A career and technology based education will help your child to be more than just an average student. Career and technology education can give your child what’s needed to succeed for life: technical skills, academic skills and employability skills. In addition, career and technical education helps students see how what they’re learning applies to the needs of employers.

Regardless of whether students are headed for college or the workforce, this type of education will help them prepare for the future. In fact, college-bound students can get job experiences to help them define their career plans, identify an appropriate course of study and help pay for tuition.

Just think of the benefits your child will receive by gaining not only a solid foundation in academics, but also hands-on, technical experience and know-how.

The Manufacturing and Product Development sector provides a foundation for secondary students in California in manufacturing processes and systems, including graphic design production, machine tooling and forming, welding and materials joining, and product innovation and design. Students engage in an instructional program that integrates academic and technical preparation and focuses on career awareness, career exploration, and skill preparation in four pathways. The pathways emphasize real-world, occupationally relevant experiences of significant scope and depth in manufacturing. The knowledge and skills are acquired within a sequential, standards-based pathway program that integrates hands-on, project-based, and work-based instruction. Standards in this sector are designed to prepare students for entry to a career, postsecondary education, or advanced technical training.

This sector is designed to provide a foundation in transportation services for all industrial technology education students in California. There are eight focus areas that fall under the Transportation sector, each with different career opportunities. The focus areas are On-Road; Off-Road; Stationary; Rail; Water/Sea; Air; Space; and Small Engines and Specialty Equipment. The pathways in the Transportation sector emphasize real-world, occupationally relevant experiences of significant scope and depth in three areas: Operations, Structural Repair and Refinishing, and Systems Diagnostics, Service, and Repair. The standards are designed to integrate academic and technical preparation and focus on career awareness, career exploration, and skill preparation in the three pathways. Integral components include classroom, laboratory, and hands-on contextual learning; project- and work-based instruction; and leadership development. The standards in this sector prepare students for continued training, postsecondary education, and entry to a career.

A public service is one that is provided by government to its citizens, either directly or through the financing of another entity to provide that service. Careers in public service are unique because they center on challenging issues that define the public agenda and involve the provision of vital services to the public—from local to international levels. Public service professions offer many career opportunities, including the following career pathways: Public Safety, Emergency Response, and Legal Practices. Students engage in an instructional program that integrates academic and technical preparation and focuses on career awareness, career exploration, skill preparation in the industry, and preparation for postsecondary education and training. Knowledge and skills are learned and applied within a sequential, standards-based pathway program that integrates classroom, laboratory, and project- and work-based instruction. Standards in this sector are designed to prepare students for technical training, postsecondary education, and entry-level employment