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What is CTE?

LCS Workforce Programs

Discover Your Future Through Career & Technical Education

Leon County Schools’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs open doors to opportunity—helping students earn high school credit, college credit, and industry-recognized certifications that set them apart. These programs are challenging and future-focused, preparing students for college while building the real-world skills Florida employers need today.

CTE courses give students the chance to develop professional, practical, and career-specific skills that make a difference—whether strengthening a college application or accelerating the path to a first job. Each program blends rigorous academic content with hands-on experiences that lead to an industry credential or certificate in addition to a high school diploma.

Through our CTE pathways, students will:

  • Gain the skills and confidence to excel in the Florida workforce—and beyond

  • Learn high-demand, industry-relevant skills that open doors to employment, cross-training, or new career fields

  • Begin not just a job, but a meaningful career journey

Students in Leon County Schools have the opportunity to earn industry certifications that can also translate into college credit. These credentials allow students and families to save significantly on tuition and fees by completing career programs while still in high school.

Curious about the value of these certifications? Explore our Return on Investment information and discover the full list of industry certifications available to our students.

Your future is waiting—start building it through Career and Technical Education.

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As Career and Technical Education educators, we prepare students to explore, compete, and succeed as lifelong learners in careers that are available in our area as well as the entire state of Florida.  Our CTE programs provide hands-on, work-based learning that is relevant to student interests and responsive to the needs of employers and the economy.  We provide Career and Technical Education programs to students in middle and high school with rigorous career pathways for all facets of the workforce.  

Career and Technical Education programs provide unique opportunities to engage students in an enormous variety of subjects, incorporating academic, creative, and technical skills, with the specific goal, nowhere else represented in education, of preparing students for life.  Students participating in CTE programs learn through hands-on experience and practice under the tutelage of qualified, industry-certified instructors.  

These programs help prepare our youth for a full range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand jobs. Students in our programs can earn nationally recognized industry certifications that provide a solid foundation for moving forward — whether students plan on entering the workforce or continuing their education. Your future can start right now. Take the first step: check out the CTE programs and see which one is right for you.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) offers a variety of programs at different high schools around the county. 

  • Architecture & Construction
  • Arts, A/V Technology & Communication
  • Education & Training
  • Engineering & Technology Education
  • Health Science
  • Hospitality & Tourism
  • Human Services
  • Information Technology
  • Law, Public Safety & Security
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing, Sales & Service
  • Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Through these programs, students can choose to continue on to further their education or go straight into the workforce at better-than-average wages.

According to Applied Education Systems, 

  • 93% of CTE students graduate high school, which is 10% higher than average
  • 78% of CTE graduates enroll in post-secondary education full-time
  • CTE students are 50% less likely to drop out than non-CTE students
  • Technical and applied science graduates earn $2,000 to $11,000 more per year than those with a bachelor’s degree
  • 1/3 of all high school dual enrollment credits come from CTE courses (600,000 total)
  • 82% of CTE students say they’re “satisfied” with career opportunities
  • 80% of CTE students say CTE classes helped them “know where they were headed”
  • 76% of CTE students say learning about a career cluster helped them get better grades
  • 64.7% of post-secondary CTE students enroll in public two-year institutions
  • 45% of CTE students say it used real-world examples to help them understand classwork

If students decide to pursue a college degree, the skills and certifications earned through the CTE program will not only make coursework easier, they'll lead to better part-time jobs.

Many of the CTE classes qualify for the weighted 5-point and 4.5 point scale, just like AP and Honors classes.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the CTE programs and see which institute is right for you.