Resources and guidance for Minnesota’s Career and Technical Education teachers and programs.

We offer free guidance, resources, and curriculum for teachers in Minnesota preparing students for careers in agriculture, business, communications, construction, health science, human services, manufacturing, transportation, and more.

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Guidance and FAQs

Perkins

Content-Specific Resources

CTE Curriculum Drive

Free curriculum developed by Minnesota CTE teachers, for Minnesota CTE teachers.

On-Demand Workshops

Recorded, on-demand workshops on topics from CTE revenue and Perkins funding to MDE program approval and Minnesota licensure. Available anytime for when you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are an educational activity, or a series of instructional components, designed to meet the program objectives for the period of instruction (MN Rule 3505.1000). CTE programs integrate academic knowledge (cognitive, thinking) with technical skills (psychomotor, doing) and social emotional dispositions (affective, feeling) to provide students a pathway to careers. CTE teaches transferable workplace skills in applied learning contexts and gives students the experiences needed for success in the workforce.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses require more than traditional academic coursework. Courses in CTE programs must include one or more components of a secondary CTE program (MN Rule 3505.1000). Components of a program include safety, work-based learning, leadership, and more, as defined by MN Rule 3505.2550 and MN Rule 3505.2600. A quality CTE program, includes multiple courses that integrate academic and technical skills, career exploration, safety, work-based learning, and social-emotional learning (i.e., leadership).

Examples of courses that may appear to be CTE, but are not, include parenting, living on your own, home maintenance, and sewing. These courses are often focused on “personal” development, not industry or career skills. Rather than “personal finance,” business or agricultural accounting. Instead of “home maintenance,” construction. Rather than “parenting,” childcare and education.

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) are key components to a strong CTE program. In Minnesota there are more than 40,000 students annually participating in leadership and career development in CTSOs. These organizations engage community and local businesses to help students understand career pathways while bringing relevance to the classroom that prepares students to be career and college ready. Student organizations also provide industry-based competitive events and leadership experiences at school, state, and national levels. CTSOs available to Minnesota students include: DECA and BPA (business and marketing), FCCLA (family and consumer/human services), FFA (agriculture and natural resources), HOSA (health science and medical), and SkillsUSA (trade and industry; construction, manufacturing, transportation). See our Student Organizations page for more information on Minnesota CTSOs.

CTE Program Approval is a process through which local CTE programs are approved by the Minnesota Department of Education. The basic standards for CTE program approval are defined in MN Rule 3505.1000 and MN Rule 3505.2550. Program approval is incumbent on the district having an appropriately licensed CTE teacher. Districts with approved programs are eligible for Career and Technical Education Revenue and access to Perkins V federal dollars for those approved programs. Program Approval occurs every five years, but amendments to teachers and courses are made as needed. See our program approval resources page for more information.

Career and Technical Revenue is authorized by Minnesota Statute 124D.4531 and provides districts that have CTE program approval the ability to capture revenue equal to 35 percent of approved expenditures. Eligible expenses include all CTE teacher salaries (but not benefits) and extended contracts (CTSO advisor contracts, extended summer contracts), CTE-specific instructional supplies and food, and instructor travel (including miles, lodging, registration, and meals. CTE Revenue is the combined total of career and technical levy (local) and career and technical aid (state).

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational & Technical Education Act was first authorized by the federal government in 1984 and has been reauthorized three times since, most recently in 2018 as the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, widely known as Perkins V. The purpose of the federal law is to develop academic, technical, and employability skills of secondary and postsecondary students who enroll in CTE programs. Like all federal education dollars, Perkins dollars are supplemental dollars and are not allowed to supplant state and local responsibility. In Minnesota, Perkins dollars flow to the 23 Perkins Consortia to meet the goals of the federal law. Minnesota’s consortium model requires at least one school district and one postsecondary institution that offers technical programs to partner. Each consortium in Minnesota applies for Perkins dollars for each program year and approved CTE programs within the consortium membership have access to the supplemental funding based on the consortium’s plan.

The table below indicates the most commonly used license function codes for CTE programs. There are also less common function codes for most programs. To see the entire list, check with your CTE Director or Perkins Consortium Coordinator, or review MDE Table C, which can be found here: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/cte/progApp/.

Tech Ed, technically “Technology” (function code 100100), or Industrial Arts (function code 100000) are NOT CTE licenses and therefore are not eligible for CTE Program approval, CTE Revenue, or access to Perkins dollars. Technology and Industrial Arts are licenses that certainly allow those license holders to teach courses that look and sound like CTE, but the license misses a key component, the foundational knowledge around career and technical education.

The Technology (function code 100100) license is a broad-based license that essentially covers the technical content areas of communications technology, construction, manufacturing, and transportation. As mentioned previously, that license does not include the key component of basic CTE philosophy, which is why it is not considered a “CTE license.” The only time it is appropriate to advertise, hire, or employ a teacher with the Technology license is if they are teaching courses in fifth and sixth grades. The licensure grade scope of the Technology license is grades 5-12 whereas the corresponding appropriate CTE licenses have a grade scope of 7-12. Teachers with the technology license are certainly qualified to teach courses that resemble CTE; however, they will not be eligible for CTE program approval (and therefore the district is not eligible for any type of CTE-related funding). It is NEVER appropriate to advertise or hire for the Industrial Arts (function code 100000) license.

Like Industrial Arts, the home economics (function code 090000) is an antiquated license that is not considered a CTE license. It is NEVER appropriate to advertise or hire for the home economics license.

There are both statutory and rule references to the positing of vacant teaching positions under a variety of different circumstances. Statute most often requires that any vacant position be posted on the statewide job board, currently EdPost. It is imperative that when positions for CTE are posted, the correct license is listed as the required qualification. Postings with incorrect license names run the risk of not obtaining qualified candidates as well as risking program approval if that appropriate license is not held by the candidate. See our posting guidance for more information.

Non-federal entities are encouraged to earn income to defray program costs where appropriate under Federal Statute 200.307. The United States Department of Education (ED) has provided prior approval authority for recipients to use the addition and/or cost sharing or matching options for program income. Income must be used for the original purpose of the federal award (§200.307). Program income earned during the period of performance may only be used for costs incurred during the period of performance or allowable closeout costs (§200.307). There are no requirements governing program income earned after the end of the performance period (§200.307).

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