[Playbook] Building a Career and Technical Education Program for the 21st Century

20, 15, even 10 years ago - when you thought about Career and Technical Education (CTE), you would picture a wood shop or auto mechanics class at a high school. But things have changed, and CTE isn't your dad's trade training anymore.

Career & Technical Education Programs built for the 21st Century look drastically different - with schools building skill-development for many real-world jobs such as engineering, graphic design, teaching, business management, and so much more. The goal is achieving what schools have always worked towards - preparing students for college or careers - but this broader spectrum is geared towards a new kind of learner.

You may be considering whether you have the right staff, resources, funding, student enrollment, or nearby secondary support for a CTE initiative. We're here to tell you that you do, and we've put together resources, backed by examples, to prove it.

Download our Playbook, Building Career and Technical Programs That Work, to learn about what a CTE program entails, how to measure your capacity to implement, grant funding opportunities available, school program examples, and much more. 

This guide will help you form an advisory committee, align your curriculum, identify needs and pathways in your community, and develop student-run enterprises, like the Osseo Area School District's Community-Based Vocational Assessment and Training (CBVAT) program for high school students with special needs. It's completely free - so download it, save it, and let us know if we can further help you reach your CTE program goals!

Want to speak with an expert on this topic? Request a Meeting with one of our education consultants to talk more about the issues you're facing in your school, and how the VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Tools might be able to help.