The mission of Career and Technical Education in Alaska is to provide all Alaskan students with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful transition to further education and careers, and equip them with the lifelong ability to succeed in a dynamic global economy.
CTE is offered through the following institutions:
- Comprehensive high schools
- Magnet schools
- Area technical centers
- Charter schools
- Online Alaska Learning Network
- Community colleges
- Four-year universities
| Secondary Targets Met? | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Skills - Reading/Language Arts | Yes | Yes |
| Academic Skills - Mathematics | Yes | Yes |
| Technical Skill Attainment | Yes | Yes |
| School Completion | Yes | Yes |
| Student Graduation Rates | Yes | Yes |
| Placement | Yes | Yes |
| Nontraditional Participation | No | No |
| Nontraditional Completion | Yes | Yes |
| Postsecondary Targets Met? | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Skill Attainment | Yes | Yes |
| Credential, Certificate or Degree | Yes | Yes |
| Student Retention or Transfer | Yes | No |
| Student Placement | Yes | Yes |
| Nontraditional Participation | Yes | Yes |
| Nontraditional Completion | Yes | Yes |
| Year | FY 2015 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Perkins Funds Received | $4,214,921 | $4,214,921 |
| Percentage distributed to Secondary | 85% | |
| Percentage distributed to Postsecondary | 15% |
Alaska does not use the Career Clusters framework to organize the state's programs or standards at the secondary level. Rather, Alaska has its own structure of CTE, which is crosswalked to the Career Clusters for federal reporting. They have effectively integrated Career Clusters into the State Plan. They have also required local Perkins plans to incorporate Career Clusters, required accountability information to be collected by Career Clusters, and benchmarked existing program standards against Career Cluster knowledge and skill statements. Alaska has also used Career Clusters to support effective transitions between secondary and postsecondary education.
Alaska implements programs within 12 Career Clusters (see below). Given that Alaska does not have state-adopted standards, no relationship exists between state standards, Career Clusters, and programs of study, except for the Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Career Cluster, due to a requirement set by the state in a Perkins-funded competitive grant program.
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Career Cluster
- Architecture & Construction Career Cluster
- Arts, A/V Technology & Communications Career Cluster
- Business Management & Administration Career Cluster
- Education & Training Career Cluster
- Health Science Career Cluster
- Hospitality & Tourism Career Cluster
- Information Technology Career Cluster
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Career Cluster
- Manufacturing Career Cluster
- Marketing Career Cluster
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Career Cluster
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics Career Cluster
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811-0500
deborah.riddle@alaska.gov
- Alaska's Five-Year State Plan
- Alaska Career and Technical Education: News, program elements, programs of study, Alaska’s CTE plan, and other resources are available here.
- University of Alaska System
- Alaska Workforce Investment Board: Check this website for news, events, and employment and training resources.
- Ensuring Foundational Skills for Alaska’s Workforce: Alaska’s Career Ready is a tool for employers, job seekers, students, educators and parents to learn about hiring, training, teaching, skill-building, and more.
Alaska offers dual enrollment and concurrent/transcripted credit to ease the transition from secondary to postsecondary. Alaska specifically provides policy/guidance for locally-developed credit transfer programs rather than offering statewide articulation agreements.
See here for an explanation of the data used for state profiles.