As a career and technical education (CTE) teacher, you know the importance of preparing students for the workforce — no matter which CTE career cluster or pathway they follow.
But how do you express that importance to your students, school, and community?
That’s where CTE Month comes in!
Every February, students, educators, and administrators raise awareness of CTE programs by celebrating CTE month.
So how can you celebrate CTE Month and show support for your program?
These are the five best ways you and your students can join in:
- Share the facts about CTE
- Invite visitors to see your CTE program in action
- Increase involvement in career and technical student organizations
- Spread the word on social media
- Make CTE Month official in your city
After reading, you'll have plenty of ideas on how to celebrate CTE month and get your students excited about their future careers!
1. Share the Facts about CTE
Knowing the facts about CTE — and sharing those facts — is a key part in celebrating CTE Month. It’s a great idea to start by sharing basic information about CTE as a whole. In addition, read up on information that pertains specifically to the career cluster your program falls under.
But where can you find this information? There’s three great places to start.
First, we've compiled a massive list of CTE stats & facts you can use to quickly pull a relevant piece of information from.
In addition, the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) has fact sheets that you can download and share in a heartbeat. The documents include lots of data and even some infographics to make a lasting impression about CTE!
Last, Advance CTE has fact sheets all about what CTE is, how it works, and more that show its benefits. Combined with your passion for CTE, this data can help turn you become an extraordinary advocate!
Once you’ve got the information down, it’s important to find people to share it with. That’s where the next idea comes in!
2. Invite Visitors to See Your CTE Program
A great way to spread the word and show off your CTE program is to host visitors. Visits can increase awareness of the importance of CTE and help others understand the opportunities CTE provides for your students and the community.
While you can invite just about anyone to come check it out, it’s smart to start with business leaders and local policymakers. These individuals are great references for hiring your future graduates and empowering your CTE program with funding.
To plan and conduct a visit to your classroom, you can follow a nine-step process created by the ACTE.
But visits are just the beginning. You have a golden opportunity to take your celebration and advocacy to the next level by getting your students more involved!
3. Increase Involvement in Career and Technical Student Organizations
A career and technical student organization (CTSO) is an extracurricular group for students in CTE pathways to further their knowledge and skills by participating in activities, events, and competitions.
As the National Coordinating Council for Career and Technical Student Organizations (NCC-CTSO) says:
“CTSOs extend teaching and learning through innovative programs, business and community partnerships and leadership experiences at the school, state and national levels.
CTSOs are a powerful avenue for helping our nation address key challenges such as workforce development, student achievement, economic vitality and global competitiveness.”
There are nine CTSOs currently authorized:
- Business Professionals of America (BPA)
- DECA
- Educators Rising
- Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
- Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)
- Future Farmers of America (FFA)
- HOSA - Future Health Professionals
- SkillsUSA
- Technology Student Association (TSA)
Encourage CTE students who haven’t yet joined to learn more about CTSOs by sharing the benefits of joining with them. You can find information on each organization on the CTSO website.
This doesn’t just get students involved in CTE — it also encourages them to celebrate CTE Month themselves. The more students are invested, the more of a positive impact they can have on your community!
One other way students can get involved is through the next idea on our list -- spreading the word on social media.
4. Spread the Word on Social Media
Talking about CTE Month on social media is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to make an impact.
You can celebrate on social media by sharing CTE facts, information about your CTE programs, highlighting CTSOs, and more.
Use each social media platform in different ways to celebrate and spread the word. Try finding related groups, pages, and hashtags to connect with others in the CTE community and amplify your reach.
You can start by sharing one of these winning videos for the CTE Month-NASA HUNCH 2019-20 Student Video Challenge:
For more ideas, the ACTE has a page dedicated to social media advocacy with tips, hashtags, and other information you and your students can use to really make an impact via social media!
Want to do even more as an advocate for CTE? The last item on our list will make the biggest impact of all for your community!
5. Make CTE Month Official in Your City
If you want full-fledged support of CTE in your city (or even state), encourage your policymakers to designate February as CTE Month.
Pushing for recognition of CTE month shows your community that you and your local government have an interest in modern education.
By getting CTE Month officially proclaimed in your city, you introduce an entire city to the benefits and importance of CTE.
Local businesses, broadcasters, and citizens can all get involved in promoting a form of education that benefits everyone!
Start Celebrating CTE Month Today!
As a Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher, you want to champion the importance of CTE to your students and your community. Celebrating CTE Month in February is a terrific way to raise awareness about your field, gain support from policymakers and community leaders, and get your students excited about future opportunities.
You can start celebrating CTE Month by choosing one item on this list to start making a difference for CTE in your community.
But if you want to keep your students excited and focused in your classes long after February comes to an end, try using a variety of methods to keep students engaged in CTE.
When you download your free student engagement guide, you'll receive tips to keep your students motivated throughout the year through games and active learning activities.
