Minnesota’s most successful Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher mentoring and induction program.

With more than 20 years of experience mentoring new agriculture & natural resources, business & marketing, family & consumer, health/human services, trade & industry, and work-based learning teachers, our CTE Teacher Induction Program (TIP) and the advanced mentoring programs give you the tools to be successful.

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CTE Teacher Induction Program (TIP)

Introductory mentoring and induction for secondary teachers new to the profession who are in need of support with foundations of CTE and basic pedagogy/instruction, most often Tier 1 and Tier 2 teachers, or those teaching on an Out-of-Field Permission. CTE TIP offers free curriculum, mentoring, professional development, and resources.

License-Specific Teacher Induction Programs (TIP)

Advanced mentoring and induction for those who have recently completed a teacher preparation program (Tier 3) or those who have completed CTE TIP (Tier 2 or Tier 3) and need license-specific support to build a program, design and adopt curriculum, and enhance their teaching and pedagogy. Tier 1 or 2 teachers should first complete CTE TIP.

Teacher Introductory Mentoring

Career & Technical Education (CTE) TIP

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Teacher License-Specific Mentoring

Ag, Food, & Natural Resources (AFNR) TIP Business & Marketing (B&M) TIP Family & Consumer Science (FCS) TIP Health/Human Services Education (HSE) TIP Trade & Industry (T&I) TIP Work-Based Learning (WBL) TIP

District Leaders, Administrators, and Counselors

Lead CTE Network
Lead CTE Network

The Lead CTE Network is a new statewide program designed for district leaders, counselors, and administrators. It combines in-person support with resources and professional development to strengthen CTE leadership at the district level. Building on the success of our CTE TIP mentoring program—and backed by more than 20 years of experience operating TIP—the Lead CTE Network offers a research-based, proven approach to professional development for CTE leaders and administrators.

Mentoring Participants

Academy for Sciences and Agriculture (Vadnais Heights), Aitkin, Anoka-Hennepin, Battle Lake, Bertha-Hewitt, Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian, Brainerd, Breckenridge, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Career Pathways (St. Paul), Cass Lake-Bena, Chokio-Alberta, Climax-Shelly, Cloquet, Cook County (Grand Marais), Crosby-Ironton, Delano, Duluth, Eastern Carver County (Chaska), Eden Prairie, Eden Valley-Watkins, Edina, Elk River, Fosston, Frazee-Vergas, Hawley, Hendricks, Hermantown, Hills-Beaver Creek, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Intermediate 287 (Plymouth), Intermediate 288 (Shakopee), Intermediate 916 (St. Paul), Jordan, Kimball, La Crescent-Hokah, Lake City, Lakeview, Luverne, Mahnomen, Mesabi East, Minneapolis, Minnesota Transitions Charter (Minneapolis), Minnewaska, Moorhead Area, Moose Lake, Morris, New Prague, Norman County East (Twin Valley), North Branch, Northern Lights (St. Paul), Ogilvie, Ortonville, Osakis, Osseo, Parkers Prairie, Pelican Rapids, Pequot Lakes, Pierz, Pillager, Rochester, Roseville, Rush City, Saint Paul, Spring Lake Park, Springfield, Staples-Motley, Technical Academies of Minnesota (Willmar), Triton, United South Central (Wells), Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, West Central (Barrett), Westbrook-Walnut Grove, and Wheaton.

Adrian, Aitkin, Anoka-Hennepin, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove-City, Austin, Bemidji, Brainerd, Career Pathways (Saint Paul), Chisholm, Chokio-Alberta, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley, Cook County, Crosby-Ironton, Dawson-Boyd, Delano, DREAM Academy (Willmar), Duluth, Eastern Carver County (Chaska), Eden Prairie, Elk River, Ellsworth, Fairmont, Fergus Falls, Fergus Falls, Floodwood, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, Greenway, Herman-Norcross, Hills-Beaver Creek, Hmong College Prep (Saint Paul), Houston, Intermediate 287 (Plymouth), Kingsland (Spring Valley-Wykoff), Lakeview, Marshall County Central (Newfolden), Minneapolis, Minnesota Transitions Charter (Minneapolis), Minnewaska, Montevideo, Moorhead, Mounds View, North Branch, Northeast Metro 916 (White Bear Lake), Osakis, Osseo, Osseo/Maple Grove, Parkers Prairie, Richfield, Rochester, ROCORI (Cold Spring), Roseville, Royalton, Southwest Metro Intermediate (Shakopee), Springfield, St. Louis Park, Staples-Motley, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Willow River, Yellow Medicine East (Granite Falls), and Zimmerman.

