What is CTE?

Career technical education (CTE) provides students and adults with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and develop skills they will use throughout their careers.

CTE programs have been organized into 15 industry sectors that identify the knowledge and skills students need as they follow a pathway to their goals.

CTE prepares students for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies, and makes academic content accessible to students by providing it in a hands-on context.

State CTE programs can be found in comprehensive high schools with CTE programs, high schools solely devoted to CTE and in Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROCPs) and California Partnership Academies (CPAs).

Some CTE programs are blended with academic programs in what is known as a “linked learning model”. Community colleges and technical institutes also offer CTE at the postsecondary level.

Why CTE?

College and Career Readiness

Eighty percent of students in college prep and rigorous CTE met college and career readiness goals versus only 63 percent of students taking only college prep. (Southern Regional Education Board, High Schools That Work 2012 Assessment).

Attendance in a CTE program more than doubles the rate of college entrance for minority students. (A Model for Success: CART’s Linked Learning Program Increases College Enrollment, Irvine Foundation 2011)

Higher Graduation Rates

Ninety percent CTE student graduation rate in high school versus only 75 percent average nationwide graduation rate. (U.S. Department of Education 2007-2008 data, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc analysis)

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