…I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.” President Obama, State of the Union Address, February 2009

Career and Technical Education (CTE) gives high school students, like you, the chance to get a head start on preparing for college and careers. In CTE programs you will learn how core school subjects like math, science and writing are used in real-life. As a CTE student you have the opportunity to participate in hands-on training in your chosen program and gain real world experience through job shadows and internships. Many programs offer you the opportunity to earn nationally recognized certifications which you can use to get a job to pay for college or as the start of your career!

CTE Clusters

The industries which you can choose to study are:

TO PARTICIPATE

Are you in interested in participating in a College and Career Academy or a neighborhood high school CTE program?

College and Career Academies are new, state of the art CTE programs, currently offered across multiple industries at 11 schools dispersed throughout the city. They are open to all interested students, with no attendance area boundaries - students with ISAT Math and Reading Stanine scores at or above 5 receive preference in admissions. To attend, you must apply while in 8th grade and be accepted. To review the list of College and Career Academies and to download and print the application, please click the link below. The application deadline has been extended to JANUARY 20, 2010. All applications must be received by this date.

If you are already in high school or would like to attend a school that does not have a College and Career Academy you may participate in a CTE program that is available at approximately 50 neighborhood high schools throughout the city. See the list of CTE Programs of CTE programs being offered for the 2010-2011 school year to find out which options are available at your neighborhood school. These programs typically do not require an application, and you may choose your program during the 9th grade year once you are already enrolled in high school; however, any high school may have its own application process (please refer to CPS High School Directory for further details on any specific school's application process). The Law and Public Safety and Medical & Health Careers programs are exceptions, as they require an application along with additional submissions (for example: minimum GPA, letters of recommendation, interviews) for admission. To find out the specific requirements, please check out the individual program pages