Across the U.S., states are looking to expand pathways to economic mobility, particularly for young people. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered in high schools and community and technical colleges—which combine classroom instruction with practical experience and on-the-job training—not only give students exposure to the workforce, they also give them opportunities to develop meaningful skills and to earn industry-recognized credentials that can help students enter higher education or the workforce with valuable and demonstrable experience and expertise.

Traditionally, CTE programs offered coursework and training in traditional trades, like automotive technology, cosmetology, and carpentry. But, since the late 1990s, CTE programs have become both more structured in their delivery and more diverse in their offerings. Across the U.S., programs have expanded to offer training in growing—and often highly technical—sectors like information technology, engineering and robotics, and entrepreneurship. States’ and school districts’ investments in CTE programs can help students train for industries that operate in their local communities, offering students reliable pathways into the workforce and businesses a supply of motivated and qualified potential employees.

But the benefits of CTE go beyond forging connections between students and the workforce. Research shows that participating in CTE not only makes high schoolers more likely to graduate than their peers, it also means they are more likely to enroll in a postsecondary program and earn a postsecondary credential in their field. High schoolers who participate in CTE programs earn more as adults than similar students who don’t, and low-income, minoritized, and students with disabilities benefit the most from CTE.

While a substantial and growing body of research demonstrates the value of CTE, and many states appear eager to realize these benefits, expanding CTE is complex. Many CTE programs, particularly ones in high-demand fields like medical technology, cybersecurity, or renewable energy, require specific resources, including specialized equipment, dedicated facilities, trained instructors, and partnerships. School districts and community colleges need substantial and sustained funding and technical support to amass these resources and develop and implement high-quality programs aligned to local workforce demands. And aligning the career pathways in high schools and community colleges to the local workforce is an ongoing process of needs evaluation and reevaluation: schools need to ensure that the number of credentials they award stays commensurate with workforce demand so that these credentials continue to provide an edge to the students who earn them. Finally, integrating workforce skills into high schools as degree credentials can have unintended consequences, like students opting to graduate with the easiest credentials, rather than the ones that will help them bring meaningful experience and qualifications to the workforce.

Below, we overview some current policies and trends in CTE across the U.S. We highlight efforts to invest in and expand CTE in Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, and New York City. These contexts are innovating and strategizing to connect high school and college students to the workforce, have long-established and widespread programs, or have been the sites of rigorous research into CTE programs.

Ohio

CTE participation has increased modestly in Ohio since the pandemic, from about 128,000 high school students completing at least one CTE course during the 2020-21 school year to about 141,000 in 2023-24. The state is making concerted efforts to support CTE, with an eye toward boosting enrollment further: 

• In 2023-24, Ohio spent $718 million on CTE programs. This investment included a $300 million commitment to expand CTE in 2024-25 and 2025-26: $100 million for equipment upgrades and $200 million to expand or renovate facilities for CTE.
• The state budget includes additional funding for schools for each student they enroll in CTE for a high-priority career field.
• Ohio students can use industry credentials or demonstrate career readiness to fulfill graduation requirements.
• The state offers CTE in a range of different fields, some of which they offer to middle schoolers as well as high schoolers.
• Ohio also incentivizes businesses to partner with schools or community organizations to establish training programs and workforce pipelines across sectors.

A remaining challenge in Ohio is funding the expansion of CTE in urban schools, particularly ones that enroll more low-income students. Urban districts and charter schools received less than 4% of the funding the state made available in 2024 and 2025 for expanding CTE offerings. Similarly, urban schools received less than a tenth of the state’s incentive funding for enrolling CTE students in high-priority fields.

Texas

Texas has a longstanding commitment to coordinating efforts around career and technical education. In 2016, Governor Abbott established the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative, which brings together commissioners of the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Agency, and the Texas Workforce Commission. In 2022, the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative released a report that:

• Maps a work-based learning continuum that progresses from career exploration (like job shadowing and worksite tours) to career preparation (like internships and service learning) to career training (like apprenticeships and on-the-job training),
• Discusses the roles providers—including public schools, community and technical colleges, workforce boards, employers, and regional conveners—play in fostering high-quality workforce pathways, and describes how these stakeholders can collaborate, and
• Highlights seven principles—pathway alignment, incorporating meaningful tasks, identifying key skills, recognition and compensation, supporting academic progress, developing networks, and measuring shared progress—for high-quality pathways. Each principle includes practical and actionable indicators intended help providers design high-quality programs.

One component of Texas’ investment in work-based learning initiatives is Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH), where high schoolers from underserved populations or who have been identified as at risk of dropping out can earn certifications, their diplomas, and even associates degrees, at no cost. These schools offer work-based learning opportunities tied to regional workforce needs and dual enrollment courses that allow high school students to earn college credit. A study of Texas P-TECHs suggests that these programs boost the rates at which their students earn credit hours, associate degrees, and credentials, and shows that P-TECH students are more likely to be employed within a year after high school graduation.

