Career Technical Education Credential Program (CTE)
Purpose
Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers provide students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. In total, approximately 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE across the nation. To teach CTE courses, one must have work experience in a specific subject or industry sector and hold a three-year Preliminary Designated Subjects CTE Credential.
Vision
The vision of the CTE Program is to inspire a community of teachers to create learning environments where every student's voice is valued, dreams are empowered, unique talents are cultivated, and full potential is revealed.
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What is the Career Technical Education Credential Program?
The CTE program offers two credential options to prepare educators for teaching in career and technical education classrooms. It combines credentialing, mentorship, and field-based experience to ensure candidates are fully equipped for success.
To enter the program, candidates must meet preliminary requirements including work verification of at least 3 years of full-time experience or 3,000 hours of part-time experience, high school diploma verification, CPR certification (infant, child, and adult), a CTC active document, and completion of pre-service coursework.
Thanks to the CTE program redesign, candidates are no longer required to hold a teaching position as a prerequisite for earning the CTE credential. The pathway is now more flexible, allowing individuals to complete the required preparation, mentorship, and field-based experiences while pursuing employment opportunities, making it more accessible to a wider range of educators.
Career Technical Education Preliminary Credential Process
Learn more about the pathways and requirements to earn a preliminary CTE Credential.
Program Information Dates
Ready to take the first step toward your teaching career? Sign up for an information session today!
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Industry Sectors
Do you have work experience in one of the 15 CTC-approved industry sectors? If so, obtaining a CTE credential would allow you to use your work experience to teach students in courses aligned with your industry sector. Learn more about the CTE industry sector chart.
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CTE Staff
Courtney Kirchman, Program Manager
courtney.kirchman@tcoe.org
Perla Arredondo, Recruitment Analyst
perla.arredondo@tcoe.org
Non-Discrimination Policy
TCOE’s Educator Preparation Programs do not discriminate against or permit harassment of any applicant on the basis of the person’s actual or perceived race, religious creed, color, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex, or sexual orientation.