occupational demand, talent shortages and exemplary programs. The Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Career Cluster continuously evolves in response to changes in food consumption... Continue reading

ACTE’s fall reading list includes a variety of reports and resources relevant to CTE. Dual-enrollment Differences: A longitudinal study has found that dually enrolled students are more likely to earn a postsecondary certificate or degree than those who did not pursue dual enrollment. However, there are significant variations across states... Continue reading

CTE’s place in the community college mission is the focus of two new American Enterprise Institute (AEI) publications. The Path Less Taken: Barriers to Providing Career and Technical Education at Community Colleges argues that structures and policies disincentivize community colleges from growing their CTE programs. These barriers include state and... Continue reading

Two recent analyses conclude that CTE has little to no negative impact on college attendance and completion, and positively impacts high school persistence, on-time graduation and earnings. The benefits are stronger for more specialized CTE courses and courses taken later in a student’s high school career. In Linking the Timing... Continue reading

In addition to first-time, full-time students, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is now collecting data on three additional cohorts. This data will shed more light on so-called "nontraditional" students, who are an increasing proportion of the postsecondary student universe, including: First-time students attending part-time Non-first-time students attending full-time... Continue reading