Philly CTE - Career and Technical Education news, resources, and opportunities for Philadelphia students, teachers, and families.

Mixed unmarked practice parts illustrate interleaved technical skill practice.

Stop Blocking the Practice — Start Shuffling It: Interleaved Practice in the CTE Lab

If you teach welding, auto, electrical, manufacturing, healthcare, IT, or construction, you probably run practice the same way every other CTE teacher does. You drill weld joint A until it…

Bob Young October 11, 2026

An unmarked automated manufacturing cell illustrates demand for technical skills.

CTE News

Manufacturing Week Closes With 1.9 Million Job Gap and a Stalled K-12 Pipeline

Manufacturing Week 2026 closed on Friday with a familiar headline, but the number underneath it has moved the wrong way again. The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte now project that 1.9…

Bob Young October 11, 2026

CTE students use a visual sorting routine to reflect on skills readiness.

Educational Resources

SWOT Before the Test: A Low-Prep CTE Formative Self-Assessment

A CTE student preparing for an industry certification, end-of-program performance assessment, or NOCTI/NIMS written exam usually has no structured way to diagnose their own readiness. They walk in feeling "ready"…

Bob Young October 4, 2026

CTE students build skilled-trades capacity through hands-on technical work.

CTE News

Sonderling at DOL, JFF’s 2.1M Trades Gap: What CTE Should Build Now

The Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as Secretary of Labor on September 30, 2026, by a 47–41 vote — the same day JFF released The State of America's Skilled Trades, a…

Bob Young October 4, 2026

A CTE instructor coaches students through a simulation rehearsal before live equipment practice.

Educational Resources

Practice the Dangerous Stuff First — In Simulation

Headline: A rehearsal layer in simulation, designed around feedback and repetition, builds procedural skill and safety before students touch live equipment — without costing you more machines. Every CTE instructor…

Bob Young September 27, 2026

CTE students and an instructor review career pathway options in a technical training lab.

CTE News

The Jobs America Is Adding Are CTE Jobs

Headline: BLS's 2025–35 projections show the fastest-growing occupations are almost all skills taught in CTE labs — which turns the real question from "is there demand?" to "will our program…

Bob Young September 27, 2026

A CTE instructor guides students as they measure a machined practice part with a caliper.

Educational Resources

The Math Is Already in the Lab: Embed Contextualized Math Into CTE Procedures

An HVAC instructor in a Philadelphia shop watches a student measure, convert, and cut every day — fractions to decimals, tolerance checks, gauge readings — and never once calls it…

Bob Young September 20, 2026

CTE students meet with an instructor and college-pathway advisor around a technical lab workbench.

CTE News

Dual Enrollment Is Proven — Why Are CTE Students Still Left Out?

A counselor in any Pennsylvania high school can point to the same awkward gap: the student who mastered a precision machining sequence, earned a welding certification, or completed a clinical…

Bob Young September 20, 2026

A CTE instructor coaches students as they perform and inspect a hands-on technical task.

Educational Resources

Stop Watching, Start Doing: Think-Alouds and Self-Monitoring Checklists for CTE Lab Learning

Week 3 of the CTE semester is the moment when instructors are moving students from orientation into the first real technical procedures — HVAC refrigerant handling, welding strikes, surgical prep,…

Bob Young September 13, 2026

CTE students practice technical skills with an instructor and industry mentor in a training lab.

CTE News

Federal Apprenticeship Hits 714,000: What the CTE Program Design Question Means for Pennsylvania

The Department of Labor's annual Registered Apprenticeship snapshot usually draws attention from workforce policy circles. This year's number — 714,050 active apprentices nationwide — is getting broader notice. But for…

Bob Young September 13, 2026