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Understanding CTE pathways

Career and technical education, or CTE pathways for short, are a great way for students to explore exciting career options in a structured manner. They generally include a series of courses in a job or career area that can connect development from high school to community college.

The goal of these pathways are to build technical and job proficiency in students so they can enter the workforce. Further, within a state, these pathways will align to either state standards or an overall Career and technical education framework.

Why are CTE pathways important?

These gateways are important because they help students transition from being learners into career proficient workers in the modern workforce.

While this is important enough, these CTE pathways also have other benefits. Some of the more important benefits include higher gradation rates, improved test scores and future income rates to name a few.

Components of CTE pathways

CTE curriculum is one of the major components of delivering a CTE course. So aside from this and the teacher delivering the course, the other components include the development framework, job pathways, and physical or virtual environment. Generally, CTE pathways includes the following components.

• Master CTE development framework
• Series of curriculum within a CTE pathway
• A series of development phases within the pathway
• Aligned and proficient teachers and coaches
• Conducive work environments
• A defined pathway category
• Aligned job categories and O-Net codes

Master CTE development framework

A CTE development framework is the master foundation of a series of career clusters or categories at a school, district or within a state. So any independent CTE pathway should have a parent framework it is a child of.

Series of curriculum and development programs

A career and technical education pathway will be comprised of a series of related curriculum. Also, as students become more proficient, the curriculum will become more advanced and may transition into more training environments. This curriculum can be provided by one learning institution or can traverse multiple ones.

Proficient teachers and coaches

Teachers and coaches within a certain CTE pathways or areas should have a combination of knowledge and optimally professional experience in the career area in which they are providing instruction.

Conducive work environments

The CTE work environment should align with what is required in a pathway to perform work activities. For example, instructors will set up a carpentry work environment so students can safely work with wood.

Defined CTE pathways categories or clusters

Related disciplines commonly get aligned in the same CTE pathways category or cluster. For example, a cluster might be digital technologies which comprises items such a information technology, cyber security or application development.

Aligned jobs within the CTE pathway

The goal of CTE pathways are to get developing students into jobs. So it is common that the specific jobs, or O*net codes that describe jobs, as strictly aligned to the pathway.

Next steps

Continue on to learn about setting the key phases of development for your CTE pathways. This can help to establish stages as students develop. Also, please check out our educator pathway to bring CyberForward Academy to your school.