Talking Points

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Talking Points

When advocates speak about career and technical education (CTE) policies with clear and concise messages they can have a valuable impact on policymakers, media, and the general public. Below are some talking points you can use when speaking with policymakers, their staff, the media, and the community about CTE. Since you know your program or organization the best, you can add to or adapt these talking points. Be sure to including specific examples of your program’s success in meeting the particular needs of your area and the importance of CTE programs to the people in your community, local businesses, and the economy.

Sample Talking Points and Main Messages Listed by Topic Area:

The Importance of CTE
Federal Funding for CTE
Workforce Investment Act
Support for Agricultural Education

The Importance of CTE

CTE provides effective and proven links to skills-building opportunities and improved academic and employment outcomes.
- CTE students participate in more rigorous academic coursework, such as higher levels of math and science, as compared to non CTE students.
- CTE students increased their 12th grade test sores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress by about 8 scale points in reading and 11 points in math, as compared to non CTE students.
- Students who completed a rigorous academic core coupled with a career concentration have test scores that equal or exceed “college prep” students. These dual-concentrators and are more likely to pursue postsecondary education, have a higher grade point average in college and are less likely to drop out in the first year.
- CTE graduates are 10-15% more likely to be in the labor force, and earn 8-9% more than graduates of academic programs.
- Students who took four high school CTE courses showed an average increase in earnings of $1,200 immediately after graduation and $1,800 seven years later. High-risk students are 8 to 10 times less likely to drop out in the 11th and 12th grades if they enroll in a CTE program rather than a general program. CTE students are less likely than general-track students to fail a course or to be absent. CTE concentrators were more likely than their general peers to obtain a degree or certificate within 2 years, despite the fact that CTE concentrators were more likely to be employed while in school.
Employers across the nation continue to need well-trained workers with good skills: Nearly 75 percent of employers report severe conditions when trying to hire qualified workers, 40 percent say that applicants are poorly skilled, and 30 percent say that applicants have the wrong skills for available jobs. The education and training supported by CTE programs are vital to addressing this skills gap.
- Employment growth in occupations requiring a vocational associate’s degree (30%) is projected to be more than double overall employment growth (14%) through 2008.
- Nearly one-third of the fastest growing occupations will require an associate’s degree or a postsecondary vocational certificate.
CTE serves millions of Americans in a variety of settings.
- Career and technical education prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers. These careers may require varying levels of education – from high school and postsecondary certificates to two- and four-year college degrees. Career and technical education is offered in middle schools, high schools, two-year community and technical colleges and other postsecondary schools.
- The subject areas most commonly associated with career and technical education are: Agriculture (careers related to food and fiber production and agribusiness); Business (accounting, business administration, management, information technology and entrepreneurship); Family and Consumer Sciences (culinary arts, management and life skills); Health Occupations (nursing, dental, and medical technicians); Marketing (management, entrepreneurship, merchandising and retail); Technology (production, communication and transportation systems); and Trade and Industrial (skilled trades such as automotive technician, carpenter, computer numerical control technician).
- According to U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), most high school students take at least one career and technical education course, and one in four students take three or more courses in a single program area. One-third of college students are involved in career and technical programs, and as many as 40 million adults engage in short-term postsecondary occupational training.

Sources from the above information and additional research can be found on ACTE's CTE Effectiveness Research Fact Sheet.

Federal Funding for CTE

For more information on federal funding for CTE, please visit the Federal Budget & Appropriations for CTE section of ACTE's Web site.

Workforce Investment Act

For more information on Workforce Investment Act, please visit the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) section of ACTE's Web site.

Support for Agriculture Education

Agricultural education is a public school instructional program that is a part of CTE. CTE programs receive federal funding through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.
Agricultural education programs use classrooms and laboratories in which to teach applied science, mathematics, language arts, and social studies in the context of agriculture, broadly defined. The agriculture industry contributes substantially to our nation’s gross national product and international trade. Over 20 percent of all careers in the United States are related to the agriculture industry.
Agricultural education includes instruction in applied sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics) and social/behavioral sciences (economics, sociology, history) in the context of agriculture. Technology is a major focus of the instruction. Other specific instructional areas include biotechnology, environmental science, aquaculture, natural resources, horticulture, floriculture, greenhouse management, nursery crops, landscaping, turf grass management, international relations and trade, and many other areas related to our nation’s food, fiber, and natural resources system.
FFA (formerly known as Future Farmers of America) chapters are integral components of local agricultural education programs. The local public school agriculture teachers serve as the FFA chapter advisors. Through FFA, students have opportunities to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
Work-based learning, through Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs, allow students opportunities to gain real-world work experiences outside the classroom under the supervision of the agriculture teacher. SAE programs may be entrepreneurial (students own/operate their own livestock or crop operations), placement (students gain work experiences in local agribusinesses), research (students do ag-related research under supervision of a scientist or teacher), or other innovative approaches.
Test results have shown that students who are enrolled in high quality agriscience courses score higher in science and mathematics than students who have not taken the agriscience courses.