Career and Technical Education (CTE) is more than just hands-on learning—it’s a pathway to success for students of all backgrounds, abilities, and interests. As we celebrate Career Tech Education Month, we want to bring special attention to the positive impact that our Career-Technical Planning Districts (CTPDs) have in preparing students to become ready employees. At the Educational Service Center (ESC) of Central Ohio, five CTPDs stand out as active and invested client district partners: Columbus City Schools, Delaware Area Career Center, Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, South-Western Career Academy, and Tolles Career and Technology Center. When coupled with the $3.3 billion Work-Based Learning (WBL) investment goal in the central Ohio region, our CTPDs are an integral part of what draws new businesses (One Columbus, 2025). It's essential to recognize the power of CTE in fostering learner engagement as they equip students with the skills to hit the ground running within existing career pathways and new industries, alike. Whether through specialized support for students with multiple abilities, opportunities for English learners, programs that inspire women in STEM fields, or guiding field trips and mentorships for middle school students, CTE helps break barriers and open doors to in-demand careers. In this blog, we’ll explore ways educators and communities can champion Career Technical Education and WBL, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive in their chosen career path.
Understanding Access for All Students
“Career Technical Education (CTE) provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. In total, about 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE across the nation.” – Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Because CTPDs have such a broad reach there is growing emphasis on the value of CTE on its own or in conjunction with certifications, university degrees, and real-world experiences. Ohio, for instance, awarded 73,604 associate degrees and certificates to CTE concentrators (Advance CTE, 2023). Looking ahead, our CTPDs work hard to ensure as many students are prepared with real-world skills and, when possible, as much experience as possible. For example, Columbus City Schools is the largest school district in Ohio and Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, the seventh-largest career technical center in Ohio, serves 16 school districts across more than 700 square miles, so providing robust CTE experiences means scaffolding many students from a wide range of backgrounds (Eastland-Fairfield, 2025; ODEW Enrollment Data, 2025). From marketing to exploratory experiences, knowing their audiences is essential to meeting students where they are. Each of our CTPDs is connected to a range of student populations. To provide a visual for what this can look like, take a look at Figures 1 and 2, below, which shows the demographic breakdown of Ohio’s high school student CTE enrollment:
Our CTPDs collaborate with many stakeholder groups to make these opportunities happen for our students. One example of how the work happens is through outcomes produced (or inspired) by the Central Ohio Workforce Readiness Collaborative (COWRC), which encourages interdistrict communication and collaboration. COWRC connects CTPDs, businesses, community organizations, and local schools to prepare students through graduation. This collaborative not only encourages students to explore the local, regional, and national workforce landscape, but educators are also invited to participate in professional development and presentation opportunities that update them on the evolution of career fields across the 16 career clusters.
To provide a continuum of exploratory experiences to all students our CTPDs collaborate to encourage career awareness and opportunity in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and CTEs. Much of this work connects to target outcomes and outputs to which COWRC has committed for the Career Z Challenge. As awardees, "Target Populations” is defined to include (but is not limited to) students of different genders, students who are economically disadvantaged, students of all races and ethnicities, foster youth, English learners, and varied-abilitied students. Leading organizations, such as Advance CTE and Association for Career and Technical Education, wrestle with exploring solutions for barriers, such as access to resources and finding representative CTE instructors across all student and community populations (Advance CTE, 2024).
Currently, there are exciting headlines state-wide and in the Central Ohio region. Examples include: “New Projects Expected to Create 450 Jobs, More Than $132 Million in Investments” (Office of the Governor: State of Ohio, 2024); “Industries in Ohio: The state’s diverse industries leverage Ohio’s strengths and propel future investment and job growth.” (JobsOhio, 2025); and “Anduril Industries to build massive plant in Ohio, DeWine says” (News5 Cleveland, 2025). Our CTPDs produce ready employees that impact the communities and career opportunities developing all around us. Further, considering how full many of these programs are, students are interested in developing these skills as well. WBL opportunities for all students lay the foundation for skill and interest development as well as access to potential untapped workforce in all existing and incoming populations. Increasing access requires intentional outreach, mentorship programs, and culturally responsive teaching methods.
