CTE Curriculum Development in Michigan

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.

Indiana has established one of the Midwest's most structured and industry-aligned CTE systems, offering programs through comprehensive high schools, career and technical education centers, and a strong network of Ivy Tech Community College campuses. The state organizes its CTE programs around career clusters and defined pathways that map directly to Indiana's high-demand industries, including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, logistics, and healthcare. Indiana's CTE model is distinguished by its emphasis on employer-driven program design. The state's Next Level Programs of Study initiative provides detailed frameworks that connect secondary coursework to postsecondary credentials and career entry points, with program standards validated by Indiana-based employers. This approach ensures that CTE graduates are equipped with the specific skills that Hoosier employers need. The state has also invested in expanding its career scholarship and certification programs, providing financial incentives for students who complete approved CTE pathways and earn industry-recognized credentials. Indiana's Graduation Pathways model integrates CTE completion as one of the primary routes to earning a high school diploma.

Ohio operates one of the largest and most established career-technical education systems in the United States, serving approximately a quarter million students annually through a network of career-technical planning districts, compact schools, and comprehensive high school programs. The state's CTE infrastructure is organized around 16 career clusters and offers more than 100 distinct career-technical programs spanning industries from advanced manufacturing to healthcare. Ohio's career-technical system is distinctive for its emphasis on career-technical planning districts (CTPDs), which coordinate CTE delivery across multiple school districts. These planning districts ensure that students across urban, suburban, and rural communities have equitable access to high-quality career-technical programs. Many of Ohio's career-technical centers are nationally recognized for their facilities and program outcomes. The state has invested heavily in aligning CTE with workforce development priorities, particularly in advanced manufacturing, information technology, and healthcare. Ohio's TechCred and Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) initiatives complement CTE by funding industry-recognized credentials for workers, creating a pipeline that begins with secondary CTE and extends into postsecondary education and the workforce.

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.