CTE Curriculum Development in New Jersey

Connecticut's Career and Technical Education system serves students through a network that includes the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS), which operates 17 technical high schools across the state, as well as CTE programs in comprehensive high schools and regional educational service centers. This dual structure provides students with both immersive technical education environments and integrated CTE pathways within traditional school settings. The CTECS technical high schools are a hallmark of Connecticut's approach, offering full-time programs where students alternate between academic and technical instruction in a model that has produced strong outcomes in both career readiness and college preparation. These schools are among the most sought-after in the state, with competitive admissions processes reflecting high demand. Connecticut's CTE programs reflect the state's economic strengths in advanced manufacturing, insurance and financial services, healthcare, and technology. The state has made significant investments in modernizing CTE facilities and curricula to keep pace with industry evolution, particularly in precision manufacturing and emerging technology fields.

Delaware's Career and Technical Education system is built on a strong tradition of technical education, with the state's three comprehensive school districts (Polytech, Sussex Tech, and Delcastle) providing dedicated CTE campuses alongside integrated CTE pathways in traditional high schools. Despite its small size, Delaware offers a diverse array of CTE programs aligned with the state's economic strengths in financial services, healthcare, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing. The state takes a collaborative approach to CTE, with close coordination between the Delaware Department of Education, the Delaware Technical Community College system, and the state's workforce development agencies. This coordination enables seamless pathways from secondary CTE into postsecondary credentials and employment. Delaware has been recognized nationally for its CTE program quality and innovation, including its early adoption of work-based learning requirements and its integration of financial literacy across career pathways, reflecting the state's role as a major hub for the financial services industry.

New York operates one of the largest and most diverse Career and Technical Education systems in the nation, serving students through BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services), local school districts, and the City University and State University systems. The state's CTE programs span the full range of career clusters and serve students in settings ranging from New York City's specialized career academies to rural BOCES centers in the Adirondacks. The state's CTE system benefits from New York's extraordinary economic diversity, which encompasses finance, healthcare, technology, media, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and countless other sectors. This economic breadth creates abundant opportunities for CTE programs to connect students with meaningful career pathways in virtually every field. New York has made significant investments in modernizing its CTE system, including the development of approved CTE programs that meet rigorous quality standards and provide students with both technical skills and academic credentials. The state's CTE approval process is among the most comprehensive in the nation, ensuring program quality and industry relevance.

Pennsylvania operates one of the nation's most extensive career and technical education systems, with a network of 85 career and technical centers (CTCs) and over 170 approved CTE programs serving more than 180,000 students annually. The state's CTE infrastructure reflects its industrial heritage while evolving to meet the demands of a modern, knowledge-based economy. Pennsylvania's CTE system is organized through area career and technical centers, which serve students from multiple sending school districts, and through comprehensive high school programs that offer CTE within the traditional school setting. This dual-delivery model ensures broad access to career-technical education across the state's diverse communities. The state has made significant investments in modernizing CTE programs, particularly in high-growth sectors such as healthcare, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and energy. Pennsylvania's Industry Partnerships and the state's workforce development network collaborate closely with CTE to ensure that programs prepare students for in-demand careers in the Commonwealth.