A new Career and Technical Education guide is available from the Journalism Education Association.

College and career connections have always been a part of publications programs; many skills cross over to career and technical programs such as visual communication, business communication and graphic design. Moving publications from language arts or elective classifications to Career and Technical Education can offer advantages to both teachers and students, but it can be hard to know where to start.

This resource, developed by JEA’s CTE Committee under the leadership of Nina Quintana, CJE, is intended for teachers who may be considering a change in their programs as well as those who already teach CTE classes and anyone curious about what those three letters mean for scholastic journalism programs.

The links include a brief overview of the advantages of CTE programs, an outline of the process of creating a CTE program, resources from state and national organizations supporting CTE advisers and students and information on state teacher certification requirements.

“When I took over the yearbook program, I had one camera and one computer for my students to work with. Once I found out about CTE and the funding possibilities, I knew I had to make the transition to CTE,” Quintana said. “I now have a computer lab and enough cameras and resources to support student learning.”

This new JEA resource also includes information on industry certification exams offered at the National High School Journalism Convention, including Adobe Certification Exams in Photoshop and InDesign and Precision content knowledge exams in broadcasting and photography. These exams are offered for advisers and students on site, with results available immediately, at a low cost compared to regional testing centers.

“I took the ACA test in Photoshop because I wanted to see what my students will be facing as we add certification to our programs,” Laura Negri, CJE, said. “I appreciated the immediate feedback and the understanding I gained from the process.”

Debuting in the fall of 2019 within the Members Only area will be CTE Program Profiles, offering examples of successful student media programs to inspire and guide members developing their own. Members who teach under the CTE designation or department and want to share how their programs and students benefit can provide details through the Program Profile form located here.

For more information, contact Nina Quintana, CJE, at nquintana022@gmail.com.