Career and Technical Education FAQs
What is Career Technical Education (CTE)?
- Career Technical Education (CTE) provides career preparation courses.
- Classes give students a great opportunity to explore possible careers, begin training in a particular field, and help students build essential skills leading to initial employment and/or advanced postsecondary education upon high school completion.
- Student internships: a few courses provide the option of (CVE) Cooperative Vocational Education to eligible students after reaching a certain level of skill proficiency. Internships provide students with opportunities to engage in learning through practical, work-based experiences
- Students receive high school credits and may even earn community college credits in selected classes while attending courses.
Can you share some CTE facts?
Click on the presentation to discover interesting facts about Career and Technical Education (CTE)!
When do students attend?
Students who enroll in the program must commit to a 3-hour morning (7:30 to 10:30 a.m.) or 3-hour afternoon (12:45 to 3:45 p.m.) session Monday - Friday. The school year begins in August and finishes in June.
How do students get credits?
AM = (7:30 to 10:30 a.m.) = 30 credits
PM = (12:45 to 3:45 p.m.) = 30 credits
Each Semester is 15 Credits
**Please note - the schedule is subject to change as we move along with the school re-opening tiers. Currently, our campus is following a "small groups" model with districts designated to one day per week.
Who can attend SVCTE?
10-12th-grade students from our district partners enroll through their home high school. Adults may enroll in classes on a space-available basis.
How do students enroll?
Students must meet with their home high school counselor and be approved. Adult enrollment is offered in person. Please call us for details: (408) 723-6400.
How do students get to SVCTE?
Free bus transportation is provided from the student’s home high school to SVCTE and back for students who attend one of our six partner districts.
Where is SVCTE located?
The campus is centrally located in San Jose near Capitol Expressway and Highway 87.
The address is:
How does this program affect a student’s school schedule?
Daily students attend both schools and spend half a day at each site. A student takes their core classes at the high school and spends the remainder of their day at SVCTE in their elective class. Together this creates a full-day schedule.
When and where are classes offered?
Classes are offered during the school year and some may be available after school and during summer school.
How can I register for classes?
High school students should contact their high school counselor.
Why take CTE classes?
- Students who participate in CTE do better in academic performance and have higher attendance.
- CTE provides students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners.
- High school graduation rate for CTE concentrators on average is 90 percent – 15 percentage points higher than the national average.
- High school students earn high school credits and can earn community college credits for some classes while gaining new knowledge and skills.
- Classes may qualify for California universities’ A-G entrance requirements.
- Classes assist in choosing college majors and enhance college admission applications.
- CTE prepares learners for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies and makes academic content accessible to students by providing it in a hands-on context.
- Skills learned are transferable to real-life applications and careers.
- Students gain confidence, satisfaction, and motivation to pursue career goals.
- Employees who participated in school-sponsored work-based learning opportunities in high school had better attitudes and higher productivity levels than employees who missed those experiences.
- Foundational to CTE are rigorous program standards.
