Advance CTE

What Advance CTE does

Advance CTE (National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education) is a Silver Spring, MD-based national nonprofit established in 1920 that serves as the longest-standing membership association representing State CTE Directors and state leaders of Career Technical Education across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The organization supports its roughly 11–50 employee staff in delivering technical assistance on Perkins V and WIOA implementation, modernizing state CTE programs of study, convening national partners, and advocating for federal CTE funding and policy. Its product surface centers on the modernized National Career Clusters® Framework, the CTE Connects shared vision framework (now in its fifth iteration), the Learning that Works Resource Center, a member portal, signature initiatives like the New Skills ready network (a five-year, six-site program funded by JPMorgan Chase's $350 million New Skills at Work initiative reaching approximately 100,000 learners), and annual Spring/Fall meetings alongside virtual events.

The organization is funded through a mix of recurring membership dues from state CTE Directors, philanthropic grants from foundations (most prominently JPMorgan Chase for multi-year initiatives), event sponsorship and registration (including tiered sponsorships such as Diamond Sponsor CompTIA), and customized fee-based technical assistance and professional development delivered to states, agencies, and partners. Its technology stack is a conventional web platform — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript powering careertech.org and the member portal, with Mailchimp for email distribution and full WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility conformance. Advance CTE does not maintain a public or partner-facing API and operates with no documented AI/ML capabilities; its competitive differentiation rests on 100+ years of institutional knowledge, federal regulatory expertise, and a multi-stakeholder ecosystem of 40+ endorsing national partner organizations rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Advance CTE

Legal name

National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education

Website

https://careertech.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Advance CTE is a 100-year-old national nonprofit representing State CTE Directors across all 50 states and U.S. territories, providing technical assistance, policy advocacy, and shared frameworks (notably the National Career Clusters Framework and CTE Connects vision) to advance Career Technical Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Career and Technical Education Policy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Career & Technical Education (CTE) Standards Authorities (EDADAEAE)

Keywords

• Career technical education
• Education policy advocacy
• Workforce development policy
• State education leadership
• Professional development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Silver Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Advance CTE is a membership-based national nonprofit whose members are state CTE Directors and state leaders. The organization recruits members via a dedicated "Become a Member" page and offers member-only resources, workshops, and portal access. Recurring membership revenue underpins operations.
2. Foundation grants and philanthropic funding: Advance CTE receives philanthropic grants to support large multi-year initiatives, exemplified by JPMorgan Chase's $350 million New Skills at Work initiative that funded the New Skills ready network ($35M+ programs of study transformation across six sites over five years).
3. Events and meeting sponsorships: Revenue from member meetings (Spring Meeting, Fall Meeting) and virtual learning events, including sponsor partnerships (e.g., CompTIA as Diamond Sponsor). Includes conference registration and event sponsorship tiers.
4. Customized technical assistance and professional development: Fee-based or grant-funded customized technical assistance, training, and professional development services delivered to states, agencies, and partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Advance CTE is a national nonprofit membership association that supports State CTE Directors and state leaders of Career Technical Education. It delivers policy advocacy on federal legislation such as Perkins V and WIOA, stewards the National Career Clusters Framework and the CTE Connects shared vision, operates the Learning that Works Resource Center, and provides customized technical assistance, professional development, and convenings (Spring Meeting, Fall Meeting, virtual events) to state education agencies and partners.

