Career and Technical Education Month

Every February, the CTE community celebrates CTE Month to raise awareness. It also communicates the role that CTE has in readying learners for college and career success. CTE Month is also a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of our CTE partners. This is at the local, state, and national level. CTE Month is supported by a variety of CTE groups. The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) organizes the event.

How Can I Raise Awareness for CTE Month?

While national CTE groups such as Advance CTE, ACTE, and Career and Technical Student Organizations publicize CTE Month, it is also a chance to raise awareness of your own work. It’s also important to engage all of your stakeholders in the CTE conversation. This varies from students to policymakers.

Below are listed activities from ACTE:

• Participate.
• Host a school visit and invite members of your local community to learn about your school’s strong CTE programs firsthand.
• Engage your policymakers and the media to encourage them to attend events. Tell your CTE story, or use social media to do the same.
• Work with business and industry leaders to ensure they understand the role CTE plays in readying their future workforce.
• Purchase awareness merchandise to use at events or at your school. We offer blue pins to raise awareness for CTE.

Use the Right Messages

Despite our best efforts, we don’t always speak about CTE in the way that most resonates with students and parents. Be sure that you’re communicating with these two important audiences by checking out research that students and parents want to hear, Dos and Dont’s for using the messages, and a guide on how you can put this research into action. Use graphics in your social media with compelling research data.

Celebrate During Career and Technical Education Month

Recognize those in your community, whether it’s high-achieving CTE learners, exemplary educators, or impactful partners that have a positive influence in CTE by celebrating their accomplishments through awards programs.

Recognize CTE at the State Level

Engage policymakers in the conversation by encouraging them to designate February as CTE month.

Involve Your Partners At Career and Technical Education Month Events

The Career Technical Education (CTE) community encompasses all the people that work to make your CTE program – whether it’s at the local, state or national level – great. This includes education, community, and business partners. Encourage them to advocate for CTE to their own networks, and invite partners to participate in celebratory events or site visits.

Coordinate with Others During Career and Technical Education Month

Once you’ve got all partners on board, it’s crucial to coordinate messaging among all who will help to promote CTE during the month. Supply partners with sample social media posts, templates, and website copy to be sure all partners are messaging under a common theme. This will ensure all stakeholders are using proven, learner-centered messaging.

Engage Employers

Contact local employers and businesses that aren’t yet familiar with your CTE program and invite them to school visits to showcase high-quality CTE in action or career fairs with already engaged employers. Use Advance CTE’s fact sheet that has key statistics and findings from the employer engagement research and this Core Messages document that provides top messages for employers about CTE’s impact with supporting data.

Join the Conversation

Celebrate CTE Month nationwide, including on social media. Join in on X chats, upload photos of your events, feature student work, and engage in discussion with CTE advocates from across the country using the #CTEMonth hashtag.

Get the word out!

Let the local media know what’s happening and invite them to your planned awards ceremonies, career fairs or school visits highlighting innovative CTE.

(Image: Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash)