A Shared Vision

Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education (CTE Without Limits) puts forth a bold vision for a cohesive, flexible, and responsive career preparation ecosystem that will close equity gaps in educational outcomes and workforce readiness, and leverage CTE as a catalyst for ensuring each learner can reach success in the career of their choice. 

Developed with input from nearly 200 national, state and local education and workforce development leaders and supported by 42 national organizations, CTE Without Limits lays out five inter-connected and equally critical principles:

  • Each learner engages in a cohesive, flexible, and responsive career preparation ecosystem 

  • Each learner feels welcome in, is supported by, and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem

  • Each learner skillfully navigates their own career journey

  • Each learner’s skills are counted, valued, and portable

  • Each learner can access CTE without borders
     

CTE Without Limits PDF
Vision Supporters

Call to Action

CTE Without Limits is ambitious and forward looking. It puts equity at the center and recognizes that our country needs a CTE system that works for each learner, wherever they are in their career journey and whatever their background. 

This vision is not just calling for updates to our CTE, education and workforce systems. Rather, it is calling for a more cohesive, flexible and responsive career preparation ecosystem, with CTE at its nexus, that draws on the capacity of each existing system; leverages these systems’ greatest assets; and pushes for new models of collaboration, learner-centric design and delivery, funding and accountability that create the right incentives and supports.

Only through shared commitment and shared ownership among leaders and practitioners at all levels can we realize the possibility and aspiration of a new career preparation ecosystem that provides each learner with limitless opportunity.

 
Sign On to Stay Engaged

 

Advance CTE has released its hallmark implementation vision tool. Pushing the Limits: A Roadmap for Advancing CTE Without Limits provides a step-by-step guide for states to conduct an initial alignment assessment, identify top areas for action, and develop implementation strategies for one or multiple vision principles.

Please view the recording of Without Limits: Reflections on a Shared Vision for the Future of CTE here and read our recap blog here.

Learn more about our speakers:
  • Sara Allan, Director of Early Learning and Education Pathways at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
  • Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of the Metro Nashville Public Schools;
  • Emily Fabiano, Director of Strategy and Operations, Ohio Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation; and
  • Dr. Nicole Smith, Chief Economist, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

 

Advance CTE held a five-part Lunch & Learn series focused on exploring each of the principles from CTE Without Limits. Each session actively engaged participants to deepen their understanding of the aspiration of one of the vision principles. Speakers - including leading voices from K-12, postsecondary and adult education, workforce and industry, philanthropy, and non-profit vision supporters - shared insights and lead discussions that ensured participants are inspired to craft actionable next steps to turn this vision into reality.

Lunch & Learn: Each learner can access CTE without borders
Date: August 31, 2021
This session is the final session in Advance CTE’s Lunch & Learn series focused on exploring each of the principles from Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education. Attendees were introduced to the fifth principle of the vision, “Each learner can access CTE without borders” and the role each stakeholder has in accomplishing this principle. Attendees had a chance to discuss this principle in small groups and left this session with an increased awareness of the aspirations of this principle and strategies to apply it to their own work.

Speakers:
- Stephen Pruitt, President, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)
- Dale Winkler, Vice President, School Improvement, SREB
- Christina Sedney, Director of Policy Initiatives and State Authorization, Policy Analysis and Research, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

Moderator:
- Kate Kreamer, Deputy Executive Director, Advance CTE

View the recording here.

Lunch & Learn #4: Each learner’s skills are counted, valued, and portable
Date: August 17, 2021
This session is the fourth in Advance CTE’s Lunch & Learn series focused on exploring each of the principles from Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education. Attendees will be introduced to the fourth principle of the vision, “Each learner’s skills are counted, valued, and portable” and the roles of secondary, postsecondary and workforce systems in accomplishing this principle. Attendees will have a chance to discuss this principle in small groups and will leave this session with an increased awareness of the aspirations of this principle and strategies to apply it to their own work.

Speakers:
- Jonathan Alfuth, State Policy Director, KnowledgeWorks
- Molly Bashay, Senior Policy Analyst - Education, Labor & Worker Justice, The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
- Niki DaSilva, Manager, Programs and Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Center for Education and Workforce

Moderator:
- Austin Estes, Data & Research Manager, Advance CTE

View the recording here.

Lunch & Learn #3: Each learner skillfully navigates their own career journey
Date: July 27, 2021
This session is the third in Advance CTE’s Lunch & Learn series focused on exploring each of the principles from Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education. Attendees will be introduced to the third principle of the vision, “each learner skillfully navigates their own career journey”. Attendees will have a chance to discuss this principle in small groups and will leave this session with an increased awareness of the aspirations of this principle and strategies to apply it to their own work.

Speakers:
- Dana Godek, Manager, Policy and Research, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
- Nick Mathern, Vice President, K-12 Partnerships, Achieving the Dream
- Isa Ellis, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Moderator:
-Stacy Whitehouse, Senior Associate for Communications and State Engagement, Advance CTE

View the recording here.

Lunch and Learn #2: Each learner feels welcome in, is supported by, and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem
Date: June 22, 2021
This session is the second in Advance CTE’s Lunch & Learn series focused on exploring each of the principles from Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education. Attendees were introduced to the second principle of the vision, “each learner feels welcome in, is supported by, and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem.” Vision partners and supporters shared the ways that their organizations are identifying and dismantling the institutional and systemic barriers that limit access, opportunity and outcomes for some learners. Attendees left this session with an increased awareness of the aspirations of this principle and strategies to apply it to their own work.

Speakers:
- Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Senior Fellow, National Skills Coalition
- Mimi Lufkin, CEO Emerita, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE)
- Stephanie McGencey, Executive Director, American Youth Policy Forum

Moderator:
- Kimberly Green, Executive Director, Advance CTE

View the recording here.
 

Lunch and Learn #1: Creating a cohesive, flexible and responsive career preparation ecosystem
Date: June 1, 2021
Attendees were introduced to the first principle of the vision, “each learner engages in a cohesive, flexible and responsive career preparation ecosystem” and the roles of secondary and postsecondary education systems in accomplishing this principle. Attendees left this session with an increased awareness of the aspirations of this principle and strategies to apply it to their own work.
 
Speakers:
-Amanda Winters, Program Director, Postsecondary Education, NGA
-Najmah Ahmad, Program Director, Career Readiness Initiative, CCSSO
-Yvette Chocolaad, Workforce Policy & Research Director, NASWA

Moderator:
-Kate Kreamer, Deputy Executive Director, Advance CTE
 
View the recording here. 
 

In September 2020, Advance CTE and nine other national co-convening organizations hosted the virtual CTE Forward: A Summit on CTE's Impact & Promise, bringing together nearly 200 contributors representing national, state and local CTE leaders. 

The Summit co-conveners included Association for Career and Technical Education, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Association of State Workforce Agencies, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association, National Skills Coalition, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 

The goal of the CTE Forward Summit was to gather broad perspectives and ideas to drive a bold, shared vision that affirms consensus, commitment and public support for high-quality and equitable CTE systems, policies and programs across key stakeholders.