Career & Technical Education (CTE)
Career Success Stars
For more information about other CTE students who have found inspiration and exciting careers, go to Student Profiles: Military.
Active Military Personnel
- Field Artillery Officer
- United States Army
- Mount Vernon High School
- Fairfax County Public Schools
News & Announcements
Career and Technical Education Creating Excellence Awards
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Community College system (VCCS) honored 10 exemplary career and technical education (CTE) programs and partnership during the agencies 
2021 Creating Excellence Awards program.
Career and Technical Education New Teacher Institute
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) in collaboration with the University of Virginia, will offer the CTE New Teacher Institute from July 12-16, 2021. Pre-registration is required. Refer to Superintendent’s Memo #029-21-This is a PDF document. for more detail.
Data to Support Student Academic and Career Planning
Pursuant to Superintendent’s Memo #258-20-This is a Word document., which identified 2020 General Assembly revisions to the Standards of Quality (SOQ), § 22.1-253.13:1 requires the Department of Education to annually compile a list of (i) the top 100 professions in the Commonwealth by median pay and the education, training, and skills required for each such profession and (ii) the top 10 degree programs at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth by median pay of program graduates. Such lists shall be provided to each local school board. The University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service in collaboration with the department has researched and compiled this data for the 2020-2021 school year. The information is based on occupational employment statistics and educational attainment data produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as well as longitudinal wage data produced by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Refer to Superintendent’s Memo 281-20-This is a Word document. for more detail.
- Top 100 professions in the Commonwealth by median pay and the education, training, and skills required for each such profession-This is a Word document.
- Top 10 degree programs at institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth by median pay of program graduates-This is a Word document.
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. 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.
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.
Virginia Career and Technical Education: Program Highlights 2016-17 (PDF) – summarizes statewide demographics and student performance.
Curriculum for Military Science
All curriculum frameworks are available through VERSO
from the CTE Resource Center:
- AF 7913: Air Force JROTC I
- AF 7916: Air Force JROTC II
- AF 7918: Air Force JROTC III
- AF 7919: Air Force JROTC IV
- AR7913: Army JROTC I
- AR7916: Army JROTC II
- AR7918: Army JROTC III
- AR7919: Army JROTC IV
- MC7913: Marine Corps JROTC I
- MC7916: Marine Corps JROTC II
- MC7918: Marine Corps JROTC III
- MC7919: Marine Corps JROTC IV
- NA7913: Navy JROTC I
- NA7916: Navy JROTC II
- NA7918: Navy JROTC III
- NA7919: Navy JROTC IV
PHOTOS: photography used on this web page is provided by Virginia Business Publications LLC.