Career and technical education (CTE) programs, formerly known as “vocational education” educate students about and through careers. Academics are studied within real, career-oriented contexts. CTE programs leave the option of college open while providing students with marketable skills.

Career and technical education is about helping students fulfill their working potential. Students receive a high school and college education that provides them with the following:

• Academic subject matter taught with relevance to the real world…called contextual learning.

• Employability skills…job-related skills to workplace ethics

• Education pathways…help students explore interests and careers while progressing through school

Students make connections between what they are learning and how that knowledge will is used outside of a school environment. According to contextual learning theory, learning occurs only when students process new information or knowledge in such a way that it makes sense to them in their own frames of reference. Contextual learning encourages educators to choose and/or design learning environments that incorporate as many different forms of experience as possible. In such environments, students discover meaningful relationships between abstract ideas and practical applications in the context of the real world.

The links at right provide descriptions of the different types of CTE programs currently offered in the Saint Paul Public Schools.