Welcome to the Professional Development Resources Guide for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Instructors. This guide is designed to help you access valuable training opportunities, conferences, and workshops that enhance your skills and knowledge in CTE fields. Whether you are looking to improve classroom techniques, stay updated on industry trends, or network with peers, this guide provides a curated list of resources, including general CTE resources and resources tailored to programmatic needs.
If you have any suggestions for organizations or events to include in this guide, please contact Heather Lang (heather.lang@ccaurora.edu).
Faculty & instructors who are moving from an initial credential to a professional credential would need to take CTE in Colorado offered by the system office. For those who have a full-time professional credential, they will need to complete 6 semester hours of continuing education related to the content area they are teaching in.
Professional development that is related to pedagogy and not content area, is accepted if the PD is specifically related to teaching as long as it accounts for less than 10% of the required semester hours. The goal of this renewal requirement is to keep CTE instructors and faculty “in the loop” by completing PD related to their credential pathway.
Renewal can be completed by one of the following:
For more information about the CTE credential process, contact Academic Effectiveness & CTE Initiatives Coordinator Sam Taylor (samantha.taylor@ccaurora.edu)
The Colorado Career & Technical Education (CTE) website serves as a comprehensive resource for CTE programs across the state. It offers information on program standards, educator resources, and student opportunities, aiming to enhance career and technical education in Colorado.
To provide educational leadership in developing a competitive workforce. ACTE strives to empower educators to deliver high quality CTE programs that ensure all students are positioned for career success.
The Colorado Association for Career and Technical Education (CACTE) is the state professional association for Career and Technical Education. Since 1917, CACTE has been the largest state organization supporting Colorado Career and Technical Educators in their efforts to prepare students for career and life success. CACTE’s members include teachers, administrators, teacher educators, career counselors, teacher candidates, business partners and other career tech professionals.
The CACTE Professional Development Grant was created to support our members' ability to access professional growth opportunities. We know increasing our capacity and knowledge within the education system allows us to create systems to more holistically support our role and the stakeholders we work with. However, funds may not be readily available to you to allow you to participate in an event. This grant provides monies to meet or offset the cost of professional development opportunities. This includes, but is not limited to: National Policy Seminar, ACTE and CACTE professional growth opportunities/conferences and workshops. YOU MUST BE A CURRENT MEMBER WHEN YOU APPLY.
The Colorado ACTE Online Learning Center provides self-paced, online professional development courses for Career and Technical Education (CTE) professionals. It offers resources like teaching strategies, workplace skills tutorials, and access to a peer-learning community, the Career Ed Lounge. The platform includes CareerPrepped®, a tool to help students develop employability skills and prepare for work-based learning.