Career and Technical Education (CTE), known in some places as Occupational or Vocational Education, consists of classes that focus on preparing students for future careers. In Washington, CTE programs provide a graduation pathway for students who want to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. These programs prepare students with the skills and competencies they will need to succeed in their chosen career pathway. Some popular CTE courses include business, emergency response, automotive repair, culinary arts, cosmetology, information technology, and more.
Individual CTE courses will focus on a particular field, but they are all meant to include skills that will help students no matter where they go in life. Leadership, communication, and personal responsibility are built into every program. CTE is designed to give students direct experiences in the real world. In Washington, CTE programs are divided into “clusters” (general work sectors) and “pathways” (more specific career choices in those sectors).
There are some limitations to a CTE program in an online setting. We cannot practice welding or woodwork, for example. However, we can offer courses in social work, culinary arts, and business management, where students can use resources in their communities to gain the same real-world experience they would at a brick-and-mortar school. In future posts, we will explore Market Square’s CTE offerings in more detail.
