Today’s cutting-edge, rigorous and relevant career and technical education (CTE) prepares youth and adults for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers. The technical, academic and employability skills that students gain in CTE programs, through CTE courses, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations and dual/concurrent enrollment, are essential for college and career success.
CTE students demonstrate the academic, technical and employability skills needed for postsecondary and workplace success:
80 percent of students taking a college prep academic curriculum with rigorous CTE meet college and career readiness goals, compared to only 63 percent of students taking the same academic core who did not experience rigorous CTE.
CTE students are significantly more likely to report developing problem-solving, project completion, research, work-related, communication, time management and critical- thinking skills during high school.
Students attending CTE high schools demonstrate higher rates of on-time graduation and credit accumulation and a greater likelihood of successfully finishing a college prep math sequence.
Postsecondary CTE concentrators earn significantly more than those who majored in academic fields, particularly when employed in an industry related to their program of study.
