How does CTE set up students for success?
Career and Technical Education (CTE) equips middle and high school students with the knowledge and skills they need to be prepared for careers in today’s workforce.
Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO)
Across South Dakota, over 11,000 students are part of a CTSO chapter. These students gain real skills, real experiences, and real leadership.
Industry Recognized Credentials
These credentials are a way for students to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills to increase job prospects and options for post-secondary education, while also increasing their marketability to employers.
Work-Based Learning
South Dakota recognizes five work-based learning courses called “capstone experiences,” each designed to build a knowledge base, skills, confidence, and connection within the students' area of interest.
Current Strides in CTE to Support Student Achievement
South Dakota recognizes 16 career clusters within its CTE programs, which are designed to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to reach their postsecondary and career goals.
Modernizing CTE for Today’s Learners and Tomorrow's Workforce
South Dakota is modernizing its Career Cluster Framework after 25 years to better align education with evolving industries and workforce needs.
The update is a major transformation, not just a name change, impacting program design, instruction, and career connections.
Cluster names have been revised to reflect current and emerging fields, but all existing programs still have a place in the new model.
The framework emphasizes:
• Essential skills at the core, supporting all careers.
• Cluster groupings to help students identify broad skill areas (e.g., working with people, building and moving).
• Cross-cutting skills across clusters (e.g., agriculture + business, tech + finance).
• Work-based learning/capstone experiences as the final step for real-world application.
• Goal: Build a skilled, adaptable talent pipeline, match labor market demands, and strengthen economic growth through education-industry partnerships.
• Implementation timeline: Transition began Fall 2024, full rollout by Fall 2027.
Built Together: How Industry and Education Are Rewriting CTE In SD
South Dakota is launching a comprehensive, statewide update of Career & Technical Education (CTE) standards and courses — one of the most significant efforts in recent years.
• Scope: Every course and standard will be revised between June 2025 and June 2026.
• Purpose: Ensure programs prepare students for today’s careers and emerging industries by aligning instruction with workplace expectations and economic priorities.
• Why now: Rapid changes in technology, automation, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and digital tools demand updated skills and credentials.
• Process: A collaborative, stakeholder-driven approach involving educators, industry leaders, administrators, postsecondary partners, and workforce representatives.
• Industry provides real-time insight into workforce needs.
• Educators ensure standards are educationally sound.
• Benefits:
• Relevant learning experiences for students.
• Stronger pathways to postsecondary education and employment.
• Increased work-based learning opportunities (internships, apprenticeships).
• Clearer talent pipelines for employers.
• Impact: Students graduate with skills aligned to high-demand careers; employers gain a prepared workforce; communities strengthen through education-industry collaboration.