For more information about other CTE students who have found inspiration and exciting careers, go to Student Profiles.
Entrepreneur
Alex Barrette Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer
Joba Design
Millbrook High School
Frederick County Public Schools
Apprentice
Mark Weaver Carpenter’s Apprentice/Heavy Equipment Operator
Goochland High School
Goochland County Public Schools
Active Military Personnel
Troy Wheeler Captain
U. S. Army
Thomas Jefferson High School
Richmond City Public Schools
News & Announcements
Working in Support of Education (W!se) Announces the W!se Blue Star Schools for the 2018-2019 School Year
Congratulations to the 247 schools nationwide who were announced in October 2019 as earning the designation of W!se Blue Star Schools for the 2018-2019 school year. To be designated a Blue Star School, a school must have achieved an 80% or above passing rate on the W!se Financial Literacy Test and have EITHER a majority of students on a given grade level take the test OR achieve a minimum average score of 85%. Of the 247 schools listed-This is a PDF document. (PDF), 155 or 63% of them were Virginia schools. These schools will be honored at W!se’s annual MoneyPOWER Conference for Financial Educators in New York City and presented with Blue Star banners. Congratulations to this year’s Blue Star Schools for an outstanding achievement and sincere thanks for the tremendous hard work in helping to improve the financial literacy of our nation’s young people.
Nominations for Career and Technical Education Curriculum Review Committees
The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education is accepting nominations for curriculum review committees. School divisions may nominate a Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher for any of the 36 committees. Approximately 12 applicants will be selected to serve on each committee. All nominees who wish to serve on a committee must complete the web-based application using the CTE Application Processing System (CTEAPS). The web-based application process requires a professional reference and division-level approval (division superintendent or designee). Procedures for submitting the web-based application are available on the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) website. Completed applications should be submitted to the VDOE using CTEAPS. Please refer to Superintendent’s Memo 078-19-This is a Word document. (Word) for more details.
Virginia Economics and Personal Finance Students Again Lead the Nation in Success On the Working in Support of Education (W!SE) Financial Literacy Credential
At a recent ceremony held in New York City, the Best 100 W!SE high schools teaching financial literacy were announced. First published in 2013, the 100 Best W!se High Schools national ranking recognizes the top 100 performing high schools in W!se’s national network, showcases excellence in financial education and motivates schools to “race to the top” in personal finance instruction. Among the top 100 schools nationwide, 46 of those award-winning schools were Virginia high schools. A complete listing of the 100 Best W!se High Schools is available.
Virginia’s Workplace Readiness Skills: Framework for the Future
In collaboration with the Demographics Research Group of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, the research report Virginia's Workplace Readiness Skills: Framework for the Future-This is a PDF document. (PDF) is being shared with school divisions. The purpose of this research was to evaluate Virginia's current 21 Workplace Readiness Skills and to make certain they are up-to-date and aligned with the needs of employers. For more than 30 years, in each decade since the 1980s, hundreds of employers throughout the Commonwealth have been interviewed or surveyed to determine the most essential workplace skills for entry-level workers.
Professional Development
2019-20 Training Sessions for Administrators
For information about the 2019-20 Video Training Sessions for Administrators, visit the Professional Development.
You can also find the link in the menu to the right under Program Administration & Management.
Career and technical education (CTE) programs in Virginia public schools serve more than 640,000 students in one or more CTE courses in grades 6-12. These programs are designed to prepare young people for productive futures while meeting the commonwealth's need for well-trained and industry-certified technical workers.
Virginia acknowledges the importance of career and technical education to students and the commonwealth through diploma seals awarded by the Board of Education, by recognizing industry credentialing in its diploma requirements, and through the use of Career Pathways as an integral part of the newly required Academic and Career Plan.
Sample Academic and Career Plans of Study
Career Clusters Sample Plans of Study – a resource to assist CTE administrators and school counselors in developing student academic and career plans of study for successful transitions between secondary and postsecondary education for each pathway within a career cluster. The sample plans of study template meets all the state and federal requirements.
CTE Performance Trends
Career and Technical Education (CTE) actively partners with business and industry to design and provide high quality, dynamic programs to meet current, emerging and projected labor market needs. Virginia’s 16 career clusters help students investigate careers and design a rigorous and relevant plan of study to advance their career goals. Each career cluster contains multiple pathways that represent a common set of academic, technical and employability skills. Career pathways lead to credentials that qualify students for a range of career opportunities from entry to professional level.
For assistance with the CTE Performance Trends files, contact cte@doe.virginia.gov.
Virginia’s Credentialing Initiative(PDF) – provides a snapshot of the number of industry credentials earned by students in career and technical education over the past several years.
Virginia’s Credentialing Performance Trends(PDF) – connects the value of earning industry credentials and degrees with fulfilling employer needs in high-wage high-skill, and high-demand jobs.