Family & Consumer Sciences

Photo of family at the dinner table. Within each cluster, there are multiple career pathways that represent a common set of skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a full range of career opportunities within that pathway. Career Clusters that relate to instruction in family and consumer sciences include:

Collapse all Expand all

Arts, A/V Technology & Communications

Arts, A/V Technology & Communications allows you to apply your creativity in a variety of areas. This industry allows you to learn about advanced technologies used in venues ranging from corporate boardrooms, hotels, and convention centers, to classrooms, theme parks, stadiums, and museums.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Visual Arts Pathway

Use creativity to turn abstract ideas into real-life concepts. Communicate ideas and emotions through visually-compelling mediums – such as paintings, sculptures, or illustrations.

Education

Education & Training prepares you for careers that provide education and training services that serve individuals of all ages and across a range of industries. Career choices include teaching in a classroom, leading as a college president, and corporate training.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Administration & Administrative Support Pathway

Provide direction, leadership and day-to-day management of educational activities in schools, preschools, day care centers, colleges, universities, businesses, correctional institutions, job training or community service organizations.

Professional Support Services Pathway

Assist people with personal and family needs, mental health issues, educational goals and career decision making.

Teaching/Training Pathway

Communicate, inspire and motivate learners. Understand individual’s educational and emotional needs. Recognize individual differences in diverse classrooms and apply personalized teaching/training methods accordingly.

Hospitality & Tourism

Hospitality & Tourism prepares you for careers that allow you to travel and work with a variety of people. Careers can be found all over the world and range anywhere from hotel and restaurant operations to working in amusement parks and other tourist destinations. Excellent customer service skills are essential for everyone in this field.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Lodging Pathway

Take care of all guests who enter your facility. Work directly with guests as well as with staff behind the scenes to ensure that all visitors have a positive experience.

Recreation, Amusements & Attractions Pathway

Provide a fun and safe environment for a diverse group of people through your customer service skills and understanding of all operations.

Restaurants and Food/Beverage Services Pathway

Manage a catering company: lead as an executive chef or own a restaurant. Deliver a pleasing experience in the food and beverage industry.

Travel & Tourism Pathway

Ensure all aspects of the traveler’s positive experience. Plan events, manage customer’s travel arrangements, and oversee large corporate conventions.

Human Services

Human Services prepares you for jobs in which you help families and individuals with life services. You can assist people through early childhood care, mental health services or personal career services. This diverse career cluster required individuals to have superior communication and problem-solving skills to provide various levels of support.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Consumer Sciences Pathway

Assist individuals with decisions and issues relating to a range of areas including finance, real estate, insurance and consumer choices.

Counseling & Mental Health Services Pathway

Assist people with personal family, educational, mental health and career decisions and challenges. Work in hospitals, clinics, schools or private settings.

Early Childhood Development & Services Pathway

Nurture and care for young children. Serve children in nursery schools, childcare centers, preschools, public schools, private households, and before and after school programs.

Family & Community Services Pathway

Help the homeless. Counsel troubled and emotionally-disturbed individuals, train or retrain the unemployed or underemployed, and care for the elderly and those physically or mentally disabled.

Personal Care Services Pathway

Help individuals care for their personal appearance through services ranging from hair care and aesthetics to personal fitness training.

Marketing

Marketing prepares you for careers in advertising, public relations, sales, and planning. This career cluster allows you to demonstrate your creativity through promotional campaigns, event planning and new sales techniques.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Marketing Communications Pathway

Plan, coordinate and implement marketing strategies including promotional and communication campaigns to increase a product or an organization’s visibility.

Marketing Management Pathway

Direct the management operations of a business or organization through oversight of marketing, promotions, sales and public relations.

Marketing Research Pathway

Collect and analyze information to better understand economic trends that will guide product designs, predict future sales and allow for a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Merchandising Pathway

Get the merchandise into the hands of customers through buying, selling and displaying the newest and most popular trends and products.

Professional Sales Pathway

Meet and fuel demand for various products and services by providing them for businesses as well as individual clients.

Family and Consumer Sciences programs facilitate student progress toward a set of unifying goals in the areas of academic achievement, cultural and environmental issues, health and safety, individual and family relations, leadership and workplace ethics, and application of technology.

Mission

Family and Consumer Sciences provide opportunities for students to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors needed for work and family life.

Strengthening the well-being of individuals and families across the life span.
Becoming responsible citizens and leaders in family, community, and work settings.
Promoting optimal nutrition and wellness across the life span.
Managing resources to meet the material needs of individuals and families.
Balancing personal, home, family and work lives.
Using critical and creative thinking skills to address problems in diverse families, communities, and work environments.
Exemplifying successful life management, employment, and career development.
Functioning effectively as providers and consumers of goods and services.
Appreciating human worth and accepting responsibility for one's actions and success in family and work life.

Course Revisions

The following courses were revised for implementation during the 2019-2020 school year. All curriculum frameworks are available through VERSO from the CTE Resource Center:

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory I (8208, 8207, 8206, 8204)
Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory II (8263, 8262, 8261, 8260)
Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory III (8245, 8244, 8243, 8242, 8241)
Family Relations (8225, 8223)
Introduction to Fashion Careers (8248, 8247)
Fashion Careers I (8280)
Fashion Careers II (8281)

Safety Best Practice Guide for CTE

The Safety Best Practice Guide for CTE-This is a Word document. is a collection of best practice resources used to assist school divisions in the development of a local safety school safety plan.

Instructional Resources

Family & Consumer Sciences Course Listing-This is a Word document.

Essential Competency List for Family & Consumer Sciences – Virginia's CTE Resource Center
Industry Credentialing
Equipment Resource Guide - See Equipment for CTE Programs

Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO)

Virginia Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)

Provides opportunities for students to prepare for multiple roles of family member, wage earner, and community leader as they develop skills for life through Family and Consumer Sciences Education. For more information, visit the CTSO web page.

High-Quality Work-Based Learning

Career and Technical Education Work-Based Learning Guide is based on the redesigned High-Quality Work-Based Learning (WBL) methods of instruction effective July 1, 2021. This implementation guide focuses on the twelve types of High-Quality Work-Based Learning (WBL) methods of instruction used in Virginia; job shadowing, service learning, mentorship, externship, school-based enterprise, internship, entrepreneurship, clinical experience, cooperative education, youth registered apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship and supervised agricultural experience, along with opportunities for students to earn one credit toward graduation in addition to any credit earned through the associated CTE course in cooperative education, internship, entrepreneurship, youth registered apprenticeship, and supervised agricultural experience for completing 280 hours of work experience and one half credit for 140 hours of work experience in mentorship. It includes Virginia regulations and guidelines for the administration of WBL and provides training materials for High Quality Work-Based Learning coordinators. School divisions should use this guide to implement WBL offerings locally.

Federal and State Labor Laws for Youth Work-Based Learning – Know the Rules is a resource that compares federal and state labor laws for nonagricultural and agricultural occupations, parental exemption, and prohibited and hazardous occupations as they relate to youth work-based learning.

Additional Resources

Outside Resources

Family and Consumer Sciences Higher Education Programs

Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Educators – Colleges and Universities (Word)

Virginia CTE Family and Consumer Science Listserv

If you are not on the Virginia CTE Family and Consumer Sciences listserv, contact Helen Fuqua to be added.

Top of Page