Celebrating Career and Technical Education Month: Empowering Learners for Future Success

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month is an annual public awareness campaign held every February to recognize the value and accomplishments of CTE programs. It celebrates the transformative impact of CTE on students, communities, and industries, highlighting how CTE equips learners with the skills and knowledge needed for success in today's workforce. Spearheaded by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and supported by various CTE groups, CTE Month serves as a platform to raise awareness, celebrate achievements, and engage key partners across education and workforce communities.

Understanding Career and Technical Education

Career and technical education prepares students for high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers. Through CTE, learners gain real-world skills that prepare them to succeed in college and in a career they are passionate about. CTE programs integrate academic and technical instruction, giving students real-world experience.

The Significance of CTE Month

During February, the CTE community celebrates CTE Month to raise awareness of the role CTE has in preparing students for careers and college. It's a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of CTE community members nationwide. CTE Month is also a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of CTE partners at the local, state, and national level.

Themes and Goals of CTE Month

Each year, CTE Month is organized around a different theme. The overarching goals of CTE Month include:

Raising awareness about the value of CTE.
Engaging specific groups such as learners, educators, families, employers, or policymakers.
Celebrating achievements and successes within the CTE community.

Celebrating Today, Owning Tomorrow

CTE Month shines a spotlight on how CTE equips learners with the skills and knowledge needed for success in today’s workforce. This includes hands-on learning, college and career readiness, and elevated workforce development.

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Key Strategies for a Successful CTE Month

To maximize the impact of CTE Month, it's important to define objectives, craft messaging for different audiences, host events and tours, collaborate with employers, and celebrate CTE learners and educators.

Defining Objectives

Before jumping into activities for CTE Month, take a step back and define your goals. A strong foundation within your team ensures your efforts will have maximum impact!

Think about what success looks like for your team during this month.

Are you aiming to raise awareness about the value of CTE?
Is your focus on engaging specific groups such as learners, educators, families, employers, or policymakers?
Do you want to celebrate achievements and successes within the CTE community?

Crafting Messaging for Your Audiences

Every audience has unique needs and perspectives, and messages should align with what resonates the most. Unified messaging is key to maximizing impact.

Hosting Events and Tours

Invite local community leaders, school counselors, non-CTE educators, and families to explore CTE programs firsthand. Showcasing real-world applications of CTE through school visits and career fairs (both virtual and in-person) is a powerful tool to share the breadth of career pathways available.

Consider offering CTE Month Merchandise such as pens, pencils, and lanyards to distribute at events to entice audiences to learn more.

Collaborating with Employers

Strengthen existing partnerships with local employers by highlighting their role in supporting CTE programs and systems in both education and industry communication channels. Invite them to share their story. This recognizes their contributions and demonstrates the value of partnerships.

Host virtual office hours or a discussion panel for existing and potential employer partners.

Celebrating CTE and CTE Learners

Shine a spotlight on the learners, educators, and partners powering CTE with awards, social media shoutouts, or local media coverage. Personal stories resonate and can inspire others to be a part of CTE. Encourage learners to take an active role in sharing their CTE journey by creating videos, writing blog posts, or speaking at events, or create a contest that allows learners to share their work and ideas.

Create or update spaces to allow learners to directly engage or share feedback on their CTE experience, including ambassador programs, advisory boards, focus groups, etc.

Read also: Career Paths Without a Degree

CTE in Action: The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential

Guided by the belief that all students should be college- or career-ready, the Council for Professional Recognition provides an opportunity for high school students enrolled in CTE programs to earn the CDA credential. Earning a CDA in high school jumpstarts successful careers and channels faculty expertise. The CDA is the only portable, national, and multi-language credential of its kind.

Hands-On Learning

CTE programs integrate academic and technical instruction, giving students real-world experience in child development, classroom management, and curriculum planning. In the ECE pathway, high school students work with young children during courses of study and practicum for a minimum of 480 hours.

College and Career Readiness

A nationally recognized credential for 50 years, the CDA sets students apart in the job market and enhances college applications, showcasing a commitment to professional excellence. In many states, course credits are granted to students who enter an ECE post-secondary program having earned the CDA credential.

Elevated Workforce Development

With a growing demand for skilled early childhood educators, the CDA aligns seamlessly in CTE with workforce development goals, ensuring students graduate career ready. Bridging education and workforce needs, earning the CDA empowers students to enter the field with essential skills, reducing turnover and enhancing the quality of care for young children and their families.

Empowering Future Educators

Strengthening ECE career pathways, the CDA serves as a launching pad for further education and career advancement, from associate degrees to leadership roles in early childhood programs. For high schools, offering the CDA credential as part of a CTE program underscores their commitment to providing relevant, high-quality education. It fosters partnerships with local child care centers and early learning organizations, creating pathways for internships and employment.

Busting Myths About CTE

Historically, vocational education was sometimes viewed as separate from academic excellence. Today’s CTE programs are rigorous, innovative, and aligned with industry standards. Modern CTE includes high-tech labs, simulation software, robotics, cybersecurity training, and even drone technology.

State-Level CTE Initiatives

NC Department of Public instruction has even more information about CTE efforts offered throughout the State as well as the CTE Course Management System where you can learn the pathways, courses, and industry recognized credentials available in NC public schools. NC Community Colleges also offers CTE programs through their network of 58 community colleges throughout the state. You can also visit the brand new CTE landing page and be sure to learn Why Should I see my Career Development Coordinator(CDC)? on NCcareers.org.

Federal Support for CTE

The U.S. government is committed to increasing and enhancing career education opportunities to equip millions of workers and students with practical skills to thrive in their careers. To advance this goal, the government has taken steps to realign federal priorities with the need for skilled and highly trained workers. This includes initiatives such as Workforce Pell Grants to support learners who want to use Federal financial assistance to enroll in short-term, in-demand fields, and America’s Talent Strategy to provide a blueprint for aligning education and workforce systems.

The Importance of Year-Round Advocacy

CTE Month shouldn’t feel like a sprint. CTE Month is a powerful opportunity to raise awareness, celebrate achievements, and engage key partners across education and workforce communities. While February provides a concentrated time for outreach, the momentum built during this time should fuel year-round efforts.

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