CTE Curriculum Development in Nebraska

Colorado's Career and Technical Education system is administered through the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), which provides oversight and support for CTE programs at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. The state organizes CTE around career clusters and pathways that reflect Colorado's dynamic and diversified economy, with particular strength in technology, aerospace, energy, and outdoor recreation industries. Colorado's CTE model emphasizes concurrent enrollment, allowing high school students to earn college credits while completing CTE courses. This approach has driven strong participation rates and creates efficient pathways from secondary education to postsecondary credentials and degrees. The state has also been a pioneer in developing CTE program quality indicators and using data-driven approaches to evaluate and improve CTE offerings. Colorado's employer engagement model brings industry partners directly into program design and assessment, ensuring that CTE graduates are prepared for the state's competitive job market.

Iowa's Career and Technical Education system is organized through a strong partnership between the Iowa Department of Education and the state's 15 community college regions, which serve as the primary delivery mechanism for both secondary and postsecondary CTE. This regional model ensures that CTE programming is connected to local labor market needs while maintaining statewide quality standards. The state organizes its CTE programs around six service areas that correspond to broad career fields: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Business, Finance, Marketing and Management; Health Science; Human Services; Applied Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing; and Information Solutions. Iowa's CTE system is deeply connected to the state's economic strengths in agriculture, advanced manufacturing, insurance and financial services, and renewable energy. Iowa has been a leader in the Midwest in developing secondary-postsecondary CTE partnerships, with extensive concurrent enrollment and articulation agreements that allow high school students to earn college credits in CTE courses. The state's Regional Planning Partnership model brings together secondary schools, community colleges, employers, and economic development organizations to plan and coordinate CTE programming.

Kansas has built a well-organized CTE system centered around its Pathways Model, which provides structured sequences of courses that prepare students for specific career fields. The state organizes its CTE programs around career clusters and pathways that align with Kansas's economic strengths in agriculture, aviation and aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, and energy. The Kansas State Department of Education oversees secondary CTE, while the Kansas Board of Regents supports postsecondary CTE through the state's community and technical colleges. Kansas has been nationally recognized for its implementation of the Pathways Model, which requires students to complete a coherent sequence of CTE courses along with related academic coursework and work-based learning experiences. This structured approach ensures that CTE participants develop both the technical and academic skills needed for career success. The state has also invested in developing strong connections between secondary and postsecondary CTE, with extensive articulation agreements and dual enrollment options that enable students to accumulate college credits while in high school. Kansas's Excel in CTE initiative provides tuition assistance for high school students taking CTE courses at postsecondary institutions.

South Dakota's career and technical education system serves approximately 28,000 secondary students through programs offered in school districts and technical institutes across the state. The state's CTE programs are closely aligned with South Dakota's key economic sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, energy, construction, and manufacturing. South Dakota organizes its CTE programs around career clusters and pathways that provide students with clear routes from secondary education through postsecondary training and into the workforce. The state's four technical institutes play a central role in the CTE pipeline, offering advanced training programs that build on secondary CTE foundations. The state has emphasized work-based learning as a critical component of CTE, with programs such as internships, job shadowing, and cooperative education integrated throughout career pathways. South Dakota's strong agricultural economy drives significant enrollment in agriculture education programs, while growing demand in healthcare and technology sectors is expanding CTE offerings in those areas.