For some time, vocational education had fallen out of favor or was in decline in the United States, as it was associated with the deleterious practice of “tracking” less advantaged students that denied them the opportunity for the best education.
But more recently, CTE has been refined and has made a comeback as an effective way to help non-college-bound workers gain valuable skills and obtain a foothold in a labor market that increasingly requires technical proficiency. These programs teach the skills needed to pursue careers in fields such as construction, manufacturing, health care, information technology, hospitality, and financial services.