By Vicki Thompson, Senior Director, Workforce Growth Partnerships
Reflecting on a Career in CTE
As National CTE Month comes to a close, I’ve found myself reflecting on my career in the Career and Technical Education field. I spent more than 20 years in postsecondary CTE, a branch that often receives less attention than traditional secondary programs. The landscape of CTE today looks very different from what existed when I was in high school many moons ago. Today’s students are focused, career-driven, and eager for work-based learning opportunities. Watching that evolution has been inspiring.
Now, in my 10th year as a consultant focused on workforce and education, I can see even more clearly the impact CTE has on communities at large.
Where It All Began
My introduction to CTE came in 1995 when I walked through the doors of the Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Ohio. I was immediately impressed. I saw high school students thriving in an environment designed to foster exploration, growth, and excellence in their chosen fields.
And it was my next 20 years, working within the adult postsecondary side of CTE, that truly reshaped my understanding of how powerful career education can be.
Every year, my favorite event was the adult student graduation ceremony. The emotion, the pride, and the visible transformation of students who had invested in themselves were unmatched.
A Career Path I Never Expected
Ironically, working at a career and technical center wasn’t something I had planned. When I entered college, I originally chose education as my major. Before I even took a single education course, however, a family friend talked me out of it.
I pivoted a couple of more times, first to accounting, which I quickly discovered wasn’t for me, and eventually to marketing. A single marketing class piqued my interest, and I changed my major to advertising and public relations, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Youngstown State University.
Even with a business degree, I never drifted far from educating and training others. My first job out of college was with a nonprofit organization focused on promoting cooperation between labor and management. Through that work and the training I received from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Work in Northeast Ohio Council (WINOC), I developed facilitation skills that became foundational to my career.
I supported labor-management quality and safety teams in collaboratively solving workplace challenges. During one of those sessions at a steel mill, a woman approached me and asked whether I had ever considered bringing my facilitation skills to the local CTE center. That unexpected question opened a new door, one that led me into the field of education I had once imagined joining.
I accepted the opportunity and spent several years coordinating and providing leadership training and human-capital development courses, and I also became an ACT Job Profiler®. Eventually, I was asked to serve as interim director of the CTE’s adult training center. I gladly accepted and began graduate coursework in education to become the official adult director.
That decision changed everything.
I held the position for more than a decade, leading a team to implement Pell-eligible programs in healthcare, the building trades, manufacturing, and IT, while also helping develop customized training, apprenticeship-related instruction, and ABLE programming. It was a busy and fulfilling role.
The Heart of CTE: Transforming Lives
It’s difficult to put into words how fulfilling it is to watch people transform their lives within a single year through education.
One of my favorite memories involves a three-year-old boy who would run from his father’s arms (he was attending our evening auto service program) straight into his mother’s arms, who was enrolled in our LPN program during the day. That family was committed to building a better future through CTE. Mom’s program began at 7:00 AM, and Dad’s program ended at 10:00 PM. What a privilege it was to watch and support them.
Postsecondary CTE graduations are deeply emotional events. These ceremonies bring together parents, children, mentors, and entire support networks. Postsecondary CTE doesn’t just affect students; it strengthens families and communities by equipping individuals with skills that help them contribute meaningfully at home and in the workforce.
A New Era for Postsecondary CTE
CTE is entering a new era of national recognition. While those of us within the field have long understood that successful CTE students can earn sustainable wages, continue education through articulated college credits, and advance rapidly as incumbent workers, awareness of these opportunities has grown significantly outside our walls.
And with the new Workforce Pell initiative launching this summer, postsecondary CTE is more visible and more vital than ever.
Why I’m Proud to Be a CTE Professional
Career and Technical Education changes lives.
Postsecondary CTE multiplies that impact.
And that is why I am proud to be a CTE professional.