Carl Perkins/Career & Technical Education (CTE)

The Carl Perkins Act defines career and technical education as organized educational programs offering sequences of courses directly related to preparing individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations requiring other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree. Programs include competency-based applied learning which contributes to an individual's academic knowledge, higher order reasoning, problem solving skills, and the occupational-specific skills necessary for economic independence as a productive and contributing member of society.

The current Minnesota Carl Perkins State Plan requires secondary and post-secondary educational institutions to come together, identify their local/regional consortium members and design a unified plan that addresses four primary goals in addition to sustaining the new consortium structure. Those four primary goals are: 1) Building Programs of Study, 2) Effectively utilizing employer, community and education partnerships, 3) Improving service to special populations, 4) Providing a continuum of service provision for enabling student transitions from school to school and school to employment.

The South Central Perkins Unified Plan

Within Perkins legislation are provisions for Tech Prep short for Technical Preparation which combines secondary and post-secondary education to give students valuable technical and academic training and plans a sequence of study in career and technical field.

Tech Prep Promotes Learning with a Purpose and Integrates Education. Tech Prep can help provide a road map for students as they begin planning for education and careers after high school. It also integrates Academic and technical courses to give students a mix of book learning and hands-on experience that allows real world application of learning. By utilizing a variety of teaching methods, tech prep efforts help learning occur in context.

Tech Prep Gives Students Skills that are Needed in the Workplace. All students eventually work, whether during high school, while attending college or upon graduation from college. Teaching students workplace readiness skills is one of the goals and benefits of Tech Prep.

Tech Prep Involves Employers in Education. Examples: Community businesses provide students and teachers with internship opportunities, business people talk with students about job requirements, skills needed on the job and provide pointers on interviewing skills, some businesses provide an opportunity to "shadow" an employee to learn more specific information about what a job is really about.

Tech Prep Allows Students to Earn College Credit while in High School. Students taking classes that have been articulated between a high school and a college and that earn a "B" or better as a final grade are awarded a Tech Prep College Credit Certificate and can take the certificate with them when registering for college classes. For example: A junior in high school takes a computer applications class that is articulated through Tech Prep. That student earns a final grade of a "B" and is awarded a certificate by the high school teacher. When the student registers for classes as a college freshman, he/she gives the registrar his/her Tech Prep College Credit Certificate and is awarded advanced placement standing on their transcript.

Click here for detailed information on the joint Tech Prep College Credit Certificate part of the Regional Southern Minnesota Tech Prep joint project.
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