by Julie Lammers, The Hechinger Report
February 19, 2026
Sitting in a classroom and being lectured day after day isn’t any method to excite younger individuals about studying. College students need instructional experiences that interact them, hyperlink classroom classes to real-world relevance and assist them discover the that means behind what they’re studying in class.
Many younger individuals at the moment are discovering that type of studying in high-quality profession and technical education schemes all through the nation that train studying experiences aligned to present business wants. Meaning alternatives to discover profession potentialities that match their strengths and pursuits and assist construct key technical and sturdy abilities.
It wasn’t all the time this fashion.
In 2019, solely 13 p.c of fogeys believed that hands-on CTE programming was effectively suited to high-achieving college students, as a substitute of for individuals who struggled with conventional studying.
But in a survey final yr, greater than a 3rd (35 p.c) of center and highschool dad and mom stated that prime college CTE applications are greatest suited to high-achieving college students, signaling a shift that even those that excel academically can and may profit from hands-on studying.
Attitudes towards postsecondary CTE, nondegree applications (commerce colleges, business certifications, know-how boot camps, apprenticeships, et cetera) are additionally altering: The proportion of fogeys preferring nondegree pathways over conventional faculty for his or her youngsters has elevated 6 factors over the previous six years to 17 p.c, in line with the survey by Britebound, previously American Pupil Help, the place I function president and CEO.
Dad and mom are actually acknowledging there are extra partaking methods to arrange younger individuals for his or her future, demonstrating a rising acceptance of a wider array of education-to-career applications. The shift is critical as a result of dad and mom are each the decision-makers for his or her youngsters’ Okay-12 schooling and the main influencers within the postsecondary plans for youngsters.
And whereas standard knowledge has lengthy maintained that the one path to profession success includes a school diploma, that’s now not the case. Virtually 1 in 5 staff with out a diploma earned greater than the median faculty graduate wage of $70,000 yearly, whereas about 2 million staff with out levels earned greater than six figures a yr, current analysis by The Burning Glass Institute and Britebound revealed.
The analysis additionally uncovered essential selections that put people on a path to those profitable careers, starting with their first job. These workers began their careers in sure entry-level roles or “launchpad jobs” that supply a mixture of fine pay and advantages, job stability and alternatives for fast profession progress.
The report recognized 73 launchpad jobs in quite a lot of industries, though a lot of them skew towards technical work. Examples embrace EMTs, electricians, financial institution tellers and different jobs that require abilities taught in CTE applications.
These are actually gateways to launchpad jobs, and professions constructed on the sturdy abilities basis present in CTE applications. Along with studying in-demand technical and sturdy abilities, these college students gained:
- Palms-on coaching: By giving college students the chance to use their technical and sturdy abilities to actual initiatives, they acquire useful expertise that provides them a aggressive benefit when making use of for his or her first job.
- Trade mentors: Connecting younger individuals with working professionals ensures they’ve well timed, real looking details about careers, together with salaries, job safety, coaching necessities and alternatives for development.
- Clear pathways: Some CTE applications enable college students to earn certifications alongside the best way, serving to them navigate a path to skilled success.
- Sturdy abilities: Common abilities that employers are demanding, whatever the subject, are usually known as sturdy abilities. These are the sorts of abilities that each employee wants whatever the job and might switch from one subject to the following, like collaboration, communication, flexibility and problem-solving. A examine by America Succeeds discovered that70 p.c of essentially the most requested abilities in almost 82 million job postings are sturdy abilities. They’re competencies which might be useful not only for any profession, but additionally for grownup life.
These advantages present why college students ought to think about CTE applications. Influencers — together with dad and mom, educators and counselors — might help by studying extra about out there CTE alternatives to allow them to greatest advise younger individuals based mostly on their pursuits and strengths.
Whatever the postsecondary pathway pursued, one vital piece of the puzzle that’s lacking in making that call is the chance for younger individuals to discover their choices prior to creating a post-high college alternative.
College students who’re uncovered to profession exploration alternatives and CTE applications, or who full a career-readiness studying alternative like an internship or entrepreneurial expertise, are considerably extra ready to know the sorts of profession coaching that can match their aspirations, abilities and profession objectives.
Sadly, far too many college students depart highschool with out this chance for profession schooling. As an alternative, they select postsecondary schooling aimlessly, somewhat than pursuing choices aligned with their profession objectives.
We should do a greater job in serving to excessive schoolers put together for the trail forward of them by guaranteeing they’ve entry to sources that assist them perceive all of their choices and pathways to success, together with entry to all kinds of CTE applications.
Julie Lammers is president and CEO of Britebound, previously American Pupil Help.
This opinion piece about profession and technical schooling was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, unbiased information group targeted on inequality and innovation in schooling. Join the Hechinger e-newsletter.
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