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Indiana Celebrates National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month

Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 2:12 PM

Indiana Celebrates National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) team joins advocates across the state to celebrate National CTE Month. Taking place every February, CTE Month brings together national and statewide CTE groups to engage with key stakeholders and recognize the importance of CTE programs.

CTE provides relevant career and technical education programs of study that prepare students for high-skill, in-demand careers in fields such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, and agriculture. Indiana’s CTE team joined the Commission in July 2023 as part of House Enrolled Act 1002-2023.

“Career and technical education provide students with the opportunities and real-world experiences they may need to excel in their chosen career fields,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery. “These experiences are invaluable to students and have a significant impact on the talent pipeline in Indiana. The Commission is grateful for the talented instructors, administrators, CTE directors, and others who play a vital role in helping connect education to career opportunities.”

CTE Logo

Recent CTE highlights and data include:

  • Enrollments in CTE are at an all-time high. 267,883 students enrolled in at least one funded CTE course in the 2023-2024 school year, representing an historic year for CTE enrollment.
  • More students are earning CTE concentrator status with a higher threshold. Beginning with 2022-2023 graduating cohort, students had to complete multiple advanced courses in a CTE program of study to become a CTE concentrator. Indiana had nearly 30,000 students meet this requirement during the 2023-2024 school year, an increase of more than 11,000 from the year prior. This represents over a third of the graduating cohort who were able to utilize CTE concentrator status to meet Graduation Pathways requirements.
  • CTE students continue to achieve priority outcomes in work-based learning participation, dual credit attainment, and credential attainment. Indiana saw a 22 percent increase in the number of students who earned nine or more dual credits in a CTE pathway and a 15 percent increase in the number of students who participated in a work-based learning experience (75+ hours) from 2022 to 2023.
CTE Month Logo

These outcomes are supported by Indiana's investment of over $200 million in CTE related funding. This comes primarily through CTE course enrollment funding, but CTE programs are also supported through other investments, including Career Scholarship Accounts, credential completion and career coaching grants, and industry certification reimbursements.

Indiana CTE Day

Students, CTE directors, and educators attended Indiana CTE Day at the Indiana Statehouse on February 15. The annual event allowed for CTE supporters to speak with legislators about issues impacting CTE programs.

"The dual credit experience is really cool and unique because I am able to go into Purdue with 42 credits,” said Kelby Roberts, Rushville Consolidated High School, Class of 2023. “My teachers were really passionate about making sure we were prepared [for college].”
CTE Statehouse Day

Individuals can sign up for the Indiana CTE Newsletter here. General inquiries regarding CTE can be directed to CTE@che.in.gov.

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