18-1. Definition of Career and Technical Education
Career and Technical Education (“CTE”), formerly known as Education-to-Careers (“ETC”) and Practical Arts and Vocational Education (“PAVE”), are organized educational activities offering a sequence of courses that provides students with relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions;
- provides technical skill proficiency, which may include an industry- recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate degree;
- includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, work-based learning experiences, and occupation- specific skills.
Career and Technical Education programs are organized as defined by the Illinois State Board of Education and the sixteen (16) nationally recognized Career Clusters—
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
- Architecture & Construction
- Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
- Business Management & Administration
- Education & Training
- Finance
- Government & Public Administration
- Health Science
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
- Manufacturing
- Marketing
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics