By: Harini Sridhar

What is CTE?
Career and technical education (CTE) is the combination of academic and technical skills, along with skills like critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. It can lead to a wide range of jobs in manufacturing, trade, entrepreneurship, culinary arts, media, agriculture, engineering, and even health sciences.

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Why is CTE important?
CTE courses can open up multiple possibilities for a career you are passionate about and help you decide on a career path if you aren't sure. Exploring these options can lead to certifications, postsecondary degrees, apprenticeships, or employment. If you are interested in learning more about CTE career paths, you can look into self-assessment and student interest surveys at Career Clusters.

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What are some CTE-related courses offered at Conard?

At Conard, we have several courses in the business, finance, family and consumer sciences, technology, and engineering departments that help us build our knowledge and skills before we move on from high school to train on specific skills. The career and technical education pathways are divided into several departments: business and finance, family and consumer sciences, and technology and engineering. The communication, health sciences & human services, hospitality & tourism, manufacturing logistics, and STEM pathways contain specific courses. A description of these courses can be found at Conard's Program of Studies (CTE) to help you find the course that best suits your interests.

What are the benefits of CTE when you graduate high school and if you plan on going to a trade school?

Employers are in search of adaptable people who have time management skills and can be effective at work. Studies show that students who take CTE coursework in high school are more likely to graduate from high school, be employed, and have better compensation immediately after high school. According to employers, people in CTE fields like manufacturing and trade jobs are more than 50% in demand during a recession and earn about $33 per hour on average. CTE can help you become college-ready with practical problem-solving skills, critical thinking, research, and innovation skills. Even jobs that require an associate's degree or certification require crucial skills that CTE helps you learn.

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Image Citations:

Department of Defense Education Activity