An annual review of states’ policy actions regarding career and technical education (CTE) shows that funding was the topic over the past year, followed by industry partnerships/work-based learning, and then access and supports.
The analysis comes from Advance CTE and the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), which represent mainly secondary programs but also have postsecondary members.
There were 63 funding policies enacted among 26 states in 2024, which pushed funding to the top slot from the third spot in 2023, according to the analysis. The category includes state appropriations to districts and institutions, grant programs for technical education equipment, and work-based learning scholarships for individuals from low-income families. Use of federal funding was not included.
Among the examples cited was Wisconsin, which appropriated $20 million to help technical colleges expand the state’s oral healthcare workforce.
The report notes that states have increased efforts to make CTE more accessible and successful for all learners. Access and supports reemerged as one of the top categories of CTE policies. The other two catergories in the top five were data, reporting and/or accountability and industry-recognized credentials. Dropping out of the list in 2024 was governance and graduation requirements.
Over the past decade, the top-five topics have been funding; industry partnerships and work-based learning; industry-recognized credentials; dual/concurrent enrollment, articulation and early college; and data, reporting and/or accountability. But since 2019, access and supports has appeared on the list, which the CTE groups say represents an increased focus among states to leverage CTE-related policies to serve a broader array of students.
The groups have an online tool that lists specific state policies.
The report includes a special focus on apprenticeship efforts, noting that several states over the past year worked to expand apprenticeships. The policies ranged from establishing new programs, to increasing funding for program, to providing incentives for business to hire apprentices, it says. It also cites the federal government’s increased investments in apprenticeships, which provided $244 million to 52 grantees across 32 states in the 2024 funding cycle.
