CTE Curriculum Development in Iowa

Illinois operates a large and diverse CTE system that serves students through comprehensive high schools, area career centers, community colleges, and regional delivery systems. The state organizes its CTE programs around career clusters and pathways aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards and the national Career Clusters Framework, with particular strength in manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and agriculture. The Illinois CTE system reflects the state's economic diversity, from the advanced financial services and technology sectors of the Chicago metropolitan area to the agricultural and manufacturing base of central and southern Illinois. The state supports CTE through multiple funding streams, including dedicated state CTE funding and federal Perkins dollars administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois has been a leader in the Midwest in developing career pathway systems that connect secondary CTE with community college programs and four-year institutions, creating clear routes from high school through credentials and degrees into careers. The state's Education Career Pathway models provide frameworks for building these connections across regions.

Minnesota operates a robust Career and Technical Education system that leverages the state's diverse economy and strong tradition of educational excellence. The state's CTE programs serve students in secondary schools and postsecondary institutions across all 87 counties, with a focus on preparing learners for careers in high-demand fields. The state benefits from a dynamic economy anchored by major industries including healthcare, technology, agriculture, manufacturing, and financial services. Minnesota's CTE programs are designed to connect students with these employment opportunities through structured career pathways and extensive work-based learning experiences. Minnesota has been a leader in developing articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary CTE programs, creating seamless transitions for students moving from high school into technical colleges, community colleges, and universities. The state's strong network of two-year institutions provides accessible postsecondary pathways for CTE graduates throughout the state.

Missouri's Career and Technical Education system is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the Midwest, serving students through a network of area career centers, local school districts, and community colleges. The state has a strong tradition of career education that emphasizes preparing students for both immediate employment and postsecondary education. The state organizes CTE around 16 career clusters and offers a wide range of programs that reflect Missouri's diverse economy. From agriculture in rural areas to advanced manufacturing in the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan regions, CTE programs are tailored to meet the workforce needs of local communities. Missouri has been particularly effective in developing regional partnerships between schools, businesses, and higher education institutions. The state's area career centers serve as hubs for CTE instruction, bringing together students from multiple school districts to access specialized programs and state-of-the-art equipment.

Nebraska's Career and Technical Education system provides students with structured pathways to careers across the state's diverse economy. The Nebraska Department of Education oversees secondary CTE programs delivered through local school districts, while postsecondary CTE is offered through the Nebraska State College System and community colleges. The state organizes its CTE programs around the Nebraska Career Education model, which groups career pathways into career fields aligned with the state's workforce needs. Agriculture remains a foundational element of Nebraska's CTE system, reflecting the state's position as a major agricultural producer, but programs in healthcare, business, information technology, and skilled trades have grown significantly. Nebraska has emphasized building strong connections between secondary and postsecondary CTE programs, with dual enrollment and articulation agreements that allow students to earn college credit while still in high school. The state's focus on career-ready graduates has driven investments in work-based learning, industry certifications, and employer partnerships.

Wisconsin's career and technical education system serves approximately 195,000 secondary students through programs offered in school districts across the state. Wisconsin's CTE programs are organized around six career clusters that encompass the 16 national career clusters, with a strong emphasis on manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and information technology. Wisconsin's CTE system is distinctive for its deep integration with the state's renowned technical college system, which includes 16 technical colleges serving all regions of the state. These institutions provide seamless postsecondary pathways for CTE completers and offer extensive dual enrollment and transcripted credit opportunities that allow high school students to earn college credit through CTE courses. The state's Academies of Excellence and Youth Apprenticeship programs are national models for career-connected learning. Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship program, one of the most extensive in the nation, places thousands of students annually in paid work-based learning experiences with local employers, combining classroom instruction with hands-on industry training.