What is Career and Technical Education?

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are a series of courses that prepare students for a wide range of careers. These programs require varying levels of education—from high school to postsecondary certificates to two and four-year college degrees.

Career and Technical Education provides a foundation of skills that enable high school graduates to be gainfully employed--either full-time or while in college. Nearly two-thirds of all high school graduates of Career and Technical programs enter some form of postsecondary program. Rigorous academic content tied to technical subject matter ensures that these students will be ready for college. Internships and other cooperative work experiences that are a hallmark of technical education are attractive to all students who want to get a head start on a career, whether that career goal is doctor or nurse, automotive technician or computer scientist.

CTE students do better in school and are more likely to 
graduate from high school than non-CTE students.

Career and Technical Education programs are comprehensive in that they are designed around an instructional sequence consisting of three levels.

Level I, Technological Foundations, is designed for students in grades 7 and 8. It represents a core of academic and technical competencies that support all occupations and career exploration for all interest areas.

Level II is designed for students in grades 9 and 10 and serves as the transition between the broad exploration provided in middle school and occupationally specific instruction provided at the junior/senior high school level. Students develop higher levels of proficiency in one or more occupational “cluster.” The five Level II clusters provide CTE students with the foundation of core skills necessary to continue their training in the specific occupational programs. The five clusters are:

Level III is designed for students in grades 11 and 12 and provides students with occupationally specific preparation that leads to employment after graduation and/or further education and training. TUSD Level III programs:

• encourage students to apply core academic and technical skills to careers.
  

• allow students to leave high school with college credit.
  

• provide training and preparedness for industry certification such as CISCO, A+, i-Net+ and MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist).
  

• teach students critical employability and leadership skills through work-based experience and student clubs.

Level III Programs in TUSD

Arts and Communications

Drafting Technology
Graphic Communications
Media Communications
Photo Imaging

Business Systems

A+ PC Maintenance & Repair
Accounting
CISCO Computer Networking
Computer Applications
Cooperative Business Experience
Desktop Publishing
Financial Services
i-Net+ E-Commerce
Sales & Marketing—DECA

Health and Human Services

Agriscience
Apparel Design & Merchandising
Early Childhood Professions
Food Production/Culinary Arts
Health Care Technology
Law Enforcement
Sports Medicine

Engineering/Industrial Systems

Aircraft
Automotive Technology
Building Technology
Electronics/Computer Engineering
Machine Tool Technology
Welding Technology

Sources: Arizona Department of Education, www.ade.state.az.us, Association for Career and Technical Education, www.acteonline.org.

TUSD

Career and Technical Education

Tucson Unified School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its education programs or activities.

Back