What Is CTE?

Career Training Education, or CTE, is training that is career-focused, without all the extra elective type courses that two-year to four- year programs may require. There's nothing wrong with getting a traditional education. But for many of today’s learners, it simply isn’t practical (or necessary) to end up with a solid career.

While we have an ideal associated with undergraduate and graduate degree programs, they just aren’t the best path for some students. At least, not initially. CTE programs can give your son or daughter a chance to learn core career skills to qualify for entry-level positions in several thriving fields, including health care, business and arts, mechanical programs, and information technology (IT). Once they're working in their first job, making a wage that can get them out on their own, then students can start planning for associate or bachelor's program completion.

For example, your child may pursue a medical assisting diploma or certificate program to qualify for their national certification. Once they pass their exam, they can apply for medical assistant careers that typically pay around $35,000 a year. On top of that, the growth in this field is anticipated to be 23 percent through 2024. The national average is just 7 percent. So if you'd love to see you child in a secure career (what parent wouldn’t?), then you might want to urge them to consider this path.

Of course, they should pursue a career that fits their interests and passions. But we’ll get into that further when we arrive at the next stop on our Road Map …