Aitkin, Becker, Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian, Braham, Brainerd, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Cambridge-Isanti, Career Pathways Charter (St. Paul), Cass Lake-Bena, Chisholm, Cloquet, Cook County (Grand Marais), Dassel-Cokato, Dawson-Boyd, Duluth, Edina, Faribault, Farmington, Fergus Falls, Greenway, Howard Lake-Wavery-Winstead, Intermediate 917 (Rosemount), Isle, Jordan, Killiher, Kimball, La Crescent-Hokah, Lake City, Lake Park-Audubon, Lakeview, Littlefork-Big Falls, Mahnomen, Mankato, Minneapolis, Minnewaska, Moorhead, Morris, Mountain Iron-Buhl, Ortonville, Osakis, Osseo, Red Wing, Rochester, St. Clair, St. Charles, St. Louis County, Saint Paul, Triton, Warroad, Wayzata, Westbrook-Walnut Grove, Wheaton, and Wrenshall.

Aitkin, Alexandria, Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Cass Lake-Bena, Chisholm, Faribault, Kasson-Mantorville, Lakeville, Lancaster, Minneapolis, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale, Osakis, Proctor, Rochester, Rush City, Saint Paul, South Washington County (Saint Paul), Tracy, Warroad, and Westonka (Mound).

Mentoring Frequently Asked Questions

As a result of a legislative appropriation and funding from several grants, we are generally able to offer our program to candidates at no cost to them personally. There is a limited number of spaces based on this grant funding; if funding is exhausted, federal Perkins funding may be an option to support these costs.

CTE TIP includes two, 24 hour in-person conferences, one at the beginning of the program and one at the end. There are monthly, 1.5 hours online meetings that focus on just-in-time topics such as safety, grading, teaching methods, and funding. We also offer optional professional development workshops on special topics such as licensure and program requirements.

District mentoring programs may work well for academic content areas like mathematics or science—where there are competent and experienced mentors within the local district—but CTE teachers are often the only licensed teacher in their content area in the district. District-level mentoring programs simply do not provide teachers that are the only teacher at their school with their license (e.g., CTE, the arts, world languages) sufficient mentoring and resources they need to ensure success and student achievement. CTE teachers need a program that pairs them with regional mentors, statewide content experts, and other teachers who can share resources, curricula, and best practices that are relevant to their specific teaching assignment, in addition to a mentor at the local level for site level onboarding.

Mentors are current educators with successful teaching experience, a reputation as an effective mentor, and are eager and willing to support other teachers. Many mentors in our program have worked with us for several years, and some are part TIP participants themselves who have come back to help others.

Our licensure programs are technically separate from the Teacher Induction Program (TIP), but staff work in both. We commonly work to support TIP participants with licensure as they move from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and eventually Tier 3. Participants commonly advance one tier per school year during TIP.

“Meeting people in my same position who can understand the stress and trying to figure out the new job was so helpful.”

“I enjoyed connecting with people that have done it for years and leaning on them at times for help.”

“It was so useful to know I was not alone.”

“I could not have made it through this school year without TIP.”

“Being able to talk and connect with other teachers in my licensure area was so useful. I do not have anyone else in my building at school to talk through and share ideas with.”

“The mentors help so much! As a brand new teacher, there are almost too many amazing resources available through CTE TIP.”

“I loved being able to reach out for help when needed. And receiving TRUSTED advice!”

“I appreciated the sense of community with others in the same position. Modeling best practices and learning the practical aspects of being a successful CTE teacher.”

“Besides the students, it was the support from CTE TIP staff and mentors that kept me going.”

“As a mentor, CTE TIP rejuvenated me. I feel like I have something to give. I can support and help others more than I realized. I finally feel relevant. Not just some 30 years of experience teacher nearing retirement.”