Partnerships between schools and community organizations can create and deepen pathways that address these challenges, positively impacting students, businesses, and communities, including students with invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities, often hidden from plain view, present unique challenges for students in Career and Technical Education (CTE). These include conditions such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, autoimmune diseases, and autism spectrum disorders that may not be immediately apparent but significantly impact learning and engagement. These students may struggle with executive functioning, organization, or social interactions, necessitating and career exploration opportunities through graduation.
By recognizing these challenges, our CTPDs and partnering stakeholders (e.g., educators, educational leaders, policy makers, industry sector partners, students, etc.) can employ tailored strategies, such as career interest and skill inventories, individualized education plans (IEPs), individualized career plans, one-on-one mentoring, and flexible assessment methods to ensure equitable access to CTE opportunities. Often, school counselors and intervention specialists are tasked with much of this work. However, creating an effective education ecosystem that intentionally incorporates CTE and WBL opportunities within existing curriculum structures necessitates a mindset shift to share this responsibility among their CTE instructors, classroom teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and business leaders.
Current Trends in Engaging All Learners in CTE and Work-Based Learning
In our CTPDs and client districts, we see educators and educational leaders designing programs that thoughtfully ensure all students can access opportunities that lead them to thrive in CTE, WBL, and through graduation. Differentiated instruction and universal design for learning (UDL) are two key strategies for today’s virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning environments. Differentiated instruction adapts teaching methods and materials to meet diverse learning needs, while UDL ensures that curriculum and assessments are accessible to everyone from the start. For example, incorporating visual aids and hands-on learning activities can make CTE programs more engaging for students with varied abilities. Additionally, frameworks such as Community and Career Connected Learning, Ecosystem Learning, Durable Skills, and Work-Based Learning (WBL) offer a continuum of options for students, businesses, educators, and community members to involve themselves in the investment that is preparing our students for their futures.
Recent legislative efforts, such as the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), emphasize expanding access to CTE for special populations. States like Washington have led the way by allocating specific funding for programs that serve students with varied abilities or those in high-need areas. These policies highlight the importance of systemic support in making CTE more inclusive.
Exemplifying how technology has emerged as a powerful tool in addressing diverse learning needs, assistive technologies, such as text-to-speech software, can help students across ability levels access materials. Similarly, digital platforms that offer adaptive learning can support English Learners (ELs)—students whose primary language is not English—by providing language translation and customized learning experiences. This reduces CTE-participation barriers such as language proficiency, cultural adjustment, and limited access to resources.
The ESC’s Initiatives and Success Stories
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce shares data of Success Stories on this topic throughout the state here. Additionally, South-Western Career Academy and Delaware Area Career Center, two of our client district CTPDs, each earned a 5-Star report card rating, exceeding state standards in achievement, graduation rates, and career and post-secondary readiness (DACC, 2025; South-Western, 2025). Additionally, Tolles Career and Technology Center serves multiple school districts, including Dublin, Hilliard, and London, providing students with diverse career-technical programs that prepare them for both immediate employment and further education. For example, Tolles students gain valuable, marketable skills by managing and operating real-world businesses as part of their training. These hands-on programs include a licensed preschool, salon, restaurant, pet grooming center, automotive service centers, construction services, graphic design services, a school store, and computer/technical support (Tolles, 2025). All our CTPDs are so involved in engaging students that I would encourage you to check out the student success stories that each CTPD proudly posts on their websites and social media pages.
Other successful programs, such as the Title III English Learner Consortium provides professional development opportunities that equip educators with strategies to better support ELs in CTE environments. By offering professional development workshops, the Consortium equips educators with tools to integrate language learning with technical skill development. These efforts ensure that ELs are not only linguistically prepared but also technically skilled for future careers. Additionally, programs like Campus-Based Transition partnerships and Project SEARCH internships highlight the ESC’s dedication to varied-ability students. These initiatives provide hands-on experiences that prepare students for the workforce, fostering independence and confidence. Another example of this is the ESC’s Amazing Futures program, which connects varied-ability students to real-world career opportunities, creating a bridge between education and employment. More information regarding how to get connected with these programs is available on our website.
