Six months ago a new, shared vision for Career Technical Education (CTE) was released, anchored in the belief that each learner must have access to and the means and succeed in the career of their choice with CTE serving as the catalyst for that journey. Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education was developed with the input of over 200 contributors representing national, state and local CTE leaders that convened in Fall 2020 at the virtual CTE Forward: A Summit on CTE’s Impact & Promise hosted by Advance CTE and nine other national co-convening organizations.
Since its release, CTE Without Limits has served as a force for CTE leaders to reconnect and recommit to strategic priorities outlined in their The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) state plans and state vision, while also leveraging lessons learned from continued crisis response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) and national conversations on equity and racial justice. It has also served as the foundation for initiatives pursued by Advance CTE, including a new strategic plan, biannual Spring and Fall meetings, and equity-focused initiatives including a Brave Dialogues equity discussion guide and new Fellowship aimed at addressing diversity and equity barriers in state postsecondary CTE leadership.
We asked state leaders to offered their reflections on the impact of CTE Without Limits over the past six months and elevated impactful quotes from our March vision release celebration that are shared throughout this post.
By the Numbers
- Vision celebration event attended by over 400 vision supporters and partners
- 42 national organization vision partners
- 13 states represented on Vision Kitchen Cabinet as initial space for leading states to analyze and evaluate vision principles
- Vision summer lunch and learn webinar series featuring national voices across learning and work attended by 41 states/territories and almost 400 state and local CTE leaders
- 10 resources published to aid state and local leaders in raising awareness of the vision and conduct deeper knowledge-building about vision principles and action areas
CTE Without Limits is approaching the evaluation and implementation phase that will occur over the next several years to be realized. Advance CTE looks forward to the release of a roadmap tool next month that provides guiding questions, rankings and action plans for states to evaluate vision alignment across one or all principles. The tool is designed to meet each state at each stage and capacity for vision implementation, and additional opportunities will be available for states interested in conducting deeper implementation work.
Visit the CTE Without Limits web page to access resources to communicate and implement the vision. Advance CTE looks forward to another 6 months of incredible milestones!
Stacy Whitehouse, Senior Associate Communications and State Engagement