Career & Technical Education

Read more about classes and programs that are designed to prepare students for work

Explainer

High school seniors Alex Yates, left, and David Romero work on an assembly line machine in a mechatronics class in the career and technical education program at Warren County High School in McMinnville, Tenn., in 2017. The technology skills they learn in the class help prepare them for jobs in the area’s booming automotive industry.
What Is Career and Technical Education, Anyway?
Find answers to eight commonly asked questions about career and technical education here.
View Explainer
Tue., December 01, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Join us to explore EdWeek Research Center survey data on which areas of CTE are expected to grow the fastest over the next 5 years.
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December 1, 2026
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Learn how schools can create meaningful experiences that help every student build skills, connections, and a clearer path to their future.
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College & Workforce Readiness Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About the Future of Career Readiness?
Are schools preparing students for tomorrow's workforce? Test your knowledge of the trends and challenges shaping career readiness in K-12.
November 2, 2026
001Lakota Cyber Security
Jennifer Circello (right), a teacher at Lakota West High School, and Andrew Wheatley, the Lakota district's director of career pathways and strategic partnerships, talk with a group of students during a Hacking Club meeting on Oct. 12, 2026, in West Chester Township, Ohio. The district built its cybersecurity program through industry partnerships.
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness 'Real Industry, Real Adults': 4 Ways to Build Career Partnerships for Students
Lessons from a school district that has forged strong ties with businesses that are battling online hackers.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 30, 2026
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3 min read
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
Elsy Prempeh, an employee of Fifth Third Bank, looks over a computer program while mentoring students at Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio, during Jennifer Circello’s class on Oct. 13, 2026. The district's Cyber Academy leans on industry partners to provide relevant experience for students interested in careers in cybersecurity.
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness How One District Is Preparing Students for Careers Battling Online Hackers
This cybersecurity program offers students real-world experience and professional mentorship.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 30, 2026
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9 min read
Cass Career Center
Assistant Director, Nicole Tews, walks a student through the administration office at the Cass Career Center in Harrisonville, Mo., on September 29, 2026. The center has a math and an English teacher who are integrated into students' industry-specific career programs.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Reading, Writing, and Math Skills Are Top Priorities in This CTE Program
How these teachers are connecting the dots between academic and technical skills.
Lauraine Langreo, October 26, 2026
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4 min read
Cass Career Center
Layton Heaper, a senior in the welding program at the Cass Career Center in Harrisonville, Mo., works on a project on Sept. 29, 2026. Through the school's integrated academics program, students learn and apply English and math skills related to future careers.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The CTE Program Answering the Question ‘Why Do I Need Math to Be a Firefighter?’
Integrating academic learning into career and technical education comes with challenges.
Lauraine Langreo, October 22, 2026
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13 min read
Kendall Gray (left) and Gala Davis (right), both guidance counselors, catch up and talk in Davisí office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025.
Kendall Gray, left, and Gala Davis, both school counselors, talk in Davis' office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025. A new survey polls school counselors about student career readiness.
Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness As Students Explore Alternatives to College, Are Counselors Ready to Help Them?
A new survey finds growing interest in non-degree pathways post-graduation, but schools are struggling to keep up.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 12, 2026
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3 min read
A school bus crosses over U.S. 160 from the Navajo Nation, left, onto the Hopi reservation, right, Monday, March 4, 2024, in Tuba City, Ariz. U.S. Highway 160 is the de facto border between the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations and two time zones. Mind-bending time calculations is what people in the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. have to endure every March through November. The Navajo Nation, which stretches into Utah and New Mexico, will reset clocks for one hour later despite the rest of Arizona remaining on standard time.
A school bus crosses over U.S. 160 from the Navajo Nation, left, onto the Hopi reservation, right, on March 4, 2024, in Tuba City, Ariz. For school districts that offer offsite work-based learning experiences, transportation is a key challenge.
Matt York/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Transportation Is a Challenge for CTE Programs. How Districts Are Solving It
One district found innovative ways around this barrier.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 24, 2026
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4 min read
South Career and Technical Academy student ambassadors and student councils hand out wristbands to new students as they arrives at CCSD’s newest high school, opening its doors for the 2025-2026 school year, on Aug. 11, 2025 , in Las Vegas .
South Career and Technical Academy students hand out wristbands to new students as they arrive at their school system's newest high school on Aug. 11, 2025, in Las Vegas. A new report recommends that school, college, and workforce leaders break down silos in their data, in order to better coordinate career-technical education goals.
Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Why Schools, Colleges, and Employers Aren't Connected on Career-Technical Education
Too much data on education and the labor market exist in silos, a new report finds.
Grace Jiang, September 24, 2026
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6 min read
Leaders in education have a panel discussion about offering a path for students from schools into careers.
Industry leaders discuss the new Compact for America’s Youth during a launch event in Washington on Sept. 10, 2026. The compact brings organizations together to work on solutions to scale up career-connected learning.
Courtesy of CareerWise
College & Workforce Readiness How Can Schools Connect Students to Careers? A New Compact Has a Plan—and Money
The compact comes at time of rising uncertainty for young workers due to AI.
Lauraine Langreo, September 22, 2026
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5 min read
Chief David Hope, left, instructs junior Madilyn Ruder during a Firefighting and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) academy course at South Tech High School in Sunset Hills, Mo., on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. Students spend half their school day learning skills before returning to their home high school for traditional courses. (Whitney Curtis for Education Week)
Teacher David Hope, left, instructs junior Madilyn Ruder during a firefighting and emergency Medical Technician (EMT) academy course at South Tech High School in Sunset Hills, Mo., on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. Hope has to foot the bill to keep up with fast-changing EMT technology, something many districts don't cover for their career and technical education teachers.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Teaching Profession Skills Change Fast in CTE. Can Teachers Keep Up?
As career education expands, teachers often are still left to find industry training on their own.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 15, 2026
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10 min read
A Workforce Development job fair at Pepin’s Hospitality Centre, 4121 N 50th St , on Thursday, April 2, 2026 in Tampa . Thousands of Hillsborough County Public Schools seniors meet face-to-face with employers for on-the-spot interviews, job offers, internships, and training opportunities.
People attend a workforce development job fair at TPepin’s Hospitality Centre on April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. As job seekers experience labor market volatility, a report underscores the importance of career literacy.
Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness The Job Market Is Changing. Report Makes the Case for Career Literacy
Career literacy is strongly linked to positive workforce outcomes, concludes a new report.
Lauraine Langreo, August 27, 2026
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4 min read
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College & Workforce Readiness Whitepaper Your CTE Pathways Are Strong. These AP Courses Can Make Them Stronger.
See how the skills taught in AP Career Kickstart courses connect students to in-demand jobs in high-growth fields projected to add 2M+ op...
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