What is a career pathway?

A CTE pathway is a sequence of two or more CTE courses within a student’s area of career interest. Pathways are designed to connect high school classes to college, industry certifications, and/or a career.

CTE pathways can help students:

• Meet high school graduation requirements
• Earn community college credits
• Provide work based learning experiences and internships
• Prepare for full-time employment after high school or college
• Explore areas of interest and engage in hands-on learning
• Keep you interested in your studies

Overview of Programs/Definitions

• CTE Completer:
  If a student completes 2 years of a CTE Pathway (1 year Concentrator + 1 year Capstone) students are eligible to receive a CTE Sash for graduation.

• CTE Dual Enrollment:
  If a CTE Courses is articulated with Southwestern College, students can take the CTE Course and recieve both high school and community college credit. To be eligible, the student must recieve a B- or above both semesters, pass required exams, AND apply for Southwestern College.

• Certifications:
  Some pathways offer industry recognized certifications (e.g. Adobe, Autodesk, CPR, Food Handlers, etc). Please review CTE Pathways to see certifications offered.

• CTE Work Based Learning:
  A learning approach within Career Technical Education programs where students gain practical experience by actively participating in real-world work settings, like internships, job shadowing, or pre-apprenticeships, allowing them to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios and develop valuable career skills while being connected to industry professionals.

Resources