What Is CTE?
CTE stands for "Career Technical Education." It is a federally-funded education program designed to help prepare students for careers within a number of industry sectors, including the arts. Every year states are issued millions of dollars worth of Perkins funding to start and/or support CTE programs for students.
CTE sectors or "career clusters" contain a number of pathways for students interested in pursuing a career in the various creative industries, including the visual arts & photography, film & performing arts, graphic design & printing, web design & programming, game design & animation, architecture, woodworking & metalworking (3d mediums), business (for freelance artists), and education (for art & music teachers). Many states also have pathways specially dedicated to music, fashion design, cosmetology, interior design, writing & journalism, and the culinary arts.
You can learn more about the CTE funding, career clusters/sectors, and pathways offered in your state from the Advance CTE or Association for CTE (ACTE) websites. Here is an example from California.
CTE sectors or "career clusters" contain a number of pathways for students interested in pursuing a career in the various creative industries, including the visual arts & photography, film & performing arts, graphic design & printing, web design & programming, game design & animation, architecture, woodworking & metalworking (3d mediums), business (for freelance artists), and education (for art & music teachers). Many states also have pathways specially dedicated to music, fashion design, cosmetology, interior design, writing & journalism, and the culinary arts.
You can learn more about the CTE funding, career clusters/sectors, and pathways offered in your state from the Advance CTE or Association for CTE (ACTE) websites. Here is an example from California.
How Are CTE Programs Funded?
Perkins Funding
Due to ever worsening budget cuts to arts education programs, there are countless schools within the United States that are currently struggling to offer their students access to an appropriately diverse catalog of options for Arts and Music courses.
One advantage of the various creative (arts & media) sectors within CTE programs is that Perkins funding (under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act) can help to relieve some of the burden to schools and teachers when it comes to obtaining the equipment, materials, art supplies, software, and instruments they need to support their art and music programs for students. Perkins can even be utilized to help pay for art and music teacher salaries (provided they possess or are eligible for a CTE credential).
In this way, everybody wins: Students get access to a broader range of art and music courses and get to be better prepared for careers in the creative sectors; and schools and art/music teachers get a reduced financial burden when it comes to paying for teacher salaries and equipment/materials for their classes (respectively).
Congress authorizes about $1.1 billion annually to states for schools to utilize to start and/or support CTE programs. You can read more about the state of Perkins funding from the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network website's Frequently Asked Questions documentation.
One advantage of the various creative (arts & media) sectors within CTE programs is that Perkins funding (under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act) can help to relieve some of the burden to schools and teachers when it comes to obtaining the equipment, materials, art supplies, software, and instruments they need to support their art and music programs for students. Perkins can even be utilized to help pay for art and music teacher salaries (provided they possess or are eligible for a CTE credential).
In this way, everybody wins: Students get access to a broader range of art and music courses and get to be better prepared for careers in the creative sectors; and schools and art/music teachers get a reduced financial burden when it comes to paying for teacher salaries and equipment/materials for their classes (respectively).
Congress authorizes about $1.1 billion annually to states for schools to utilize to start and/or support CTE programs. You can read more about the state of Perkins funding from the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network website's Frequently Asked Questions documentation.
Contact Us
Artsugi offers a wide variety of courses that align with the standards outlined in the various "creative sectors" of CTE (arts & media, and more).
If you have additional questions about:
Or anything else about CTE, please contact us! We're always happy to help.
If you have additional questions about:
- Utilizing Artsugi's CTE-aligned curriculum as part of your school's Career Technical Education program;
- The CTE credentialing process for art and music educators and/or industry artists in your state;
- Starting a CTE program at your school or the parameters (i.e., federal requirements and expectations) for successful CTE programs;
Or anything else about CTE, please contact us! We're always happy to help.
