Career & Technical Education (CTE)

Professional Development

For information about the 2013-14 Video Training Sessions for Administrators, the video webinar series for Project Lead the Way, and the training sessions for Workplace Readiness Skills (WRS) for the Commonwealth Assessment, visit the new Professional Development Page. You can also find the link in the menu to the right under Administrative Support.

Career and technical education programs in Virginia public schools serve more than 550,000 students 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.


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.	Virginia Career and Technical Education: Program Highlights 2011-12 (PDF) – summarizes statewide demographics and student performance.

TIP: Finding your way around the site – Use the menu to the right to navigate to the sub-sections of this topic, find related topics and access VDOE office and staff contact information.

PHOTO CREDIT: photography used on this web page is provided by Virginia Business Publications LLC.

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