Career Education Systems: Definition, Importance, and Framework

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is an educational approach that focuses on teaching technical skills that lead to specific careers. It is designed for students in middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. CTE is applicable to almost every educational age range. CTE programs aim to provide students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers by integrating core academic knowledge with technical and occupational skills. CTE teaches transferable workplace skills in applied learning contexts to provide opportunities to explore high-demand career options and gives students the technology and skills needed for success in adult life.

What is Career and Technical Education (CTE)?

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has been around for decades and has helped millions of students achieve success. Yet, many people remain unsure of what exactly "career and technical education" is. CTE is an educational strategy focused on developing skills through practice, hands-on experience, and application tests. After all, many CTE pathways take students to careers that can save lives.

Key Characteristics of CTE

Several key characteristics define CTE and differentiate it from traditional academic pathways:

Skills-Focused: CTE is primarily focused on developing practical skills. Practice, hands-on experience, and application tests make up the bulk of CTE.
Applicable to All Age Ranges: CTE clusters and pathways are offered in middle schools, high schools, and post-secondary institutions.
Versatile Opportunities: CTE clusters don’t limit students to single careers. Typically, these qualities are at opposite ends of the education spectrum. These areas of skill development are rich with expansive career opportunities that allow students to explore what they love.
Integration of Knowledge and Skills: CTE programs integrate core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge and skills to provide students a pathway to postsecondary education and careers.
Transferable Workplace Skills: CTE teaches transferable workplace skills in applied learning contexts to provide opportunities to explore high-demand career options and gives students the technology and skills needed for success in adult life.

The Role of CTE Today

Today’s educators want to know more about career clusters, career pathways, how AI affects career and technical education, funding, and what a successful CTE program looks like. It’s critical to keep a close eye on these career clusters because rapid growth rate and emerging trends translate into more job opportunities for students. Also, most of these career clusters and their respective career pathways are STEM-related.

Career Clusters in CTE

CTE is structured around various career clusters, each representing a broad grouping of occupations and industries. These clusters provide a framework for organizing CTE programs and curriculum. Here are some prominent CTE clusters:

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Health Science: Health science is the largest CTE cluster and one of the most popular today. A growing population an increased and consistent demand for health science professionals means that learners in this career cluster have abundant opportunities for engaging careers in a variety of pathways. Many of these certifications are administered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), which has become one of a handful of distinguished healthcare certifiers.
Business Education: Business education courses are among the most common in CTE because of their versatility. Students in this CTE cluster cultivate skills that will help them work in all three of these business areas. Learners in this cluster gain a strong foundation in understanding cash, revenue, expenditures, profit margins, and other principles of money management. Because finance is a highly-competitive field, advanced degrees help students stand out among their peers.
Information Technology (IT): IT graduates walk straight into one of the most lucrative and high-demand job markets in the world.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Occupations involving engineering, design, and computer-based machinery often require a background in STEM. Graduates in STEM also have a high earning potential, especially if they pursue a baccalaureate or advanced degree in a field like engineering.
Manufacturing: Manufacturing has remained a major career cluster in CTE because the processes and products of manufacturing drive industries throughout the global economy.

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Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics: Trucking, shipping, and storage all fall under the umbrella of this CTE specialty. CTE students in transportation, distribution, and logistics develop skills that are difficult to find in today's job market.
Hospitality and Tourism: Pursuing careers in hospitality and tourism is especially valuable for students who want the versatility to work in a variety of locations or on nontraditional schedules.
Government and Public Administration: Typically, that means CTE students learn about issues related to local governments, such as taxes, parks and recreation, budgeting, and city councils. While government careers can be lucrative, it's important to remember that even at the local level many public careers involve elected positions.
Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security: This CTE cluster is well-known both for its profitability and ability to consistently provide opportunities to graduates. This cluster is an excellent starting place for anyone looking to get more involved in law, and it pays well enough to keep additional education on the table.
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR): This allows graduates to pursue a wide range of careers within the eight different AFNR career pathways. The number of organizations offering certifications is an example of the varied paths students can choose within the AFNR cluster.