Missouri

In his 2025 State of the State address, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe acknowledged that, though “In Missouri, we get a lot right when it comes to career and technical education…gaps remain, and we can do more to increase technical education to skill up our current and future workforce.” Ultimately, the state passed an additional $11 million to support career and technical center facilities in its 2025-26 budget, and dedicated another $1 million for high school college and career counseling. Governor Kehoe also convened a working group that surveyed over 5,000 Missourians on their perceptions of CTE and issued the following recommendations:

• Establish meaningful connections between business and industry, creating pipelines that directly link CTE to high-wage, high-demand careers using opportunities for real-world experience like internships, apprenticeships, or job shadowing.,
• Expand career counseling and career exploration, starting in early grades, and
• Promote CTE as a viable pathway for high school students.

In his 2026 budget proposal, Governor Kehoe highlighted the working group’s report, but pledged only $5 million for CTE programs. While calling attention to CTE is a step, enacting these recommendations will take stronger, sustained investment.

Michigan

In February 2026, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer proposed a budget that includes a $90 million investment to support a range of educational investments, including career and technical education. This comes a year after the State Board of Education passed a resolution recommending increased funding for CTE, particularly in districts where CTE participation is low. The Board points out that increased investment in CTE aligns to Michigan’s Strategic Education Plan, particularly its stated goal of increasing the percentage of adults with a post-secondary credential, and with Governor Whitmer’s own initiative that 60% of working-age Michiganders earn either a post-secondary degree or credential, and that access to these opportunities be equitable.

Meanwhile, Michigan-based researchers show that a large proportion of Michigan districts have lower-than-expected participation in CTE. In an assessment of CTE offerings and participation in Michigan, the researchers find that Black and low-income students have more limited access to CTE programs than other students. Another key finding is that districts with dedicated funding for CTE—levied through property taxes—offer more CTE programs. This points to a need for state support for districts with low tax bases that may be unable to levy an additional tax to fund CTE.

While Michigan has, over the years, nodded toward the need to expand CTE and make access more equitable, it’s time to leverage the political and public attention on CTE to make meaningful investments and pass policies that will back up the rhetoric.

Indiana

Indiana’s Career Apprenticeship Pathway (INCAP) will begin offering apprenticeships for high school students beginning in the fall of 2026. Like traditional CTE, this program combines classroom learning with on-the-job training. A key difference is that, as apprentices, INCAP students will be paid on the job while earning credit toward their high school diploma. Indiana and the coalition behind INCAP aim to scale the program so that it will be available to every Indiana high school student by 2034.

A notable component of INCAP is the cross-sector collaboration behind it. The coalition that formed INCAP included more than 300 representatives from business, K-12 and higher education, government, non-profit, and philanthropy, each making meaningful contributions to INCAP’s launch and success:

• The Indiana Department of Education modified high school graduation requirements in 2023 to emphasize employable skills and practical experience alongside academic competencies.
• Industry Talent Associations engage with employers to define the skills and knowledge students will need for the workforce, particularly in high-demand sectors.
• Educators work with employers to develop the school side of the INCAP curriculum.
• These initiatives were backed by a dedicated and sustained commitment from local philanthropic organizations. Moving forward, a combination of continued philanthropic funding, government funding, and investments from employers will support scaling INCAP.

Craft is leading a study of apprenticeship in Indiana, which has been a workforce development leader. We’re eager to explore how high school apprenticeship opportunities figure into this space.

New York City

New York City is an example of an urban district that provides broad access to CTE. There are over 260 CTE programs in New York, housed across 130 different schools, that offer training in 16 different sectors. Thirty-seven of the City’s high schools are explicitly focused on CTE. The district has also formed partnerships with the City and State University systems to offer college credit to high school students who complete CTE courses.

Early findings from an ongoing study of CTE in New York City suggest consistently high interest in CTE programs among high school students, with over 60% of students showing moderate or high interest over ten years of data. The researchers also find that students who attend CTE-focused schools are more likely to stay on track for earning diplomas than peers at non-CTE schools. They also have better attendance records and are just as likely to enroll in college.

While this study has produced a series of reports with promising initial findings, work is still ongoing to determine how CTE impacts students’ future employment and earnings. But even before we learn the study’s full results, New York City’s model of providing wide access to different CTE models—through dedicated CTE schools or programs in traditional high schools—and integrating CTE programming with local colleges and universities can serve as a model for other urban districts.

What’s next?

Across these examples, we see states investing in CTE, creating different CTE models to serve students, and aligning to local workforce needs to benefit both regional businesses and students. States can learn a lot from each other about strategies for establishing new programs, integrating key systems and supports to help students complete programs and successfully enter higher education or the workforce, structuring ongoing collaboration with local businesses, and identifying opportunities to engage in work-based learning. There are also cautionary tales of under-investment or inconsistent funding, credentials that carry little weight in higher education or the workforce, inequitable resources and access, and misalignment between CTE program offerings and local workforce needs. With CTE developing and expanding rapidly across the U.S., ongoing dialogue between researchers and policymakers is critical as we collectively identify the most promising programs and practices and structure longitudinal data systems that allow us to understand evolving dynamics of supply and demand.