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programs that were concentrated in agriculture, homemaking, and trade

and industrial education in 1917 to the options in 2017 of 16 Career

Clusters and over 79 pathways which offer clear avenues to industry

credentials, postsecondary certificates, and degrees. CTE prepares

students to fulfill employer needs in high-skill, high-wage, and high-

demand areas while providing instruction in workplace readiness skills.

Career and Technical Education prepares all students to be career

ready—and it’s every parent’s dream that their children have a job!

Dr. Brenda D. Long is the Executive Director of the Virginia

Association for Career and Technical Education.

There’s a statement that says, “To know

where you are going, you have to know

where you have been.” On February 23,

1917, Congress signed into law the Smith-

Hughes National Vocational Education Act.

The act marked the start of federal investment

in secondary vocational education, or career

and technical education, as we know it today.

There have been additional federal

investments in career and technical education

over the years, including the Vocational

Education Act of 1963, Carl D. Perkins

Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, and Strengthening Career

and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act of 2016, which

is reauthorization of the Perkins Act but has stalled in the Senate.

Legislation throughout the last 100 years has further solidified, and

verified, the relevance of career and technical education in our schools,

with business and industry leaders, and with policymakers.

This federal investment, in addition toVirginia’s career and technical

education funding, has expanded opportunities for the commonwealth’s

students to become highly qualified for the competitive and global

workforce. From the integration of academic knowledge and technical

skills, the growing focus on science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics fields, to the emergence of dual enrollment, career and

technical education demonstrates its ability to adapt to workforce needs.

According to a Southern Regional Education Board report, students

gain college and career readiness through participation in career and

technical education. Students identified the top three skills they gained

from their career and technical education classes: (1) skills to help them

get jobs in the future, (2) real-world examples to help them understand

academic classes, and (3) opportunities to work as part of a team. More

than 88 percent of career and technical education students planned to

continue to some type of postsecondary education.

In Virginia last year, 631,373 students took one or more classes,

and 293,788 students took at least one career and technical education

class. Students (and parents) recognize the importance of obtaining an

industry credential while in high school. The total number of credentials

earned by students during the 2015-2016 school year was 137,248.

And across the state, 105 school divisions offered CTE dual-enrollment

courses.

A completer is identified as a student who meets high school

graduation requirements and completes a concentration or sequence of

career and technical education courses. For five consecutive years, more

than 95 percent of Virginia CTE completers graduated high school with

a Standard or Advanced Studies Diploma.

Of the graduating class of 2015 identified as completers, 71 percent

were enrolled in postsecondary education a year out of high school; 15

percent were employed full time; 7 percent were employed part time; 2

percent were in military service; 3 percent were out of the labor force;

and 2 percent were unemployed.

Through a competitive grant process, 16 Virginia school divisions

and career and technical education centers recently received grants to

enhance and expand career and technical education through STEM

and STEM-Health initiatives. These initiatives focused on workforce

needs for the future, including cybersecurity training, advanced

manufacturing, and in-demand careers. Virginia is a national leader in

career and technical education, thanks to the support of stakeholders and

policymakers that recognize the relevance and early exposure to the full

spectrum of career possibilities. The centennial of the Smith-Hughes

Act celebrates a lifetime of learning in career and technical education.

As stated, “To know where you are going, you have to know where

you have been” and CTE has come a long way in 100 years. From

100 Years of Career and Technical Education

and Looking to the Future

By Brenda Long

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