In 2024, 40 states enacted 152 policies aimed at bolstering career and technical education pathways—the highest-recorded policy passage since 2019. School districts nationwide have used this momentum to build new programs to prepare students for emerging careers across STEM and other fields.
The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education found around 500,000 cybersecurity job openings, many of which can be filled by employees on alternative, non-degree pathways.
Many K12 districts are answering the call. Portsmouth Public Schools in Virginia is on the cusp of completing a 14-year, $13 million renovation of its CTE center. Course offerings in cybersecurity can help students earn industry credentials that prepare them for careers in IT, security software development and more.
Plainview ISD in Texas has also recently expanded its CTE offerings beyond vocational schools to include certificate programs in cybersecurity and web development.
State policies encouraging K12 dual enrollment at two-year community colleges have aided the rise of STEM-oriented CTE programs. Colorado’s education department is partnering high school students with the Colorado Springs Cybersecurity and Research Center and industry professionals in a dual enrollment credit and certification program.
Blending K12, higher education and industry is the hallmark of a growing movement of leaders who want to eliminate the dividing lines between high school and college to better prepare 16- to 20-year-olds for successful workforce preparation.
“If you’re going to build the kind of competitive economy that we want—and spur innovation—we don’t have the workforce that’s trained and skilled to do the jobs,” says Joel Vargas, vice president at Jobs for the Future. “Employers see that writing on the wall, especially when fewer young people are coming up in the pipeline.”
Delaware’s education department recently facilitated a partnership between two higher education institutions, seven high schools and Project Lead The Way, a nonprofit aimed at bolstering K12’s STEM footprint. Delaware Community College has an articulation agreement in place with students who complete the CTE engineering program, and the University of Delaware will provide workshops to strengthen teacher training.
“In our year two course, we focused on resume and portfolio building,” said a Smyrna High School student enrolled in the Project Lead The Way pathway. “I know my resume is already set up, so when I go apply for a job, it already looks more official than someone who doesn’t already have it set up.”
