Today, Advance CTE and ECMC Foundation announced a new initiative to strengthen and diversify the postsecondary state Career Technical Education (CTE) talent pipeline. The Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship), will announce its first cohort in October 2021. 
Building state CTE systems where learners of color feel welcome, supported and have the means to succeed is critical to improving equitable CTE access and outcomes. To accomplish this, learners need to see themselves in the educators and administrators of our educational institutions and systems. Simply put, we need more diversity in the state CTE leadership pipeline. While CTE learner populations overall mirror the nation’s demographics, our state CTE leadership composition is largely White. This Fellowship aspires to take a first step at building a more robust and diverse state postsecondary CTE leadership pipeline. 
Fellowship Design and Support 
The Fellowship recruitment process is designed with intentional actions to reach professionals of color, with the goal of the majority of the Advance CTE- ECMCF Fellows being racially diverse. The strengths-based curriculum is designed to build strategic leadership skills rooted in equity and collaboration. Finally, the individualized supports, including coaches, will meet the aspiring leader where they are at. Here is a bit more about the Fellowship:

• Collaboration and Input from Leaders of Color: Advance CTE established a National Advisory Committee for the Fellowship, consisting of national organizations and state-level institutions and eight CTE leaders of color. This National Advisory Committee is guiding every step of the Fellowship –  from curriculum to the evaluation of outcomes; and will help select each cohort of Fellows.
• Intentional and Individualized Supports: The Fellowship includes several features that strive to remove barriers to participation, including a $1,800 stipend; conducting workshops virtually; monthly, individual coaching sessions from national and state CTE leaders; and access to all Fellowship coaches to build connections and receive support from topic-area experts.  
• Spaces to Build Meaningful Networks and Build Social Capital: Each Fellowship cohort is intentionally small, with a maximum of 15 Fellows, to allow for the development of meaningful connections, and networking spaces will be provided outside of the workshop sessions. Additionally, Fellows will attend and be given the opportunity to present at meetings and conferences hosted by Advance CTE and the ECMC Foundation as another means to build connections, social capital and gain visibility at a national level.
• Project with Professional Impact: Fellows must complete a real-world project in their workplace or community. Fellows will receive individualized support from their coach throughout the design, planning and execution of the project and will present the project’s results and impact with the National Advisory Committee. 

Visit the Fellowship web page for more information and a promotional toolkit to share the Fellowship with a potential applicant. The deadline for applications for the first cohort is September 15, 2021. 
Visit the Learning that Works Resource Center for more resources to enhance equity and access in CTE programs and talent pipeline initiatives. 
Stacy Whitehouse, Senior Associate for Communications and State Engagement