Product overview

Advance CTE operates as a unified national non-profit platform serving state CTE leaders, with a core mission to support state Career Technical Education (CTE) leadership and advance high-quality CTE policies, programs, and pathways. Its offerings are organized as a single membership and resource platform that combines a flagship shared-vision framework (CTE Connects / 'The Connected Path'), a modernized National Career Clusters Framework, the Learning that Works! Resource Center, the Learning that Works! Blog, a CTEWorks Newsletter, and several signature initiatives such as the New Skills ready network and the Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship, all delivered via careertech.org and a member portal. There is no separate multi-product SaaS portfolio; rather, these named offerings function as integrated programs and resource collections on top of the underlying membership and advocacy platform for state CTE Directors across all 50 states and U.S. territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advance CTE State Membership Annual membership subscription for State CTE Directors and state leaders across all 50 states and U.S. territories, providing access to the member portal, member-only resources, workshops, and peer-learning communities.
• CTE Connects (The Connected Path: A Shared Vision for Opportunity and Empowerment Through CTE) A national shared-vision framework for Career Technical Education built around six priority principles (Codesigned Systems; Transparency & Accountability; Integrated Experiences; Personalized & Flexible Pathways; Empowerment & Belonging; Harnessing Technology) used by states, partners, and educators to align CTE systems.
• National Career Clusters Framework (Modernized) Stewardship and modernization of the National Career Clusters® Framework, including Career Clusters, programs of study, industry sector profiles, one-pagers, and a crosswalk tool that states use to organize CTE programs of study around industry sectors.
• Learning that Works Resource Center Central digital repository of Advance CTE toolkits, policy benchmarks, frameworks, and reports browsable by Topic, Series, and Vision Principle, supporting state CTE Directors and partners with Perkins V implementation, CLNAs, and program design.
• New Skills ready network A signature multi-year initiative (originally New Skills for Youth, launched 2016) supported by JPMorgan Chase's New Skills at Work initiative, in which Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group worked with six sites (Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Nashville) to transform CTE programs of study, reaching almost 100,000 learners.
• Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship A fellowship initiative focused on developing postsecondary state CTE leaders, providing structured leadership development for state-level CTE administrators serving postsecondary institutions.
• Customized Technical Assistance and Professional Development Fee-based or grant-funded customized technical assistance, training, and professional development services delivered to state education agencies and partners on Perkins V implementation, programs of study design, equity, and policy alignment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Almost 100,000 learners enrolled in high-quality career pathways via the New Skills ready network initiative
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE and ACTE co-author seminal Perkins V policy resources, jointly submit comments on federal rulemaking (e.g., postsecondary accountability framework), and host joint events including CTE Month. ACTE is referenced as Advance CTE's most frequent national co-development partner across policy, research, and advocacy.
• Education Strategy Group (ESG)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdvance CTE and Education Strategy Group co-implemented the New Skills ready network initiative, convening site teams, hosting biannual convenings, and producing the final report on career pathway transformation.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Tyszko, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, publicly endorsed Advance CTE's CTE Connects vision as a catalyst for cross-system dialogue between employers and educators on data, language, and skill readiness standards.
• National Skills CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE and National Skills Coalition co-author publications including "Coordinating Across Perkins V and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act" and "Building the Future Workforce: A State Playbook to Shape a New Age in Federal Infrastructure Investments."
• American School Counselor AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE co-authored "The State of Career Technical Education: Career Advising and Development" report with the American School Counselor Association, summarizing a national survey of State CTE Directors, State School Counseling Directors, and school counselors.
• ExcelinEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcelinEd produced the "Perkins V Reauthorization: Opportunities, Challenges and Risks for States" toolkit, listed by Advance CTE as a Perkins V implementation resource for states considering how to implement high-quality CTE programs.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE references CCSSO stakeholder engagement resources for Perkins V state plan development, including the "Stakeholders and Perkins V: Meaningful Engagement for Student Success" guide.
• National Governors Association (NGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE references NGA resources including the "Good Jobs for all Americans: 2018-2019 NGA Chair's Initiative" and "Aligning State Systems for a Talent-Driven Economy" roadmap as part of its Perkins V resource library.
• Wisconsin Technical College SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisconsin Technical College System developed the "Nontraditional Occupation (NTO) Programs: Scale of Adoption Assessment" tool, which Advance CTE features as a Perkins V resource for increasing enrollment of nontraditional learners in occupational programs.
• College in High School AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE features the College in High School Alliance's "Scaling College in High School" guide as a Perkins V resource for states implementing dual enrollment and early college designs under ESSA.
• New Skills ready network site intermediaries (Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Nashville)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdvance CTE worked with local intermediaries across six U.S. communities to improve student completion of high-quality career pathways, convening leadership teams and producing 20+ publications. Examples include Denver's L/Earner Voice Symposium with the Attainment Network.
• CompTIAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCompTIA served as Diamond Sponsor for Advance CTE's 2023 Fall Meeting, contributing a sponsor blog on "The DNA of a Winning CTE Program" to highlight skills gaps and CTE program design.
• MDRCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn September 2025, MDRC and Advance CTE jointly convened experts to discuss workforce development for careers in the clean energy and climate economy, examining policy recommendations and CTE alignment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Skills Coalition: National policy and advocacy organization focused on skills training and workforce development, including co-authoring Perkins V/WIOA coordination resources with Advance CTE. Comparable in federal CTE/workforce policy advocacy and state-level technical assistance.
• ExcelinEd: National education policy organization that produces Perkins V implementation toolkits and works closely with state education leaders. Comparable as a state-focused education policy organization publishing frameworks, toolkits, and federal CTE resources.
• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE): The leading national CTE membership organization serving practitioners, administrators, and educators. Directly comparable to Advance CTE in CTE policy advocacy, federal engagement on Perkins V, and co-development of national CTE resources, though ACTE represents practitioners rather than state directors.
• Education Strategy Group (ESG): Co-implementer with Advance CTE on the New Skills ready network and a frequent partner on state CTE systems work. Comparable as a peer organization working on state-level CTE policy, career pathways design, and federal grant execution.

Broad incumbents

• National Governors Association (NGA): Bipartisan organization of U.S. governors producing workforce and education policy resources. Comparable as a producer of state-level CTE/workforce policy frameworks (e.g., Good Jobs Initiative) cited by Advance CTE and a convener of state executives.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): Larger national nonprofit focused on equitable economic advancement through workforce and education transformation. Comparable in workforce/education policy research, multi-state CTE and career pathways initiatives, and federal grant-funded programs.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): National membership organization representing state chief education officials. Comparable as a convening body for state education leaders and a producer of federal education policy resources, including Perkins V stakeholder engagement guides.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: National workforce/education initiative operator (Talent Pipeline, JCTC). Comparable in connecting employers and educators on workforce readiness, endorsing Advance CTE's CTE Connects vision, and running large employer-education partnership programs.

Emerging players

• American School Counselor Association (ASCA): National association for school counselors that co-authored career advising reports with Advance CTE. Comparable as a national education association partnering on career advising and CTE-related research, but with a narrower professional scope.

Regional players

• National Consortium for Health Science Education: National nonprofit focused on health science CTE, with overlapping board membership to Advance CTE's leadership. Comparable as a CTE-specific national organization serving state-level CTE program leadership, though narrower in industry focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGmwW3Rktq6BEiZyHhq5V4w
• Facebookfacebook.com/AdvanceCTE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advancecte
• Xx.com/cteworks

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advance CTE