Opportunity and Improvement
In celebration of CTE month—and all that our CTPDs accomplish—it is worth noting that our CTPDs are still having conversations with critics and working to understand the obstacles that students, educators, and employers experience when they engage in these opportunities. For example, age restrictions, funding sourcing, and the need for increased access to specialized resources disproportionately affect some students and businesses more than others. Additionally, emphasis to increase educator training and awareness of scaled economic developments is emerging to encourage more effective implementation of intentional and personalized practices.
Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach. Building stronger community partnerships can provide additional resources and mentorship opportunities. Advocating for increased funding and inclusive policies at the state and local levels can ensure sustainable improvements. Moreover, investing in educator training—such as workshops offered by the ESC, Regional Tech Prep, and CTPDs—can equip teachers with the skills needed to support all learners effectively. Together, our CTPDs, educators, policymakers, and community members have abundant opportunities to collaborate and expand these wonderful opportunities to all students. As a reader celebrating CTE Month with us, perhaps you have innovative ideas for more ways to get involved in creating a future where our students can explore multiple routes to achieving their career pathway goals through graduation and into our communities. Check out the additional resources, below, for more ideas on where you might want to start.
Additional Resources & Readings
- Special Education Services: https://www.escco.org/SpecialEducation.aspx
Use the link above to check out resources for and information on topics and programs such as: Campus-Based Transition, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Early Learning Peer Model Program, ED Collaborative Learning Centers, Instructional Coaching, Low Incidence, Specialized On-Site Support Team, Structured Teaching for Autistic and Communications-Delayed Kids (STACK), Structured Teaching Reinforced in a Visual Environment (STRIVE), and Transitioning for Success.
- English Learners: https://www.escco.org/EnglishLearners.aspx
Use the link above to check out resources for and information on topics and programs such as: Title III English Learner Consortium, Upcoming Professional Development and Events, Educator Resources, and Supporting Newcomers.
- Family and Community Partnerships: https://www.escco.org/FamilyCommunityPartnerships.aspx
Use the link above to check out resources for and information on topics and programs such as: Family, School & Community Resources; A.C.T. Newsletter; and Professional Development Opportunities
- College and Career/Workforce Success: https://www.escco.org/CollegeandCareerSuccess.aspx
Use the link above to check out resources for and information on topics and programs such as: Amazing Futures, Business Advisory Council, Educator Workforce Bootcamp, Pathway Development, Pre-Apprenticeship Program Support, Project Zero, Success Network, and Work-Based Learning.
References
- Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. (n.d.). College and Career/Workforce Success. Retrieved from https://www.escco.org/CollegeandCareerSuccess.aspx
- Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. (n.d.). English Learners. Retrieved from https://www.escco.org/EnglishLearners.aspx
- Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. (n.d.). Special Education Services. Retrieved from https://www.escco.org/SpecialEducation.aspx
- U.S. Department of Education. (2019). Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V).
- Universal Design for Learning Guidelines. (n.d.). CAST. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org
- National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity. (2020). Equity in Career and Technical Education.
- Hendry, Gillian, et al. "“I just stay in the house so I Don’t need to explain”: a qualitative investigation of persons with invisible disabilities." Disabilities 2.1 (2022): 145-163. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/2/1/12/pdf
- McLeod, Jane D. "Invisible disabilities and inequality." Social Psychology Quarterly 86.1 (2023): 6-29. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01902725231153307
Acknowledgements
Special thank you to Robb Gonda and Kristina Lucas for their input and collaboration on the content of this blog.
Before earning her doctorate in Educational Administration, specializing in Comparative and International Educational Leadership, Claire Ramsey cultivated a diverse background in education and community engagement. She taught in secondary classrooms both in the United States (US) and abroad, coached swimming and triathlon athletes, and volunteered as a tutor for English literacy and English as a Second Language programs. Her professional journey spans teaching and research experiences across the US, France, Bolivia, Kenya, Germany, and Finland, enriching her global perspective on education.
Claire’s research adopts an appreciative lens, focusing on themes such as place-based education, community and career-connected learning, sustainable education systems, and global educational leadership. Her work emphasizes fostering meaningful connections between educational institutions, communities, and careers while advocating for inclusive practices in education worldwide.