Each school division is being asked to develop sample plans of study, based on the courses offered within their schools, the employment needs of the area, and the post-high school educational opportunities needed for these careers. Once these sample plans are developed, they can be customized to the needs of individual students so that all students have the opportunity to have an individualized plan of study. In an effort to assist the local school divisions in developing career pathways, the state will provide model templates in each of the 16 clusters. Click on the links below to view sample model templates for each cluster.

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Cluster Information
  

• Architectural & Construction Cluster Information
  

• Arts, A/V Technology & Communicaton Cluster Information
  

• Business, Management & Administration Cluster Information
  

• Education & Training Cluster Information
  

• Finance Cluster Information
  

• Government & Public Administration Cluster Information
  

• Health Science Cluster Information
  

• Hospitality & Tourism Cluster Information
  

• Human Services Cluster Information
  

• Information Technology Cluster Information
  

• Law and Public Safety, Corrections, & Security Cluster Information
  

• Manufacturing Cluster Information
  

• Marketing, Sales & Service Cluster Information
  

• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Cluster Information
  

• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics Cluster Information
  

Career Clusters help students investigate careers and design their courses of study to advance their career goals. For this reason, the Office of Career and Technical Education in Virginia has adopted the nationally accepted structure of career clusters, career pathways, and sample career specialties or occupations.

Within each career cluster, there are multiple career pathways that represent a common set of skills and knowledge, both academic and technical, necessary to pursue a full range of career opportunities within that pathway—ranging from entry level to management, including technical and professional career specialties. Based on the skills sets taught, all CTE courses are aligned with one or more career clusters and career pathways.

For a list of all 16 career clusters and a brief description, click here .

For a list of all 16 career clusters and 81 career pathways, click here.

Use the resources provided here to learn more about the Career Clusters movement and how it can help you and your child plan for life after high school.

Support for the Career Clusters movement is provided on the national level by the National Career Technical Education Foundation. Their web site provides numerous resources on each of the 16 career clusters.

For questions about Career Clusters in Virginia, contact:

Elizabeth Russell, Director
Office of Career and Technical Education
Virginia Department of Education

Return to:

Office of Career and Technical Education

Virginia Department of Education

Career Cluster Tools The following resources provide information about career clusters and organize career building information around the 16 career clusters.

Virginia 's Career Information Delivery System, providing resources and activities for Virginia residents from Kindergarten through adulthood

Virginia 's Career Planning System powered by Kuder is an electronic portfolio that allows Virginia public school students from 6 th grade to community college an opportunity to learn more about their interests, skills and work values, and to apply that information to post-secondary training opportunities in career areas.

Career Prospects in Virginia is an online career resource that provides extensive narrative summaries of different careers, along with important statistical information about that particular career's long-range prospects for students.

r u ready? Life after High School is a career resource magazine distributed to all juniors at Virginia 's public schools. Parents: Help your Child Prepare Now for the Road Ahead is a career resource brochure to assist 8 th grade parents as their children make the transition from middle school to high school.

The Career Planning Guide is a searchable online resource to help students determine the most effective CTE courses of study based on a student's career goals.

Know How Virginia is a public awareness campaign designed to inform students about rewarding career opportunities and to promote career exploration and preparation through middle and high school Career and Technical Education programs.

To download a Quick Reference Guide of print and on-line career planning resources, click on the link below:

Quick Reference Guide

Career Clusters in Virginia Overview
This PowerPoint© presentation describes the integration of career clusters into the career exploration and preparation process in Virginia (updated 8/30/07).