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Iowa’s career and technical education programs are building Iowa’s talent pipeline and supporting the Future Ready Iowa goal that 70 percent of Iowans in the workforce have education and training beyond high school by 2025. Bringing together Regional Planning Partnerships, the Perkins V State plan, and best practices in career and technical education complete Iowa’s framework for high-quality CTE.
Iowa Quality Career and Technical Education recognizes the high skill and technical requirements of current and future careers and fulfills the following:
Career and Academic Planning
Promote career and college readiness through thoughtful career guidance and purposeful academic and technical planning practices.
Programs of Study
Provide high-quality, integrated CTE programming comprised of secondary exploratory and transitory coursework to prepare students for higher-level, specialized academic and technical training using State Board of Education adopted CTE standards in Iowa’s six Service Areas.
Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs)
All along the spectrum of CTE courses, students should be exposed to the value of career and technical student organizations (CTSOs), with efforts made to make CTSOs co-curricular rather than extra-curricular.
Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning includes a continuum of structured activities utilizing the partnership between industry and education to engage student learning. Through experiences with industry professionals, participants are able to foster first-hand engagement with in-depth application of academic, technical and professional skills to the tasks required of a given career field while meeting specific learning objectives. Work-based learning is a progression through awareness, exploration, preparation and training to support student learning for future success.
Equity and Special Populations
Afford every student in Iowa the opportunity to explore and pursue career and college learning opportunities through a comprehensive career pathway system that includes vibrant career guidance and relevant work-based learning.
Regional Planning Partnerships (RPPs) and Regional Centers
Through collaboration and regional partnerships, provide for increased and equitable access to high-quality CTE through a statewide system of regional centers. The Career Academy Incentive Fund helps to support these regional efforts.