FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE)?
CTE provides students with technical training to prepare for a successful career. The structured
training each student receives gives him or her the tools needed to be successful in a job after high school and/or further his or her postsecondary education, whether technical school, two-year college, or four-year college. Each student is encouraged to explore various areas of study and to develop the essential skills to feel competent in entering today’s competitive job market.

WHAT SUBJECT AREAS ARE COVERED BY CTE?

• Agricultural Education
• Business Education
• Family and Consumer Sciences Education
• Health Science Education
• Information Technology Education
• Marketing Education
• Skilled and Technical Sciences Education
• Technology and Engineering Education

WHAT ARE CTE CAREER PATHWAYS?
CTE has over 60 Career Pathways within eight Areas of Study. A Pathway is a sequence of courses within a students area of interest. A Pathway connects from high school to college for a specific degree and/or career.

IS CTE ONLY FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT COLLEGE-BOUND?
No. Career and Technical Education is essential for all students, providing them with a foundation of academic knowledge and essential technical skills. CTE courses and programs introduce students to
career options and assist them in making informed educational choices.

HOW IS CTE FUNDED?
CTE funding is based on regular Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU), including incentives to provide Career and Technical Education in all forty-one school districts. CTE funding is also supplemented with a federal appropriation through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

WHERE IS CTE OFFERED?
CTE courses and programs are offered in all forty-one school districts, and most Utah colleges and universities.

HOW IS CTE OFFERED?
Students in grades K-12 are exposed to various aspects of Career and Technical Education.

Kindergarten – Sixth Grade
Students have the opportunity to see how classroom instruction connects to the world of work and future career opportunities. Through the Core Curriculum, students see connections to the real world; through guest speakers and field studies, students gain understanding of the world of work and how learning today connects with careers of the future.

Middle School/Junior High CTE
Through the CTE Introduction program, typically taught in the seventh grade, every student is involved in activity-centered lessons which utilize technology, develop skills, and explore careers. Students are provided with the direction, decision making, and planning needed in order to select their career path. Additional courses offered at the middle/junior high level provide students with rich experience in computer technology and business, family and consumer science, and technological advances and pre-engineering.

High School CTE
Students begin to acquire specific job training skills as they continue to take courses that meet their interests and abilities. A rich offering of courses lead students to employment, further education, or training offered in all high schools. Students have opportunities to take concurrent enrollment courses, which provide them with college credit while in high school. The CTE skill certificate program provides certification of specific occupational skills that students can take to employers or to post-secondary institutions.

WHAT OTHER SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS?

Comprehensive Guidance Program
Assists students, through specific self-appraisal and self-improvement activities, to effectively plan to meet educational goals.

Work-Based Learning Program
Gives students opportunities to see how classroom instruction connects to the world of work and future careers.

HOW MANY CTE STUDENTS ARE IN UTAH?
There are over 325,000 secondary and post-secondary CTE students in Utah.

• Over 137,000 students participate in CTE (grades 9-12).
• Nationally there are 11 million secondary and post-secondary Career and Technical Education students, according to the U.S. Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

HOW MANY CTE PROGRAMS ARE IN UTAH?
In Utah, CTE programs are offered in all public high schools, middle/jr. high schools, and some charter schools. There are nine post-secondary institutions in Utah that offer technical programs, including community colleges, technical colleges, skill centers, and other public and private two-year and four-year colleges.

HOW ARE CTE AND SCHOOL-TO-WORK RELATED?
Through career exploration, CTE Pathways, cooperative education, and vocational education, students receive guidance and knowledge of Career Pathways and opportunities, learning career skills “hands-on,” through a variety of Work-Based Learning activities.

IS THERE ANY PROOF THAT CTE WORKS?
Yes.

• Students who take two or more CTE courses are less likely to drop out of high school.
• High school CTE programs prepare students for the many high paying, high-tech jobs requiring less than a bachelor’s degree.
• Students concentrating in CTE have test scores equal to those who are “college prep” students.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT CTE?
Talk to your high school counselor or contact the Utah State Office of Education, or access our student Web site: www.utahcte.org