In Colorado, learner leadership has evolved from a hopeful initiative into a strategic force for elevating Career Technical Education (CTE). The state has been engaged in key initiatives to support these efforts, such as Advance CTE’s Leveraging Learner Voice to Strengthen CTE technical assistance cohort as well as the Siemens Recruitment technical assistance cohort that center learners’ voices, feedback, and input into CTE. This journey, driven by passionate learners and partners across the state, offers valuable lessons for amplifying learner voice and engagement in developing, implementing, and improving CTE programs and policies.
Overview: Colorado’s Journey with Learner Voice in CTE
Entering the Learner Voice and Recruitment cohorts simultaneously in 2023 provided Colorado the unique opportunity to leverage learner voice for program improvement and messaging and materials to support engaging and recruiting learners into CTE. Upon entering the cohorts, the state gleaned opportunities for improvement from learners across both focus areas and articulated the findings in a comprehensive action plan aimed at remedying the challenges elevated by learners.
One such challenge included learners needing a genuine connection to opportunities to engage with CTE leaders to improve programs and pathways. To address this, the state prioritized hiring an alum CTE student, Chase Gordanier, to serve as a Learner Leader. Currently a Math teacher, Chase took on this role in addition to his regular teaching position, with some of the work conducted during the summer. For this highlight blog, Senior Policy Associate Haley Wing interviewed Chase to elevate the evolution of meaningfully engaging with learners across the state, critical recommendations gleaned from learners currently in CTE programs, and what’s next for the state and their Learner Leaders.
Getting Started: How Colorado Built a Bridge Between Learners and Lawmakers
Colorado began this work by seeking connections between CTE programs and lawmakers, recognizing the importance of legislative advocacy. Early efforts, like a CTE day at the state capital, struggled to gain traction. CTE learners participated, but lawmakers lacked engagement with the issues they presented. In response, Colorado pivoted, integrating learners into a committee to explore learner interests and recruit Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) state officers. This strategy was crucial, as CTSO officers brought a deep understanding of the CTE structure and the leadership to build cross-team collaboration.
As the group continued to determine plans of action to share their feedback with leaders, learners wanted to deconstruct the current perceptions of CTE and identify ways to help others understand the value and benefits of career-connected education pathways that prepare learners for the workforce. Through a design-thinking approach, Colorado’s learners developed empathy maps to understand barriers to engagement and interest in CTE. They conducted interviews to validate these perceptions, ultimately recognizing two major challenges: effectively marketing CTE to learners and attracting lawmakers’ attention. The learners responded with a robust promotional guidebook, which standardized practices for hosting lawmakers on personalized CTE tours.
Additionally, Colorado learners delved deep into social media trends to identify what types of posts and content should be used to promote CTE programs. From creating social media templates to filming promo videos, their work shows the value of learner-driven content in reaching peers.
Lessons Learned: How Colorado’s Learner Leaders Leverage Adaptability
Despite producing a comprehensive guidebook, learners faced challenges gaining traction with lawmakers. Cold outreach and emails resulted in low engagement, highlighting the need for more personal connections with legislators and business owners. Colorado’s pivot to focus on learner interests allowed for a deeper understanding of the tools schools need to market CTE more effectively to incoming learners. For example, learners created a flexible CTE presentation that schools could adapt, including validated talking points.
Colorado’s learner leaders emphasized the importance of recognition—both from their peers and adult leaders within the system. They found that the most engaged alumni who returned to support CTE were often former CTSO officers who had both leadership experience and a deep understanding of CTE’s potential. One critical insight was that learners don’t want to feel like their group exists solely to meet and produce slide decks or documents—they want to see tangible recognition of their efforts.
Moving Forward: Actionable Strategies to Amplify Learner Voice in CTE
Colorado’s learner-driven journey provides valuable insights into enhancing CTE programs and policies. To build on these efforts, consider the following strategies:
- Empower Learners to Lead Legislative Engagement: Encourage learners to take ownership of organizing legislative events, with CTSO leaders facilitating cross-team collaboration. By guiding their peers in these efforts, learners can create a stronger, more relatable connection between students and lawmakers, ensuring their voices are central to policy discussions.
- Develop Learner-Driven Marketing Campaigns: Design learner-led marketing toolkits and guidebooks that promote learner-validated language. Standardize how lawmakers engage with CTE programs to provide a consistent and impactful experience highlighting learner-driven initiatives’ value.
- Build Networks Between Learners and Legislators: Establish partnerships with state-level organizations to create sustained connections between learners and decision-makers. Equip learners with tools to design adaptable resources for educators, ensuring their ideas can be swiftly integrated.
- Leverage Learner Expertise in Social Media: Inspire learners to take the lead in developing social media content that resonates with their peers. Provide them with platforms and tools to authentically showcase their CTE experiences, amplifying their voices and reaching a wider audience.
- Recognize and Celebrate Learner Leadership: Create opportunities for peer and adult recognition of learner leaders. This could include developing leadership awards, featuring their contributions in state communications, and inviting learners to present at state CTE conferences. Public recognition fosters a sense of ownership and pride in their contributions.
