Advance CTE regularly releases issue briefs on key topics impacting CTE at the state and local level. Below are issue briefs exploring the intersection between CTE and jobs and the economy.

• Setting a Statewide Vision for Work-based Learning (October 2015)This resource is the first in Advance CTE’s Connecting the Classroom to Careers series, which takes a closer look at the state’s role in expanding high-quality worked-based learning opportunities for all students, with a particular focus on untangling the major barriers at the K-12 level. Take a closer look at Tennessee’s statewide vision and strategy for strengthening work-based learning.

• Area CTE Centers: Conquering the Skills Gap through Business and Industry Collaboration (April 2013) Area CTE Centers directly link education with the needs of local economies across the nation. Though not recognized as often as other institutions, such as community colleges, over 1,200 Area CTE Centers are operating in the U.S. Given the current fiscal situation, area CTE centers are an especially viable option for districts wanting to provide students with high quality CTE in a cost-effective way.

• Promoting Work-Based Learning: Efforts in Connecticut and Kentucky (October 2012) NASDCTEc partnered with the Alliance for Excellent Education to co-author this brief which highlights efforts from two states—Connecticut and Kentucky—to define work-based learning opportunities for youth participants, educators, and employers, and to create policies that provide greater access to these opportunities.

• Career Technical Education: Keeping Adult Learners Competitive for High-Demand Jobs (December 2011) This issue brief explores ways that adult workers can best be positioned to succeed in rewarding careers in high-demand fields through CTE. It also describes Career Clusters that are projected to be in high-demand through 2018. Programs from Oklahoma and Ohio are featured.

• Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs 2008-2018 (November 2011) Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green co-authored this report with colleagues from Georgetown’s Center for the Education & Workforce and the NRCCTE. The report, based on a previous report by CEW (“Help Wanted: Projecting Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018”), analyzes how labor market needs relate to the sixteen Career Clusters and discusses implications for Career Technical Education (CTE).

• State Reports – Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs (November 2011) This report provides state-by-state analysis of labor market needs related to the sixteen Career Clusters and discusses implications for Career Technical Education (CTE) based on the report: Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs.

• Return on Investment in CTE (January 2010) Oklahoma, Washington and Tennessee are featured for their states’ successful implementation of CTE return on investment studies.

• Green Jobs and CTE (July 2009) While often discussed, “green jobs” can refer to a variety of occupations including: wind energy technicians, recycling director, sustainable agriculture specialist, and many more. This document describes our current concept of green jobs, and how green jobs and CTE overlap at the secondary and postsecondary levels.