Use promising practices and labor market data to strategically develop future-ready K-12 CTE programs that are meaningful to learners and employers alike.
Research shows career and technical education (CTE) opens doors to student success and interest in career-connected learning is at an all-time high. But the labor market is changing and CTE programs that aren’t attuned to industry demands could hinder students and heighten workforce skill gaps.
Download Hanover’s infographic, 5 Practices to Strengthen CTE Programs, to explore how to deepen program impact with data-driven strategies, including:
- Labor market analysis
- CTE programming gap analysis
- Surveys and focus groups
- Community asset mapping
“While CTE-related programming is widespread and largely successful in engaging K-12 students, many learners don’t experience enough of it, and many employers don’t see enough workplace impact.“
Preparing K-12 Students for a Rapidly Evolving Labor Market
In 2025–26, K-12 organizations are increasingly expected to deliver stronger college and career readiness outcomes and ROI for students. And while CTE-related programs have bloomed across the U.S. in recent years, CTE accounts for less than 10% of high school students’ total credits.
But expanding or improving career readiness and workforce development programming in a resource-challenged era is no small feat. To improve the effectiveness of CTE activities, it’s critical for K-12 leaders to consider how to thoughtfully employ research and evidence to drive program decisions and resource allocations.
K-12 organizations with innovative and successful CTE programming — including those that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technology — collaborate with multiple partners and use labor market data to keep pace with workforce trends.
Hanover’s new infographic outlines five key strategies any K-12 school, district, or agency can use to expand career-connected opportunities for students to prepare them for future jobs and fulfill long-term employer needs across industries.
