Career & Technical Education (CTE)

Career & Technical Education (CTE) in Iowa includes educational programs offering a sequence of courses that prepare individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations. Programs include competency-based applied learning, which contributes to an individual’s academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills and occupational-specific skills.

At the secondary level, CTE programs are organized within six broad service areas, as defined in Iowa Code. The service areas are:

  • Agriculture, food and natural resources
  • Arts, communications and information systems
  • Applied sciences, technology, engineering and manufacturing, including transportation, distribution, logistics, architecture and construction
  • Health sciences
  • Human services
  • Business, finance, marketing and management

Programs within these service areas are further aligned with the National Career Clusters Framework.

More Information

For additional information about CTE, visit:

Iowa Department of Education

Important Contacts

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Susen Schirmer

Sue Schirmer

  • Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant

Education: Bachelor’s degree, communication studies & theatre education; Master’s degree, counseling & human resource development; Educational administration certification

Experience: Secondary language arts teacher, School counselor, Professional learning consultant
Joined Heartland AEA in 2005

Expertise: School counseling, Cognitive Coaching, postsecondary success, at-risk programming

Professional affiliations: Iowa School Counselor Association (former board member, Lifetime Achievement Award, Advocate of the Year Award), American School Counselor Association, Cognitive Coaching mentor trainer, National College Attainment Network

How I’ve made an impact: I am a school counseling consultant who partners with districts to design data-driven, ASCA-aligned K-12 programs that support student success at every level. I work to empower student success beyond high school through strategic partnerships, coaching, collaboration and consulting to equip district teams with the tools to guide students toward postsecondary achievements.

Career & Technical Education (CTE)