Technology is playing a much bigger role in school districts’ career and technical education programs, a shift that experts say started during the pandemic and is continuing as the use of artificial intelligence expands across all sectors of society.
Over the past five years, the most popular category for new CTE programs in schools was for careers in digital technology, IT, AI, and cybersecurity, according to a survey of teachers, principals, and district leaders connected to career and technical education. The survey found that 28 percent of educators said their school or district had started these kinds of technology programs sometime within the past five years.
Experts say the creation of those new programs is driven largely by technological advances, such as the rapid development and adoption of AI-powered technologies, the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, and the expanding use of digital technologies in the workplace.
In addition to new offerings in technology-related fields, other career areas where new programs have taken root over the past five years include education; arts, entertainment, and design; and construction, the survey found.
As it is, the three most commonly offered CTE pathways in schools and districts are digital technology, IT, AI, and cybersecurity; construction, including architecture and civil engineering; and hospitality, including events, tourism, and culinary arts, according to the EdWeek Research Center survey.
In addition to rising interest in tech-focused CTE programming, all career and technical education programming is becoming more technology-oriented, said Michael Connet, the associate deputy executive director for outreach and partnerships for the Association for Career and Technical Education. He spoke with Education Week recently as part of a special report on AI in CTE.
“By virtue of the hands-on, experiential nature of CTE instruction, there hasn’t been historically a major role for educational technology in CTE classrooms,” he said. “That all changed because of the pandemic when teachers had to go remote and use the learning-management system for communication and virtual learning. Now that we’re back in person fully and doing things that are hands-on, ed tech has stayed with them.”
Following are three charts that illustrate these shifts in career and technical education:
