Voice, Choice, & Opportunity: Centering Learner Engagement in CTE Systems

Events
• May 30, 2025

Imagine a future where learners design their own personalized career pathways that integrate courses and experiences across industries, all aligned with their interests, community, and the needs of the workforce. This vision for learner-centered career preparation was the focus of “Voice, Choice, & Opportunity,” a session at Advance CTE’s 2025 Spring Meeting exploring how to propel learner agency through the modernized National Career Clusters^® Framework (the Framework).

Our five panelists, Dr. Michael Hill-Shaner, Education Associate at the Delaware Department of Education; Dr. Erin Bibo, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Cityworks DC; Dr. Eric Sparks, Deputy Executive Director of the American School Counselors Association; Mike Woods, Director of the CTE Technical Assistance Center of New York; and CTE learner Tiara Kit, shared how, in their own contexts, putting learners first can drive real transformation across Career Technical Education (CTE) systems.

Center Learners in Decisionmaking

All panelists emphasized the importance of allowing learners to be integral to CTE program design, implementation, and programming. Tiara Kit spoke about the importance of giving learners autonomy to choose their own paths and form meaningful connections with industry experts who can guide and inspire them.

That idea resonated across the panel. Mike Woods and Dr. Michael Hill-Shaner both built on Tiara’s perspective, stressing that learners should feel seen and heard when asked for input. As Dr. Hill-Shaner noted, tools like Advance CTE’s Learner Voice Toolkit can serve as a practical resource for moving from good intentions to meaningful action. And as Woods put it, this work starts by shifting the perspective:

“Listen from the ground up and not the top down”.

The state of Delaware’s approach brought those ideas to life. Their Educator’s Rising Conference was entirely student-run, and learners were even able to count it as a work-based learning experience. Learners also presented to counselors to develop counseling plans and discussed using the state’s comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA) to address student misplacement in pathways. Delaware demonstrates what it looks like to allow learners to be co-captains of their journey instead of passengers. Or, in the words of Dr. Hill-Shaner, state and local CTE personnel should:

“Build the stage, turn on the lights, and pass the mic”.

Establish and Maintain Collaborative Processes

Collaboration is another building block to creating a learner-centered CTE infrastructure. Dr. Erin Bibo emphasized how policy change doesn’t happen in isolation—it requires coordination across secondary, postsecondary, and workforce systems to strengthen data, work-based learning, and interdisciplinary coursework design.

This kind of robust collaboration is also essential for implementing the modernized Framework identifying enabling conditions to advance learner voice. Dr. Bibo suggested one powerful strategy: inviting program alumni to play a role in mentoring and connecting with current students. It’s a practical way to build bridges across generations of CTE participants.

According to Woods, even the most well-designed CTE requirements fall flat without collaborative support for implementation. Dr. Eric Sparks reinforced this point: when educators, industry, and school counselors have a shared understanding of the significance of learner voice, the result is a stronger foundation for relationship building both in and outside of the classroom. That foundation is what helps learners achieve their goals.

Know and Empower Every Learner

Since learners are the primary beneficiaries of the Framework, those who support them must understand who they are, and their backgrounds, goals, and challenges. As Woods explained,

“In order to help students chart their path, they need to understand what their options are. We need to keep students curious and engaged”.

Those working with learners should have a complete picture of what CTE is and how to appropriately tailor their messages and guidance to equip learners with the ability to choose the path that’s right for them.

Dr. Sparks added that understanding who learners are also means identifying their barriers and what it takes to remove them. Both state and local leaders share this responsibility to ensure learners receive the academic assistance they need.

Pictured (left to right): Mike Woods, Director of the CTE Technical Assistance Center of New York; Dr. Michael Hill-Shaner, Education Associate at the Delaware Department of Education; Dr. Eric Sparks, Deputy Executive Director of the American School Counselors Association; Dr. Erin Bibo, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Cityworks DC; CTE learner Tiara Kit

Student panelist Tiara Kit exemplified what it looks like when learners feel empowered to navigate their unique CTE journey. In her closing remarks, she encouraged state and local leaders to actively listen, respond to learner needs, and create conditions that support self-advocacy. When learners are trusted and supported, they thrive.

Advance CTE will continue to assist states with centering learner voice, choice, and opportunity when implementing the modernized Career Clusters Framework and other CTE areas. Our resources webpage will continue to be updated with materials for implementation at the state and local levels and communication tools to help leaders at every level assess, adopt, and implement the Framework at their own pace and capacity.