Celebrating CTE Awareness Month this February

Did you know that February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Awareness Month? 

If you’ve been following the Think College Network, then you know we have been focusing on expanding access to CTE for students with ID through a Collaborative Workgroup. The CTE Collaborative Workgroup is led by me and my colleague, Dr. Drew Andrews, at the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities (FCSUA). We were chosen to lead the CTE Collaborative Workgroup because of our experience supporting a number of inclusive postsecondary education programs on CTE campuses. 

The CTE Collaborative Workgroup has been busy the past few months. We have been networking and speaking with existing CTE professionals about postsecondary education options for students with intellectual disability (ID). In October, Drew presented at the Division on Career Development and Transition’s conference in Reno, NV. The presentation was titled, Expanding CTE Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disability. The audience had some fantastic insights and questions throughout the presentation. He expanded the outreach of the workgroup by enlisting attendees to join the workgroup and to contribute to the community of other CTE professionals across the country.  

In November, I presented on including students with ID in CTE at the Association for Career and Technical College’s (ACTE) VISION 2023 Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Attendance for a session on this topic was the highest it has ever been, with more than 30 attendees! At the conclusion of the presentation, a welding instructor from Grants Pass, Oregon told me about a peer mentoring program that began almost naturally in one of his classes. He told me about a student with a disability who refused to get anywhere near the welding tools. The instructor was not having much success when another student came over and walked the student through the assignment for the day. They continued to work together, and the student is now on track to complete the welding program. The instructor is working with his administration to forge peer mentorships for students in similar situations. The welding faculty member shared “I love welding and I have a soft spot for kids with disabilities because my mentor has a disability… I owe it to him to do what I can.”  

I’m excited to report that I have been selected as a 2024 ACTE NextLevel Leadership Fellow (learn more here). My project is to increase postsecondary opportunities for people with intellectual disability. I plan to work on addressing obstacles that can limit the success for students with ID in CTE programs, many of which were brought up by the attendees at my recent ACTE session.  

Here are some of the obstacles: 

1. Not enough staffing 

2. Not enough funding 

3. Staff attitudes, biases, and resistance 

4. Difficulty transitioning from secondary education 

5. Hesitance from administration 

6. Lack of knowledge about Perkins V funds 

7. Motivating faculty to complete professional development 

8. Student attitudes and biases 

I look forward to working with other CTE workgroup members, as well as people from across the country, to address these obstacles and work towards making postsecondary CTE programs more accessible to students with ID. 

In other CTE news, a bipartisan bill (H.R. 6585) that will lower the Pell requirements to 150 clock hours or 8 weeks has been introduced at the federal level. This is a drastic drop and opens the door for more postsecondary students to receive Pell funding to support their postsecondary CTE pursuits. While the bill is not expected to take effect until 2025, it marks a major shift in funding, inclusion, and equity. We will keep you posted on this bill and its implications. 

About the post author: Christian Zimmerman M.Ed. is a Technical Assistance Coordinator at the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities working with existing and potential technical colleges to develop their Florida Postsecondary Transition Programs (FPCTPs). He is currently working with the Think College Network to support the CTE Collaborative Workgroup.