The Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network's Career and Technical Education (CTE)Workgroup continues its work focused on increasing the quality and availability of postsecondary CTE opportunities for students with ID.
This summer, the group had its second annual face to face meeting, convening on July 10th in Orlando, FL. Workgroup members from eight states participated in the meeting, bringing together a wealth of experience and expertise in both CTE and inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE). After a brief update from Clare Papay, Co-PI of the project, the group shared content and resources for developing learning modules for CTE IPSE program development. More information will be released soon about this exciting resource coming from Think College.
The chair and members of the CTE Workgroup will be presenting at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Transforming Postsecondary CTE for All Conference and the ACTE Best Practices and Innovations in CTE Conference, both taking place this September. Presentations are “Increasing Access, Equity and Inclusion to Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Career and Technical Education”, “Fusing Federal Legislation into Career and Technical Education Initiatives to Expand Inclusive Postsecondary Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disabilities”, and “Strategies to Support Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Postsecondary CTE”
There is a renewed focus on postsecondary CTE at the federal level, with initiatives and discussions happening within the US Department of Education. A recent announcement from the Secretary of Education on this topic included this strong endorsement of the importance of CTE opportunities. Our work is focused on ensuring that these opportunities exist for students with intellectual disability as well.
The Department is invested in the alignment across secondary, postsecondary, and career and technical education programs. We are invested in providing students with the knowledge and skills to get the great jobs of both today and tomorrow. When we invest in giving our students more opportunities for hands-on learning, we introduce students to careers they might not have known existed. When we invest in showing young people that they have a bright future right where they grew up, we invest in our communities, we invest in our states.
If you’re interested in learning more about CTE postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities, reach out for answers to questions you might have or support you might need.