2024 Advance CTE Fall Meeting

The modernized National Career Clusters Framework offers opportunities to further modernize CTE systems by encouraging more interdisciplinary and interconnected CTE programs of study and experiences across learner levels. These ideation sessions will offer a space for participants to engage in collaborative thinking and problem solving to help move the needle on key policies, practices, and partnerships to jumpstart the adoption and implementation of the newly released Career Clusters Framework.

CTE Without Limits, the national vision for Career Technical Education, calls for a career preparation ecosystem that aligns statewide goals with career pathways across learner levels. When state and local leaders shift systems and mindsets from “college or career readiness” to “college AND career readiness," four-year institutions can be an integrated stop on a longer pathway to career success for all learners, rather than a siloed and separate path for some. 

Whether through transfer and articulation, ReConnect grants, short-term credentialing or applied bachelor’s degrees, four-year institutions remain integral to high-quality career pathways systems beyond the traditional degree pathway. Join a panel of state and national leaders in this space to hear how to better engage and connect four year institutions in an aligned career preparation ecosystem.

Learning objectives

• Understand the policy and funding levers needed to drive better alignment between and across postsecondary institutions
• Develop practical strategies for statewide goal alignment
• Foster a spirit of collaboration of the needs of different learner levels to drive better connectivity

Teamwork across and beyond state agencies gives CTE leaders high-quality, actionable data to propel all learners to success. State leaders from Nebraska will share their successes and lessons learned connecting multiple stakeholders across sectors to achieve a vision and implementation plan for a statewide workplace experiences portal. Participants will learn practical strategies to cultivate a data-driven culture and the essential teamwork needed to drive impactful, informed decisions in career and technical education.

Learning objectives:

• Elevate the importance of culture in the process of data-informed decision-making.
• Elevate states that have used culture effectively to increase data quality.
• Empower participants to have collaborative conversations with peers.
• Equip participants with Advance CTE resources connected to culture and data quality.

Building effective recruitment and program communications is about more than catchy phrases and bright colors. Effective state recruitment structures must actively engage learners and families in all stages of recruitment communications to fully understand and subsequently help learners navigate a recruitment journey that meets their needs. In this interactive session, participants will hear from state and local leaders highlighting how engaging learners in recruitment communications and systems has challenged their thinking and made a positive impact. Participants will also get a first look at a communications assessment and planning tool from Advance CTE inspired by lessons learned from 4 years of communications technical assistance. 
Learning objectives:

• Gain an understanding of the impact and importance of direct engagement with learners and focus populations to improve the efficacy of recruitment communications and efforts with the goal of reducing gaps in CTE enrollment and participation.
• Learn best practices for developing systems and routines to include learner and family input and voice in recruitment communications from state and local leaders who participated in the Building Effective State CTE Recruitment Systems and Communication cohort.
• Understand how to evaluate current practices, take routines to the next level, and get started using a new Advance CTE tool to develop learner-centered recruitment and program communications and systems.