Task Force Releases Recommendations to Redesign Career and Technical Education in Iowa

Members of the Secondary Career and Technical Education Task Force released their final recommendations, which set a new vision for career and technical education that is in line with the needs of students, employers and the state’s economy. The task force’s recommendations for high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs are as follows:

• Promote career and college readiness through thoughtful career guidance and purposeful academic and technical planning practices.
• Provide high-quality, integrated CTE programming comprised of secondary exploratory and transitory coursework to prepare students for higher-level, specialized academic and technical training.
• Afford students the opportunity to access a spectrum of high-quality work-based learning experiences through a coherent delivery system that streamlines and leverages existing initiatives.
• Address the shortage of qualified career and technical instructors by expanding opportunities to obtain academic and technical training in licensure areas and examining pre-service preparation and licensure practices to remove barriers for horizontal and vertical career advancement for individuals within the profession.
• Through collaboration and regional partnerships, provide for increased and equitable access to high-quality CTE through a statewide system of regional centers.

The full report is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.