College, Career, and Community Partnerships

All students should graduate from high school ready for college and career. Career and Technical Education (CTE) is an education system that combines rigorous academic classes with industry-specific knowledge and skills to prepare students both for direct entry into industry sectors and post-secondary education.

CTE programs offer students the opportunity to explore various career options and then put in place the classes and experiences they need to succeed in the career of their choice.

Join Our Spring 2026 CTE Advisory Meeting

Join us for the Spring 2026 Career Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Meeting on April 30, where educators, industry leaders, and community partners come together to strengthen career pathways for local students. Hosted by the County Office in partnership with Cabrillo Unified, Jefferson Union High, San Mateo Union High, Sequoia Union High, and South San Francisco Unified school districts, this countywide event is your opportunity to:

Share feedback on high school CTE programs and curriculum
Help align education with workforce and community college needs
Collaborate on innovative, hands-on learning opportunities for students

Advisory Meeting Agenda

Advisory Meeting Agenda

FALL 2025 - CTE Advisory Meeting: November 5, 2025

4:00 Welcome, Refreshments, & Student Performance

4:15 Opening Remarks

Marcela Miranda, Executive Director, College, Career & Community Partnerships, SMCOE
Dr. Agustin Cervantes, Executive Director, Bay Area K16 Collaborative
Margaret Llamas, Educators Cooperative

4:30 Role-Alike Workshops

Teachers: Prepare curriculum highlights for industry feedback
Industry and Community Partners: Deep dive on work-based learning
Students and Parents: Listening and sharing session

5:00 Industry-Specific Breakout Sessions

Teachers share highlights from their CTE curriculum and industry partners share feedback on how to better align with industry trends and career opportunities. Discussion will include:
1. What industry skills are important for students in this pathway?
2. What equipment and technology should students in this pathway know how to use?
3. What work-based learning opportunities could we partner on this year?
4. What industry certifications or early college courses would be relevant in this pathway?

6:00 Adjourn

What is Career Technical Education?

Learn about what is Career Technical Education (CTE) and how it supports student learning and preparedness for life after high school. Explore industries and organizations in the Bay Area, as well as local CTE pathways in San Mateo County.

This video is part of a series exploring industries, CTE Pathways, and career opportunities in the Bay Area. Watch all the videos on the San Mateo County Office of Education's YouTube channel.

Calendar

CTE Educator Resources

Industry sectors

There are fifteen industry sectors identified by the California Department of Education. Click on the links below to learn more about each industry sector.

Anchor standards

Below are the 11 anchor standards all students need to master in order to be successful in the CTE curriculum and in the workplace:

Academics: Analyze and apply appropriate academic standards required for successful industry sector pathway completion leading to post secondary education and employment.
Communications: Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the (career and college) readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Career Planning and Management: Speaking and listening standard: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (eg. visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Technology: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments and information.
Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem, narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate, and synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Health and Safety: Determine the meaning of symbols, key words, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context.
Responsibility and Flexibility: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Ethics and Legal Responsibility: Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the work.
Leadership and Teamwork: Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision making; set clear goals and deadlines; and establish individual roles as needed.
Technical Knowledge and Skill: Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Demonstration and Application: Demonstrate and apply the knowledge and skills contained in the industry-sector anchor standards, pathway standards, and performance indicators in classroom, laboratory, and workplace settings, and the career technical student organization.

EARLY COLLEGE CREDIT/DUAL ENROLLMENT

- Bay Region Dual Enrollment Administrators Guidebook v. 3: This guidebook provides insight into the practices and challenges of Bay Region dual enrollment programs and insights into best practices. Share with all programs participating in dual enrollment! Expanded sections on serving a broader range of students through dual enrollment, analysis of legislative changes, and suggestions on improved data collection and program evaluation.
- Active Website: Centralized resources can be found on the Bay Area Dual Enrollment Website. The Bay Region Dual Enrollment website offers extensive resources for all stages of developing and implementing dual enrollment.

Additional resources

Distance Learning Resources/Opportunities for Career Technical Education and to support Career Readiness - San Diego County Office of Education
BACCC February Career Awareness Month Webinar Recordings
Free CTE Curriculum at https://www.cteonline.org/
11 Elements of High-Quality CTE: Breakdown of 11 elements (previous)
Creativity: The essential future job skill
Making Power Skills Your Own: Also known as soft skills, this is how you can apply these skills
Core Messages for Attracting Students to CTE
21st Century Skills Primary Attributes for Classroom and Digital Badging Assessment
CTE Completer Survey and Reporting Instructions
California Career Zone Webinar Recording
The BayICT Partnership is a collaboration between Bay Area community colleges, tech companies, and community organizations. Check out their site for their resources to support students through work-based learning and connect faculty with industry experts and resources.
Bay Area Cyber League coordinates Summer CyberCamps and Fall & Spring Cybersecurity Competitions for high school and community college students in the greater Bay Area region.