U.S. Department of Education launches CTE Momentum.

Many careers require specialized skills — and students need new opportunities to build them. Career and technical education (CTE) programs are uniquely positioned to meet this need because they offer students hands-on opportunities to apply knowledge and skills that they learn in classroom settings. By expanding access to CTE, high schools can equip more students with the skills they need to identify and enter in-demand careers with pathways for advancement.

This month, at the 29th annual Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC) at Space Center Houston, the U.S. Department of Education announced the launch of CTE Momentum, an annual challenge series to prepare high school students for rewarding careers and increase access to CTE. Each school year, the Department will invite educators and high school students to participate in a new challenge focused on a topic of national importance.

CTE Momentum builds upon the Department’s history of advancing CTE through prize competitions. The series encourages schools to explore resources and winning submissions from past competitions, including CTE Makeover Challenge and CTE Mission: CubeSat, both designed and produced by Luminary Labs. This new annual format for prize competitions will promote continuous school engagement, building a long-term ecosystem of support.

Coming soon: the Your Place in Space Challenge

The Department expects to commence the series this spring with the launch of the Your Place in Space Challenge, which will inspire high school students to envision and pursue careers in the space industry. The Department will invite high schools to submit designs for a product or service that will contribute to space missions and exploration.

Any career can be a space career — and career and technical education (CTE) programs already present a natural starting point for a space career. The Your Place in Space Challenge, also designed and produced by Luminary Labs, will connect the dots between the skills students build in CTE programs and the fulfilling careers they can have in the space industry.

To receive updates about challenge launches and other series news, sign up for the CTE Momentum newsletter.

Did you miss us at SEEC? The Luminary Labs team will be at SXSW EDU next month: Learn more about our CTE CyberNet session and set up a time to say hello.