Alaska Career & Technical Education Plan
The leadership of the Departments of Education & Early Development (DEED) and Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) recognized that addressing both the educational needs of students and the workforce needs of the state requires a cooperative planning effort. The Alaska Career and Technical Education (CTE) Plan is the result of this effort and builds on the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act Training Strategic Plan endorsed by the Alaska Workforce Investment Board in 2008 and the Alaska Education Plan adopted by the State Board of DEED in 2009.
Work on writing the CTE plan began in January 2010 and involved a broad cross-section of policy makers, educators, employers, state agencies, training institutions, and parent representatives. DEED, DOLWD, and the University of Alaska (UA) staff refined the details of the planned strategies and timeline.
The Alaska Career and Technical Education plan addresses the individual need for career preparedness as well as the broader social need for a training and education system that is efficient, effective, and coordinated with regional and state current and future work needs.
In 2018, the Alaska Workforce Investment Board's CTE Plan Working Group developed a CTE Plan Addendum to re-energize the conversation around CTE and provide an advocacy tool to help ensure that CTE opportunities are available and communicated to Alaskans.
University of Alaska CTE Programs
Whether you are just starting out or looking for new career opportunities, the University of Alaska is the most comprehensive provider of career and technical education training in Alaska. With more than 200 programs in workforce development, students have opportunities to earn non-credit industry-recognized certifications, endorsements, certificates, and degrees in two years or less. This provides students a fast track to employment and the opportunity to earn credits toward future degrees. Many of these programs are in the high-demand and high-growth areas needed for Alaska's economic growth and offered through the University of Alaska's 13 community campuses.
