This month, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), National Association of State Directors for Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), and Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) are taking steps to educate the public about the role career and technical education (CTE) plays in educating and training the future workforce and the economic impact it has on local communities. 

This year's theme for National Career and Technical Education Month is “Invest in Your Future,” which focuses on how CTE programs are preparing students to be competitive in today's global economy.

CTE programs provide students with an opportunity to enter and complete postsecondary education by preparing students for the rigor and expectations of postsecondary curriculum, reducing the need for remediation, increasing student motivation through added relevance, and streamlining the K–16 educational system to avoid duplication of courses. Through initiatives such as programs of study, dual enrollment, tech prep, and early and middle college high schools, CTE programs are on the front lines of ensuring that more students transition to postsecondary education and are prepared for success there.

When CTE students enter postsecondary education and states invest in CTE, it yields big returns for the local community. For example, in Salt Lake City, for every $1 put into CTE programs at Salt Lake Community College there will be a return of $4.30 to the community. Wisconsin's technical colleges return a public benefit of $10.65 for every $1 invested and fully paid back their annual public funding after 2.2 years. For every public $1 invested in Connecticut community colleges, it returns $16.40 over the course of the students' careers. The state's economy annually receives roughly $5 billion in income from the colleges and their students.

CTE programs are revitalizing communities by spurring cooperation and innovation between high schools and postsecondary institutions, as well as with the business community. This collaboration ensures that programs are being created quickly and efficiently to prepare students and adults for high-wage, high-skill, high-demand career fields such as STEM disciplines, nursing, allied health, information technology, and energy sustainability.

As the Obama Administration works on its Fiscal Year 2011 budget, ACTE, NASDCTEc, and CTSOs would like policymakers, educators and parents to understand the critical role CTE plays in preparing students for careers and college through structured, integrated programs of study incorporating instruction, leadership, character development and service.

For more information on CTE month and scheduled activities, visit http://www.acteonline.org/ctemonth.aspx.