Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Why study CTE?
Changes in the economy, work, and society demand that every high school student be prepared both for careers and postsecondary education. The division between preparation for college and preparation for work has become a false dichotomy. Every high school student must meet high academic standards in secondary and postsecondary education and be ready for the challenges of work, continued learning, and citizenship (Brand, 2003).
Great possibilities exist for Hawai'i's students in the new economy, and CTE will be instrumental in helping all students become successful, contributing citizens. To ensure equity and excellence for all students, CTE has transformed itself from a "hobby" type curriculum to that of a high-skills, career-focused curriculum. CTE uses a career pathway system that directly supports Hawai'i's plans for economic development and HIDOE's mission to cultivate lifelong learners via credit-bearing coursework leading to program certifications, degrees, and more. CTE programs support standards-based education and can provide structure for school design.
CTE Core Principles
Career and technical education is for all students. All students deserve the opportunity to find their strength and worth in our society.
Essential concepts that seamlessly matriculate from one level of learning to the next in a P–20 system.
Provides the context in which real-world experiences can be integrated with school-based learning, work-based learning, and current technological learning as well as formal academic curriculum.
Personalized and student-centered learning.
A focus on the whole child strengthens many of the skills that people use every day including:
Solving problems creatively
Thinking critically
Working cooperatively in teams
Using technology effectively
Empathy and valuing life-long learning
Building positive relationship with others
Economic productivity of our society is intimately linked to the academic, social, employability, and technological skills of our workforce.
Where is CTE Headed?
Establishing industry and business partnerships to provide opportunities such as work-based learning, which gives students valuable experiences they cannot obtain in the classroom.
Integration of work-based and soft skills in all CTE classes.
Provide more opportunities to earn a CTE Honors designation.
Schools provide Performance-Based Assessments (PBA) to connect to business partner with rigorous curriculum to prepare students for careers . The PBAs reflect the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for college or career in a chosen Career Cluster.
Creating connections between culture and place and using the tri-level system of support to provide structures and remove barriers so complexes and schools can provide equitable opportunities for all students .
Aligning curriculum and standards to post secondary education which includes national and industry standards.