Career & Technical Education

Read more about classes and programs that are designed to prepare students for work

Explainer

High school seniors Alex Yates, left, and David Romero work on an assembly line machine in a mechatronics class in the career and technical education program at Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tenn., in 2017. The technology skills they learn in the class help prepare them for jobs in the area’s booming automotive industry.
What Is Career and Technical Education, Anyway?
Find answers to eight commonly asked questions about career and technical education here.
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High school student Aaron Bartsch, 17, helps unload tools from a work van before working in a customer’s home as part of an internship with Barkley Heating and Air in Smyrna, Del., on October 15, 2024.
High schooler Aaron Bartsch, 17, helps unload tools from a work van before working in a customer’s home as part of an internship with Barkley Heating and Air in Smyrna, Del., on Oct. 15, 2024. His high school offers career pathways so students can get a taste of real-world, experiential learning.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Boys Think School Is a Waste of Time. Career Pathways Prove Them Wrong
Real-world, experiential learning appeals to how boys learn best, educators say.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 27, 2025
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7 min read
Students in Miranda Baxter’s Welding Program work on projects at the Journey Career Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Students in Miranda Baxter’s Welding Program work on projects at the Journey Career Center on Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif. Career and technical education is rising in popularity among students, but qualified teachers remain hard to find.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention CTE Grows in Popularity Among Students, But Teachers are Tough to Find
As career and technology education becomes more popular among students, schools struggle to fill teaching vacancies.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 24, 2025
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5 min read
Young girl working on an electrical panel in a classroom setting.
iStock/Getty
Federal Most Voters Reject Trump’s Push to Cut U.S. Education Department, Poll Finds
Career-connected learning has broad support from voters across the political spectrum, according to the survey.
Alyson Klein, January 22, 2025
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3 min read
Student with books and laptop computer
iStock/Getty
Curriculum 7 Curriculum Trends That Defined 2024
From religious-themed mandates to reading to career prep, take a look at what EdWeek covered in curriculum in 2024.
Sarah Schwartz, December 13, 2024
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9 min read
A teenager contemplates his career path. Career Technical Education.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Recruitment & Retention Opinion There’s a Stunning Oversight in CTE: Careers in Education
Teachers are a core part of our workforce—but you wouldn’t know it to look at CTE programs. School leaders must start growing their own.
Sharif El-Mekki, November 12, 2024
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5 min read
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024. Long an institution invested in preparing students for college, the College Board increasingly has an eye on illuminating career options.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Can the AP Model Work for CTE? How the College Board Is Embracing Career Prep
The organization known for AP courses and the SAT is getting more involved in helping students explore potential careers.
Ileana Najarro, October 22, 2024
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5 min read
Photo of student working with surveying equipment.
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College & Workforce Readiness The Way Schools Offer CTE Classes Is About to Change. Here's How
The revision could lead to significant shifts in the types of jobs schools highlight, and the courses students are able to take.
Sarah Schwartz, October 22, 2024
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4 min read
A George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School student participates in a butchery class at Essex Kitchen in New York, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
A student at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School tries her hand in a butchery class at Essex Kitchen in New York on May 21, 2024. Most high school students think they need more education after graduation, but they're less likely than previous generations to think it needs to be at a four-year college.
James Pollard/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Infographic Students Want to Learn More About Careers. Will High Schools Step Up?
Students say they want more career education, and EdWeek Research Center survey data show schools are emphasizing it more.
Matthew Stone, October 1, 2024
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5 min read
Agnieszka Crownoever explains the surgical robot to intern Lutrell Kirk, an 18-year-old high school senior, at Northwest Health in Valparaiso, Ind., Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
Agnieszka Crownoever explains how a surgical robot works to intern Lutrell Kirk, an 18-year-old high school senior, at Northwest Health in Valparaiso, Ind., on June 4, 2024. Lutrell and other seniors are part of a program to give them hands-on experiences before graduation.
Eric Davis for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Students at This High School Do Internships. It's a Game Changer
A superintendent challenged his high school to get half of seniors engaged in learning outside the building. Students responded.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 30, 2024
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9 min read
Young girl working on an electrical panel in a classroom setting.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness What the Research Says The State of Career and Technical Education, in Charts
New federal data shows more than 8 in 10 high school graduates completed at least one course in a career-education field in 2019.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 3, 2024
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2 min read
Reagan Institute Summit on Education panelists discuss career-connected education at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
Reagan Institute Summit on Education panelists discuss career-connected education at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
Annie Goldman/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What’s More Important to Students and Employers: Skills or Credentials?
At the Reagan Institute Summit on Education, leaders discussed the evolving value of college degrees versus career skills.
Annie Goldman, May 28, 2024
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4 min read
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testifies during a House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in Washington.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testifies during a House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing on Capitol Hill on May 7 in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Federal Miguel Cardona in the Hot Seat: 4 Takeaways From a Contentious House Hearing
FAFSA, rising antisemitism, and Title IX dominated questioning at a U.S. House hearing with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
Libby Stanford, May 7, 2024
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6 min read
Bethel High School films a production of Fear the Fog at Fort Monroe on June 21, 2023.
Students from Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., film "Fear the Fog"<i> </i>at Virginia's Fort Monroe on June 21, 2023. Students wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film through a partnership between their district, Hampton City Schools, and two television actors that's designed to give them applied, entertainment industry experience.
Courtesy of Hampton City Schools
College & Workforce Readiness This East Coast District Brought a Hollywood-Quality Experience to Its Students
A unique collaboration between a Virginia school district and two television actors allows students to gain real-life filmmaking experience.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 26, 2024
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6 min read
Heidi Griebel and Josie Wahl participate in carpentry class at Career and Technical Education Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 7, 2019.
Heidi Griebel and Josie Wahl participate in carpentry class at Career and Technical Education Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 7, 2019. CTE programs were a core theme of several governors' state addresses in 2024.
Loren Townsley/The Argus Leader via AP
States Republican and Democratic Governors Both Are Touting This K-12 Priority
Workforce readiness and career and technical education were the most common education themes in governors' state of the state addresses.
Evie Blad, March 20, 2024
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6 min read
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