Career Clusters

Technological advances and global competition have transformed the nature of work and careers. To better prepare students for the careers of tomorrow, schools are providing challenging subjects presented in relevant contexts for learning. The United States Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, has organized these contexts into 16 occupational groupings called Career Clusters.

Career cluster pathways identify the knowledge and skills needed by students to meet the demands of further education and the expectation of employers. Working with schools through pathway partnerships, employers provide the educational community (both secondary and post-secondary) with information on what students need to know and be able to do to become successful in the career path of their choice. Educators can use the Career Clusters to organize and develop curriculum, assessments and guidance to provide a broader more durable preparation for students.

Some links below will connect you to national and state developed resources.

Career Cluster Toolkit	Resources
Articulation Agreements	Aspects of Industry
Career Clusters Toolkit PowerPoint Presentation	Careerclusters.org
Career Exploration Assignments - Handout 1	Career Clusters: Focusing Education on the Future - PowerPoint Presentation
Career Exploration Assignments - Handout 3
High School Plan of Study General Form
High School Plans of Study for All Clusters
Lesson Plan Web sites
List of Colleges
Researching How Others Decide Their Career, a Questionnaire for Employers

Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe.

Microsoft Word format. You can download a free reader from Microsoft.

Microsoft PowerPoint format. You can download a free reader from Microsoft.