PHOENIX—October 22, 2024— The rapidly changing world of work has left learners and workers uncertain about the best paths forward to good-paying jobs and careers and employers seeking the skilled talent they need to meet new labor market demands. Meanwhile, the lack of alignment between our career exploration and preparation system and the requirements for good middle- and high-skill careers makes it difficult for employers to find the skilled talent they need.
To help address these challenges, Advance CTE today released a modernized National Career Clusters® Framework (Framework), the first major update to this foundational resource in more than 20 years. For the first time, the modernized Framework was driven by industry input and incorporated research based on the latest labor market data. The Framework will provide states and educators with a new foundation to build more relevant, industry-directed, and learner-centered programs of study and experiences for Career Technical Education (CTE).
“The Framework is responding to the rapidly changing world of work. It will bring CTE and career pathways into their next era by ensuring all learners can fully explore and prepare for the workplace no matter what career they pursue” said Kate Kreamer, executive director of Advance CTE. “By providing a research-based Framework to middle- and high-skill careers, the Career Clusters will serve as a guide to help educators, counselors, curriculum developers, and workforce education specialists create programs that open more doors for learners to explore and prepare for careers that pay a living wage.”
“The Framework has flexibility that will enable states to readily adapt it to address future changes in the workforce and to the specific economic landscape of every state,” said Thalea Longhurst, director of CTE for the Utah State Board of Education and President of the Advance CTE Board of Directors. “It also recognizes the increasing interdisciplinary nature of work and allows us to design programs that help learners explore and be prepared for careers across a wide variety of industry sectors.”
Collaborative, Industry-led Development
Based on labor market research and extensive feedback from industry representatives, CTE educators and leaders, and other key partners, the Framework is reorganized and updated into 14 Clusters and 72 Sub-Clusters to more accurately reflect what the world of work looks like today. Specifically, the key changes to the Framework include:
- Expanded industry sectors: The Framework includes technologies and focus areas that didn’t exist 20 years ago, including artificial intelligence and unmanned vehicles, automation and robotics, and clean and alternative energy. Language and alignment were updated to reflect both the expansive but more closely connected nature of existing sectors, such as shifting Information Technology to Digital Technology and combining Healthcare and Human Services into a single Career Cluster.
- Interconnectedness and flexibility: The Framework is organized to encourage CTE leaders and educators to design programs of study that will expose learners to the interconnectedness of the Clusters and careers. For example, a program of study might be developed around sustainable restaurant practices where learners take courses in the Hospitality, Events, & Tourism, Supply Chain & Transportation, and Agriculture Clusters. The Framework also now includes three “Cross-Cutting Clusters”—Digital Technology, Management & Entrepreneurship, and Marketing & Sales. These are designed to be both stand-alone Career Clusters, but also help ensure that students experience opportunities in careers that are becoming ever more interrelated.
- More supportive school counseling and career advising: The modernized Framework provides modernized language more reflective of industry that allows for stronger career exploration and advising models to enhance the connection between in- and out-of-classroom experiences, such as work-based learning.
Reimagining Career Preparation Experiences
States will now begin the multi-year adoption and implementation process, with ample flexibility to adjust the Framework to suit their needs.
Advance CTE plans to provide guidance and direct technical assistance to states to not only ensure a smooth and productive transition, but to raise awareness of the Framework’s implications and potential for the CTE community and beyond. To help states and student organizations, Advance CTE is also providing input and partnership to national education and industry organizations as they develop curriculum standards, policy guidance, and other resources for specific industry sectors, Career Technical Student Organizations, and professional roles.
“Advance CTE stands ready to work with states and our partners in the CTE community to ensure that they have strategies to adapt the Framework to their own labor markets and maximize innovation in policy, curriculum, instruction, data collection, and pathway design,” said Dan Hinderliter, associate director, state policy at Advance CTE.
About Advance CTE
Advance CTE is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary, and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Established in 1920, Advance CTE supports state CTE leadership to advance high-quality and equitable CTE policies, programs, and pathways that ensure career and college success without limits for each learner.
Stacy Whitehouse (301) 588-9630
Shep Ranbom (202) 365-4774
