The Career & Technical Education (CTE) Programs is responsible for developing and maintaining educational programs that prepare individuals for occupations important to Florida’s economic development.  These programs are organized into 17 different career clusters and are geared toward middle school, high school, district technical school, and Florida College System students throughout the state.  With the help of partners in education, business and industry, and trade associations, each program includes the academic and technical skills required to be successful in today’s economy.

Career academies are small, personalized learning communities within a high school that select a subset of students and teachers for a two-, three-, or four-year span. Students enter the academy through a voluntary process; they must apply and be accepted with parental knowledge and support.

A career academy includes the following essential elements:

• A small learning community
• A college-prep curriculum with a career theme
• Partnerships with employers, the community, and higher education

By design, these three central elements of a career academy lead to a school that is rigorous, relevant, and relational. As such, career academies are an excellent example of a reform model for Florida's policymakers and practitioners to consider.

Link: Florida Department of Education Career & Technical Education

Link: Get There: Florida's Workforce Education Initiative