Tennessee Celebrates National CTE Month During February

 

TDOE Supports Student Advancement from Education to Career

 

Nashville, TN — Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced February is Tennessee Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month and will celebrate by amplifying the role CTE has in preparing students for postsecondary success.

To spotlight the state and nationwide celebration of CTE Month, Governor Lee issued a proclamation to recognize how CTE provides Tennessee students with numerous opportunities to improve the quality of their education and increase the skills necessary for career readiness and future success. Using the hashtags #CTEMonth, #InnovativeSchoolModelsTN, and #AcceleratingTN, Tennesseans can engage on social media throughout the month to learn about CTE opportunities. To learn more about the state’s CTE initiatives that empower students, support educators, and enhance district and business partner programs, read the 2023-24 CCTE Overview here.  

“CTE Month is an important time to recognize how career and technical education prepares all students for postsecondary success through career exploration, college credit and industry credential courses, work-based learning, and more,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “Thanks to significant investments from Governor Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, our districts, schools, educators, and business partners continue to provide innovative CTE programs to support students in their journey to enter in-demand careers across the state.”

Under Commissioner Reynolds’ leadership, the department’s vision to improve student academic outcomes and prepare them for the workforce or the military is outlined through the four pillars below: 

1. Alignment to Credentials of Value: The department will work in partnership with other state agencies to support districts in offering industry credentials that lead to in-demands jobs or transition into postsecondary academic programs.
2. Seamless Transition: All districts will be equipped to support students with enhanced college and career planning tools that help students have strong High School and Beyond Plans (HSBP), which outlines and connects the student’s post-high school goals to the courses or training aligned with their student readiness and career pathway interests.
3. Individualized Advising: For districts to provide effective career advising, the department will establish a supportive career coach network to offer district and school staff professional development and training.
4. Work-Based Learning (WBL): In collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, a data dashboard will be accessible to provide districts and the workforce with WBL insights that lead to effective decision-marking. In addition, the department will continue and enhance its employer recognition program, the Tennessee Flagship Industry Partner Award, to celebrate outstanding WBL industry partnerships.

Across the state, districts and schools are implementing and expanding innovative programs to set students up for postsecondary success. Highlights of CTE in Tennessee during the 2023-24 school year include:

• For the sixth consecutive year, WBL student enrollment has increased to 22,641 with students earning 41,625 credits statewide.
• Of the over 64,100 students earning industry credentials, an increase of over 33 percent from the previous school year, over 12,000 were credentials of the highest value and indicate completion of a program or required licenses for employment in certain industries.
• Over 200 courses were revised to include concepts in artificial intelligence, data analysis, problem-based learning, and the engineering design process, realigning with the modernized Career Cluster Framework that was finalized in August 2024.

For more information about Tennessee’s CTE work, click here. To learn about Innovative School Models, click here.

For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact [email protected].

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