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
• Economics and Entrepreneurship Education
• Family and Consumer Sciences Education
• Health Science and Technology Education
• Information Technology Education
• Marketing Education
• Skilled and Technical Sciences Education
• Technology and Engineering Education

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 school districts. CTE funding is also supplemented with a federal appropriation through the Carl D.Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act from which Utah receives $14.7 million.

WHERE IS CTE OFFERED?
CTE courses and programs are offered in all forty 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 – 6th 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 7th 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 213,000 secondary and postsecondary CTE students in Utah.

• Over 198,000 students participate in CTE (grades 7-12).
• Over 11,500 students attend courses through the Utah College of Applied Technology.

Nationally there are 11 million secondary and postsecondary 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 109 high schools and all 141 middle 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 guidance counselor or contact the us, or access our student Web site: www.utahcte.org