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Human Services: Typically, these needs revolve around some element that’s lacking in a person’s life. Social work, social services, and drug rehabilitation all fall under this umbrella. While human services careers frequently pay less than those in other CTE clusters, human services offers rewarding career opportunities that directly affect the lives of individuals and communities.
Architecture and Construction: Students focusing on architecture can be involved in the process of designing buildings and other structures, and may consider postsecondary instruction leading to a degree in architecture. With experience in this CTE cluster, students will be prepared for these two sides of construction industry.
Education and Training: Careers in this pathway can include anything from on-the-job training to consulting. As a result, students in this field can take the knowledge they've learned virtually anywhere there is a need for teaching and training and have transferrable skills. By learning training and educational principles, they can become excellent teachers - even if they’re teaching new hires at a company.
Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications: While this could mean drawing, painting, or composing for some students, this CTE cluster is more concerned with operating the technology that makes those products possible. That’s why so many of these students go on to audio engineering, lighting technology, and similar careers. As technology evolves, these skills remain in demand to ensure that technical aspects of concerts, sports, and other events run smoothly.

Where is CTE Taught?

CTE is primarily taught in three settings: middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. There is often a great degree of variation in the clusters and pathways an individual CTE program offers. It's also popular for CTE programs to offer clusters and pathways with versatile opportunities for students, such as business education or STEM. In addition, what programs a school offers can also vary by location.

Middle School: Middle school CTE classes tend to focus on developing general workplace skills, such as computer applications or career exploration.
High School: CTE in high school is also taught as an elective, but courses are often offered in greater variety. At the high school level, students typically pursue a pathway of courses within a single cluster like business or STEM. Often, these courses culminate in certifications by the end of a student's senior year.
Post-Secondary Institutions: The career pathways at post-secondary institutions take students from introduction straight through to employment. Still, taking CTE courses from a postsecondary school is a viable option for pursuing a technical education.

Funding of CTE Programs

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, especially those at the high school level, are typically funded through federal, state, and local sources. An important point to note is that funding should be a reflection of the local educational priorities and policies, as well as the workforce.

High-Quality CTE Programs

The elements of high-quality CTE programs include:

Standards-aligned and Integrated Curriculum: development of CTE program curriculum and standards.
Integrated Network of Partnerships: business and community partnerships to support CTE program alignment and success.
Course Sequencing and Credentials: coordination of coursework progression in CTE programs and career pathways that lead to recognized postsecondary credentials.
Career-Connected Learning and Experiential Learning: career planning and career-based experiential learning opportunities.
Industry-specific Facilities, Equipment, Technology and Materials: facilities and equipment specific to work in given career fields.
Work-Based Learning (WBL): firsthand, onsite student engagement opportunities in a given career field.
Data for Program Improvement and Advocacy: use of data for continuous program improvement and advocacy.
Student Leadership Development: leadership development through embedded classroom activities and Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) opportunities.
Access, Equity and Inclusion: CTE program promotion and support for all student populations.
Student-Centered Instruction: instructional strategies that support attainment of career-relevant knowledge and skills.
Professional Development for Knowledgeable Experts: qualifications and professional development of secondary CTE teachers.

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V)

Much of our work is driven by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) to improve career and technical education and create opportunities to enter high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand employment for all learners. This Act provides an increased focus on the academic achievement of CTE students, strengthens connections to experiential learning and work-based learning opportunities, and increases emphasis on student progress toward earning industry-recognized certificates and postsecondary credentials. Access the full text of the Perkins V legislation.

