Educator tips for a top CTE program

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Educators can best equip individuals for success in technology and professional fields through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, or a CTE program for short.

These approaches and models are more important than ever as technology skills have become so integral in all our lives. We will explore the most important components of a career and technical education program, as well as some tips for educators to best optimize their development efforts.

What is a CTE Program?

A CTE program is the combination of framework, pathways, teachers, curriculum and work environment that come together to teach and train students for vocational careers

Key parts of CTE programs

Below is an overview of each of these components.

• CTE Framework – This framework defines the overall categorical model for how a school will deliver the CTE program, pathways and the courses within it. So every course our training program at a school should align to this framework.
• CTE Curriculum – These are teaching materials, activities and homework within a specific CTE course or training program.
• Teacher or Coach – These are the instructors that will lead and deliver curriculum or training to students.
• Technical Work Environments – In the beginning this will most likely be a classroom as students begin learning and then more work specific environments as they develop into workers.

Key tips for building great CTE program at any school

Below are some important tips for ensuring that your CTE program best builds proficiency in your students using tech skills.

Ensure you have a strong CTE framework

At the core of any successful career and technical education program lies a well-organized CTE development framework. It’s essential to have a high-quality framework in place—if you don’t, it’s time to build one.

This framework serves as the foundation, providing the requirements and standards that guide and align every aspect of your CTE program.

A balanced approach across program components

What truly matters is how all the components of your program work together, rather than focusing on having just one standout element. For example, while Michael Jordan was one of the greatest players in NBA history, it took the Chicago Bulls six years to win their first championship with him. Success came when the entire team functioned cohesively.

Similarly, it’s not just an exceptional teacher, an outstanding curriculum, or a great work environment that makes career classes successful—it’s the balance and integration of all these elements. Keep this in mind as you build and refine each individual piece of your program.

Use the appropriate elements of your CTE program to match each level of student development.

Start by clearly defining the development levels within your CTE framework. Once this is established, ensure that each component of your program aligns with the appropriate stage of student growth. For instance, the teacher’s expertise should match the proficiency of more advanced students at higher development levels.

Drawing from sports, you wouldn’t use high school training drills for NFL athletes. Similarly, your CTE program should scale in complexity and depth to meet the needs of students as they progress.

Take a job versus standards approach

Many educators design CTE courses by starting with educational standards and working forward. However, for CTE careers, we’ve found it more effective to work backward from the job or tasks to the standards.

This approach focuses on the end goal—a proficient professional worker—ensuring that the program is tailored to meet real-world job requirements.

Consider the different ways students learn

Of course differentiated learning is something we do a lot as teachers. However, specific to learning technology it is also important to understand nuances in the ways students learn. Ensure the key parts of your training an development approach consider these specifics to tech.

Next steps

Many of the techniques we’ve discussed align closely with sports principles. One valuable perspective is to approach building CTE programs and developing technicians as you would train and develop athletes. To learn more about this model and explore our educator programs, or talk with us.