Signature Supporters


ACTE and its signature supporters work together to promote the CTE field through a wide range of collaboration and focused initiatives. In addition, ACTE provides opportunities and benefits for businesses and organizations through our Corporate and Affiliate memberships. Please contact Michael Connet or Stephen DeWitt for more information regarding all of these opportunities.


ACTER is a professional association for scholars and others with research interests in the relationship between education and work. Through participation in the ACTER, members have the opportunity to collaborate on research projects, present research findings to national audiences, and receive recognition for service and scholarship in CTE.

Advance CTE: State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work is committed to supporting its members, collaborating with partners and engaging policymakers to advance CTE – learning that works for students, for secondary and postsecondary schools, for businesses and industry, and for America.

Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future. Learn about the Global Competency Badge Through CTE.

Supporting the work of the Coalition for Workforce Development Through CTE, the Foundation recognizes the importance of the business-education connection to support learner success.

College Guidance Network (CGN) supports school counselors in their work advising students on post-secondary education and career pathways with a state-of-the-art virtual content platform that includes year-round live programming, a comprehensive library, featuring national experts, and counselor time-saving tools. CGN’s mission is to level the playing field so that all high school counselors, students and their families have access to the highest quality college and career information.

The ECMC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the ECMC Group, where they aim to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation.

ACTE is partnering with Ford Next Generation Learning (NGL) to develop and deliver resources that build powerful partnerships between business/industry and education.

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established to support the advancement of skilled trades education in America. Their flagship initiative, the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, annually awards more than $1 million to outstanding skilled trades teachers and their programs in public high schools across the United States.

Providing K-12 students with social emotional learning curriculum; it’s what we do. Why? Our world is complex and constantly changing, and the skills we all need to succeed involve emotional intelligence. It’s the foundation to help our students be their best and ultimately thrive in their careers. Used in over 100 districts nationwide, our online modules and professional learning are also used to support ACTE’s Inclusion, Access, Equity, and Diversity Mentorship program.

The International Vocational Education and Training Association is a network of vocational skills training organizations, business and industrial firms, and individuals interested or involved in vocational education and training worldwide. IVETA is dedicated to the advancement of high-quality vocational education and training throughout the world.

Expanding the scope of high quality online professional development available to our members is made possible through partnership with this nationally known online content provider. A broad portfolio of courses on pedagogy — and a selection of new free learning modules developed with Asia Society and the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) — is available at CTE Learn.

myOptions Encourage is a mission-driven postsecondary planning program that encompasses a suite of free tools, timely advice, and resources designed to provide a deeper level of guidance and intentional engagement to all learners, champions, and educators. For 50 years we have been committed to building a path for students to achieve their dreams. Through the myOptions Encourage Post-secondary Planning Program, students indicate majors and careers of interest, current academic achievements, and postsecondary goals. Participating students are invited to the Encourage app where they receive step-by-step guidance and support to define their goals, outline their personal journeys, set milestones, and prepare for postsecondary success. Educators participating in the myOptions Encourage Post-secondary Planning Program receive access to interactive reports of their students’ postsecondary plans through myOptions Encourage, our no-cost digital platform. The reports and dashboards visualize data on students’ college planning activities and provide local, state, and national trends.

NAAE is a federation of state agricultural educators associations with more than 7,800 members involved in school-based agricultural education, from middle school through postsecondary, and at state and national levels. NAAE advocates for agricultural education, provides professional development and works to recruit and retain agricultural educators in the profession.

NCCER is an education foundation that supports more than 125 construction CEOs and various association and academic leaders who share the goal of developing a safe and productive workforce for the construction industry. Together, these companies created a standardized training and credentialing program that has evolved into curricula for more than 70 craft areas offered in over 4,000 NCCER-accredited training and assessment locations across the United States.

The National Coordinating Council for Career and Technical Student Organizations is a coalition of national career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) serving career and technical education students and teachers in one or more of the 16 Career Clusters® identified in The National Career Clusters® Framework.

NCLA - National Council of Local Administrators - provides leadership and advocacy in the promotion and development of career-technical education in the secondary and postsecondary school systems of the United States and its territories. Through its members, local state organizations provide leadership to carry out the mission and goals of NCLA.

NOCTI provides industry-based credentials and partner industry certifications for CTE programs across the nation. Whether using assessments to meet Perkins accountability requirements, to guide data-driven instructional improvement, or to assist with teacher evaluation systems, NOCTI provides solutions through its validated technical skill assessment.