Career Readiness and CTE

Career readiness is a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management. For new college graduates, career readiness is key to ensuring successful entrance into the workforce. Career readiness is the foundation upon which a successful career is launched. Career readiness is, quite simply, the new career currency. For higher education, career readiness provides a framework for addressing career-related goals and outcomes of curricular and extracurricular activities, regardless of the student’s field of study. role in sourcing talent, providing a means of identifying key skills and abilities across all job functions; similarly, career readiness offers employers a framework for developing talent through internship and other experiential education programs.

Career Readiness Competencies

There are eight career readiness competencies, each of which can be demonstrated in a variety of ways.

Career + Self-Development
Communication
Critical Thinking
Equity + Inclusion

The NACE Career Readiness Competencies play a crucial role in closing the skills gap for the college-educated workforce, but understanding them is just the first step. To translate theory into practice, the NACE Competency Assessment Tool provides a reliable, validated way to measure proficiency in these competencies among students, job candidates, interns, and new hires. This tool enables a data-driven approach to career readiness by offering actionable feedback and personalized development plans. to launch and develop a successful career, a common vocabulary by which to discuss needs and expectations, and a basic set of competencies upon which a successful career is launched. An initial task force-made up of NACE members from both career services and university relations and recruiting-developed the career readiness definition and associated competencies. of members in 2017 to reflect feedback from members who were using the competencies with students.In addition, after the initial launch, NACE undertook work to identify behaviors that could be associated with the competencies, partnering with SkillSurvey to validate those behaviors. In 2020, a member task force undertook to review and revise the competencies as needed, while NACE and SkillSurvey completed a key phase of its validation effort to identify sample behaviors. for revisions and presented them to the NACE membership for comment. More than 300 members provided recommendations and comments.

The Career Clusters Framework

The Career Clusters Framework serves as the foundation for designing consistent, high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) and career pathway programs. All learners deserve opportunities to explore and prepare for the full world of work, and discover where they fit in. Created in 2002 and modernized in 2024, the National Career Clusters Framework has provided a shared structure and language for CTE program design across the United States. Advance CTE serves as the steward of the Framework.

The Framework has the power to transform systems, career pathways and programs, and the lives of learners and communities. The modern Framework consists of 14 Clusters and 72 Sub-Clusters that serve as the primary organizing structures for CTE programs. These structures are supported by five Cluster Groupings aligned to purpose and impact of included careers, and three Cross-Cutting Clusters that provide both skills and careers that can stand alone and intersect with all other Clusters. Twelve Career-Ready Practices to ensure that every program includes the skills that are essential to every career and life.

Clusters that are based on both sector-specific and contextualized functions instead of purely discrete industry sectors. The Career Ready Practices, built on a meta-analysis of over 30 different listings of general professional skills developed by industry and educational institutions, represent the skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace. These practices should be embedded across the pre-kindergarten to workforce continuum.

Real Estate Licensing and Career Systems

Career Education Systems has had one of the highest passing rates month in and month out. Don’t let the test scare you. Kansas requires a 30 hour Pre-exam course before you can sit for the salesperson’s test; you also must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED to be licensed. Missouri requires a 48 hour Pre-exam course before you can sit for the salesperson’s test; you also must be at least 18 years old. Kansas uses Pearson Vue, which is based in Philadelphia, PA, to do their testing. You can take the test at different locations in the Kansas City area. Tests are given Monday through Saturday. Missouri uses PSI (formerly AMP) for testing. PSI is located in Olathe, KS. The tests are given in Kansas City every day of the week and the third Saturday of each month, and in several other locations in Missouri.

Test Structure

The test is broken up into two parts. Part 1 covers general laws and principles that would be applicable across the entire United States. Part 2 covers questions that would only apply to your home state. For the salesperson’s test, the general section has 100 questions in Missouri and 80 questions in Kansas. You only have to go back and pass the portion you failed. Test scores in Kansas are good for six months so both sections must be passed within that time. First, you have to pass the test in your HOME state. Your home state is defined as where you are living at the time you apply for license.

