In the last 20 years, technology and the workforce have changed dramatically. That was the impetus for Advance CTE to update the National Career Clusters Framework.
First published in 2002, the framework was designed, with the support of the U.S. Education Department, to build consistency in career and technical education (CTE) program design and quality. It centered around the knowledge, skills and standards a learner would need to complete a career pathway. Most states have used the framework to help build out CTE programs.
But there are jobs in 2024 that didn’t exist in 2002 – jobs involving green technology, AI and cloud computing, for example – meaning required skills have changed, as has the language that is used. For industry, skills-based hiring is more prevalent than ever. And workers change jobs more frequently and require skills that can be transferable.
Creating pathways
In response to all these changes, Advance CTE, using labor-market data and input from industry and the CTE field, has updated its framework. It now comprises 14 industry-aligned career clusters and 72 sub-clusters.
For example, Energy & Natural Resources is one of the career clusters. Under it are six sub-clusters: Clean & Alternative Energy, Conservation & Land Management, Ecological Research & Development, Environmental Protection, Resource Extraction, and Utilities.
Listed with the sub-clusters are example programs of study. Under Environmental Protection, programs of study listed are climate resilience and sustainable communities.
Within the career clusters are three cross-cutting clusters: Digital Technology, Management & Entrepreneurship, and Marketing & Sales. They “represent industry sectors but also include skills and careers that intersect with all other clusters,” according to a press release.
The framework also includes 12 career-ready practices that help to ensure that every program includes the skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace, such as “communicate clearly, effectively and with reason” and “demonstrate a creative and innovative mindset.”
It is representative of the entirety of the “world of work,” said Dan Hinderliter, associate director of state policy for Advance CTE, during a recent press briefing.
A common language
The framework also is more malleable and customizable so states, local agencies and CTE providers can adapt it to meet the needs of their labor market. It’s not meant to be prescriptive, but rather a “starting point,” said Advance CTE Executive Director Kate Kreamer.
The modernized framework can help stakeholders – states, local agencies, CTE educators, learners and industry – be “future-focused” so they can align with rapid changes,” added Katie Graham, state CTE director for the Nebraska Department of Education.
For CTE educators, in particular, the updated framework can help with the alignment, design and delivery of programs that are interdisciplinary, and it can strengthen career exploration and advising models. Kreamer also suggested that the framework is especially useful for colleges doing guided pathways work.
In addition, the inclusion of the cross-cutting clusters can help “de-silo” programs. Marketing & Entrepreneurship, for instance, can be incorporated into several programs, from cosmetology to agribusiness, noted Thalea Longhurst, director of career and technical education for the Utah State Board of Education and president of the Advance CTE board of directors.
CTE educators – and learners – can especially benefit from how the framework helps to create a common language that can be used across education and the industry. At the K-12 level, schools can incorporate career exploration and start students on a pathway that connects to the postsecondary level, using the same language.
The clusters and sub-clusters have helped to create a “true bridge” between secondary and postsecondary institutions, Kreamer said. That also benefits industry because skills aren’t talked about in several different, sometimes confusing, ways.
The structure of the framework also helps learners more easily realize the connection between the skills they’re learning and the occupations they’re preparing for, said Graham, who called the modernized framework a “game-changer.”
