
Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Rhode Island is designed to provide students with the academic and experiential skills they need to be successful in the workforce and in further education.
Career and Technical Education is a component of PrepareRI, an initiative intended to support programs that will prepare all Rhode Island youth with the skills they need for the jobs that pay. Career and Technical Education programs consist of three or more courses which will help students earn an industry credential and prepare them to enter the workforce. Rhode Island’s CTE programs are located in all high schools, postsecondary institutions, adult skills training facilities, or CTE centers across the state and are rigorously equipped to prepare youths and adults for a range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers.
*CTE Teacher Grant for RIDE-Approved CTE Programs*
Leveraging part of the secondary Perkins V Reserve Funds to support the certification and the training of CTE teachers, LEAs may apply for these funds to pay for the costs associated with providing professional learning for CTE teachers and for reimbursing teachers for the cost of certification to teach in their CTE programs.
*Important Dates:
- April 9, 2021: Grant application released
- May 7, 2021: Application due date
- May 19, 2021: RIDE announces grant winners
Upcoming Field Feedback Meetings
In order to understand the field’s perspective on the best way to operationalize the requirements of Perkins V, RIDE is proposing a series of Field Feedback meetings to take place in March and April.
- Meeting 1 - Comprehensive Local Needs Assessments (CLNAs)
- Meeting 2a - Perkins Reserve funds, Part I
- Wednesday, March 24, 4-5:30pm EST
- Recording coming soon!
- Slide deck
- Meeting 2b - Perkins Formula Fund Application, Part II
- Meeting 3a - CTE Program Audit & Technical Assistance, Part I
- Monday, April 5, 4-5:30pm EST
- Recording coming soon!
- Slide deck
- Meeting 3b - Revisiting Perkins V Reserve Funds and CTE Program Audit
What can a CTE program provide?
- Career Exploration – CTE helps learners discover the wide-range of career options available to them and assess the most effective and efficient educational pathways for optimum value and success.
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Enhanced educational experience – CTE provides students with an engaging, relevant education that reduces dropout rates and supports student achievement. For many learners, applying technical and academic skills to real-world activities in a hands-on learning experience makes CTE classes more interesting, engaging, and motivating than standard academic classes.
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Freedom to explore career possibilities – CTE enables students to have the freedom of choice in building their own CTE experience, such as through choice in: schools to attend, career paths to map, work-based learning experiences to pursue, and extracurricular activities to partake in.
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Networking through partnerships - CTE programs work directly with business and industry in partnership to ensure that the CTE programs are developing people with the skills, credentials, and technical knowledge necessary to move Rhode Island toward the leading edge of innovation and global competitiveness.
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Reduced college tuition costs – CTE programs have the potential to reduce a student’s college tuition costs, dependent on the completion of college courses for credit and/or the acquisition of an industry-approved credential which providers CTE learners with a competitive advantage for future post-secondary placement.
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Workforce development – CTE contributes to the development of a skilled, sustainable workforce that is well-prepared for the high-demand, high-skill and high-paying jobs of today and tomorrow.
Who is CTE designed for?
Career and Technical education is designed for all students, regardless of if they choose to enter the workforce and/or a post-secondary education program after graduating from high school. With more than 10 career and technical education centers, 54 high schools, charter schools, and post-secondary institutions and adult programs in the network, Rhode Island learners have unprecedented access to a broad array of educational programs to suit all academic and career aspirations.
Click here to see the 2020-2021 RIDE APPROVED CTE Programs
To explore and learn more about current CTE programs for SY 20-21, families should visit EnrollRI to search for a CTE program by program name, high school, or career field:
COVID and CTE
High Quality CTE: Planning for a COVID Impacted School Year
Key Questions to Consider
Resources, Tools and Examples
CTE Program Requirements
CTE Programs are required to:
- include a series of at least three interrelated courses;
- allow students to earn a pathway endorsement upon successful completion by integrating the school’s proficiency based graduation assessment with the pathway programming.
CTE Board of Trustees--Members & Meetings
The CTE Board of Trustees advises the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Education about creating a system of career and technical education that prepares students to meet the evolving needs of Rhode Island's employers. CTE Board Meetings are public.