Albuquerque Public Schools
Building Blocks of an Effective CTE Program
The foundation of APS CTE programs is based in the States' Career Clusters Initiative (CCI). The structure of CCI is the organization of industry and careers into groupings that have common academic and work related skills. Career Clusters organizes similar occupations and industries that link with what a student learns in school to the knowledge and skills needed for success in post-secondary education and future careers. A Career Pathway is a grouping of occupations within a Career Cluster that share common knowledge and skills. A Program of Study (POS) aligns secondary and post-secondary education elements, i.e., industry certifications and competencies which provide an integrated, multi-year sequence of contextual course curriculum, career guidance, and work-based/community learning experience that enables all students to make informed choices about their future careers. There are sixteen national Career Clusters. The state of New Mexico has adopted seven Career Clusters with 46 pathways that reflect the economy of the state.
New Mexico Seven Career Clusters
- Arts and Entertainment
- Business Services
- Communication and Information
- Energy and Environmental
- Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, and Agriculture
- Health and Biosciences
- Hospitality and Tourism
The critical components for student success are:
- Challenging, standards-based career and academic curriculum
- Integrated core academic standards in CTE courses
- Academic supports for student success
- Articulation with post-secondary education partners
- Ability to earn industry-based certification
- Strong business partnerships
- Strong advisory committees
- Work-based learning connected to academic and technical learning goals