Licensing Requirements

Kansas residents can get a Missouri license after receiving a Kansas license, by passing the Missouri state law portion of the Missouri exam, taking the 24 hour Missouri Practice Course and applying with the Missouri license fee. Both Kansas and Missouri require fingerprinting before obtaining a license.

Brokers vs. Salespersons

A broker acts like an employer; i.e. a broker hires salespersons to represent the broker in making sales. Yes, after you have passed the test, you can apply for license. No. All candidates for a broker’s license in either Kansas or Missouri must have worked as a real estate licensee for two years prior to applying for a broker’s license. Most of the brokers in town take on new people on a regular basis. It is up to you to shop around to find a broker that meets your needs.

Costs of Getting Licensed

There are a number of costs in getting licensed. Fortunately, you don’t usually have to pay them all at one time. Pre-exam course. Additionally, there are other up-front costs that you may incur (depending on the type of real estate career you pursue). Just like any other business, there are other on-going costs that you will incur. Unlike most businesses, real estate agents are usually self-employed and work on commission. Each brokerage company charges different amounts and shares the commission with their salespersons differently. As a general rule, the more you sell, the more you make. That is not only true due to the fact that you have more commission but that many brokers will give you a greater percentage of the total commission the more you sell. Note that it often takes several months after getting a license to make a sale, close the sale and receive payment. People going into real estate need to be able to be supported for several months before being paid.

Dealing with People

Strangely enough, the answer is the same: dealing with people. Many individuals love to get into real estate because they can meet many new people every week and help them get into homes. However, since buying a house is the biggest financial decision most people make, they can sometimes seem very irrational. It can be quite frustrating to work with a buyer for weeks and then see them decide not to buy at all or buy through someone else. Can you handle that type of thing without feeling personally rejected? Can you handle your finances in a way that you can afford to lose a commission when a buyer walks away? If you can, real estate could very well be the career for you.

Continuing Education

After a new Kansas license is issued, the requirement is 12 hours of continuing education prior to the first license expiration date, and then every two years after that. After a new Missouri license is issued, the requirement is 12 hours of continuing education that must be taken prior to the first renewal of that new license, and then every two years after that. This is true for both newly licensed salespersons and newly licensed brokers. Continuing education courses are required for each 2 year renewal for both states. Each course is 3 hours long. Kansas requires both Salespersons and Brokers to take a minimum of 3 hours of Kansas Required Core and 9 hours of electives. If you were licensed prior to 2019, the month for renewal is based on the first letter of your last name. Those licensed 1/1/2019 and after will renew on the first day of the month the license issued, every two years. You may take the continuing education classes anytime during the 2 year period between renewals. Missouri requires both salespersons and brokers to take 3 hours of Missouri Core and 9 hours of electives. As previously stated, salespersons renew in September and brokers renew in June every 2 years on the even years.

License Status

If the above did not occur, Kansas will add a $100 late fee and allow a 6 month grace period, but the license is no longer valid until everything is turned in to the state. Missouri does not have any sort of grace period. If classes are not completed and the license renewal is not postmarked (or renewed online) by the last day of the renewal period, the license lapses and, generally, the 24 hour Practice course must be taken again. A license on inactive status is sent back to and held by the real estate commission. Missouri will require the 24 hour Practice course to be taken again to reactivate the license. A license on inactive status in Kansas will need continuing education hours to reactivate. The requirement is six hours for each year the license is inactive. You MUST check with the Kansas Real Estate Commission on the total number of hours you will need to reactivate.

CTE Briefs

Artificial Intelligence - October 2024: Guidance on issues related to inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) topics and tools in career and technical education courses.
CTE Licenses - June 2025: Guidance on Career and Technical Education (CTE) licenses, license terminology, and resources for obtaining these licenses.
Lab Fees - June 2025: This document provides guidance on career pathway innovations, which include simulated tools, simulated workplace experiences, and school-based enterprises (SBE).

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