Making Great Leaders in CTE

There should not be any doubt that career and technical education has a vital role to play in preparing students for the workforce.  CTE offers many benefits to the nation’s students. The biggest benefit of CTE is having the opportunity to prepare high schools students to for high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers.  Simply put, preparing students to be college and career ready. CTE is about giving students real world and relevant learning experiences. CTE offers opportunities for students to have hands-on training that occurs on the job or in a workplace setting. This type of training is known as a ‘work based learning experience,’ and is covered through apprenticeships, internships, co-ops/cooperative education, job shadowing, etc. However you term it, it is another way CTE is preparing America’s workforce. CTE also offers students leadership development through student organizations.

The best advice I can give CTE leaders:  As K-12 school systems throughout the nation are focused on preparing students to be college and career ready, many CTE leaders are starting to embrace the fact that this is an amazing time to be a leader in CTE in America.  As a CTE leader in a world of college and career readiness, CTE leaders are challenged with ensuring they work hard to continue to create and design programs that prepare students for high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand jobs. CTE leaders must continue to create effective advisory boards and strong partnerships with both post-secondary institutions and business and industry. CTE Leaders must join the Association of Career and Technical Education and their state Association for Career and Technical Education, as these two organizations provide CTE leaders with excellent leadership development and training and keep them current with what is happening in CTE locally and nationally. CTE leaders must remain passionate and believe in the power of CTE.  CTE leaders must advocate, advocate, advocate for CTE, now more than ever before!

What Makes a Great CTE Leader:  A great CTE leader knows how to build and create advanced technical programs that prepare students for the world of work.  A great CTE leader must have industry-certified programs that lead to industry certifications. Teachers and facilities must also be industry-certified.  If a CTE leader has a certified program with an industry-certified instructor and certified facility then postsecondary institutions will gladly offer dual credit opportunities for their students.

By Beyonka Wider the 2016 Region II ACTE Fellow