Career and technical education (CTE) prepares students for skilled careers in fields such as health care, manufacturing, construction, information technology and automotive service. It reaches a large share of American students: in 2023–24, about 8.6 million high school students took CTE courses, and 3.8 million concentrated in a career pathway, according to federal data reported by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). AI is now changing many of the jobs those students are preparing for, and CTE programs are working out how to respond.
How AI is changing the jobs CTE prepares students for
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, based on a survey of more than 1,000 employers, found that:
- 86 percent of employers expect AI and information processing to transform their business by 2030;
- workers can expect 39 percent of their existing skills to change or become outdated between 2025 and 2030;
- 85 percent of employers plan to prioritize upskilling their workforce, and two-thirds plan to hire people with specific AI skills;
- the changes will create an estimated 170 million jobs and displace 92 million, a net gain of 78 million worldwide.
For CTE, the message is that students need both the hands-on skills of their trade and the ability to work with new technology as it arrives.
How CTE organizations are responding
In February 2026, ACTE, Advance CTE and CTE Futures published Applied Co-Intelligence, a report on preparing CTE students for an AI-driven workforce. Its model teaches students to critique, direct and work alongside AI rather than simply use it. In August 2026, Advance CTE followed with a policy brief on building AI literacy into all 14 National Career Clusters.
There is room to grow. CAST has noted that AI remains underused in CTE classrooms and that many CTE educators lack professional development on AI.
Where AI and technology show up in CTE programs
- Simulation. Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina is investing in simulation environments with AI-powered scenarios for public safety and health care training.
- Automation and robotics. Manufacturing and welding programs increasingly teach automated equipment. The American Welding Society’s Certified Robotic Arc Welding credential, for example, tests robot programming and logic alongside welding knowledge.
- AI as a subject. Intel’s AI for Workforce program has helped more than 110 schools in 39 states, including community colleges, build AI certificates, add AI to existing courses or start AI associate degrees.
- Industry partnerships. Programs such as Tesla START build multi-week employer training into automotive, collision and manufacturing programs at partner colleges, keeping training close to what employers use.
Preparing CTE teachers
As equipment and software change, keeping CTE instructors current matters as much as updating curriculum. Districts and colleges can:
- offer professional development on using AI tools and teaching students about them;
- work with industry partners so instructors see the technology employers use;
- pair new technology with safety training, since automated and powered equipment brings its own hazards;
- help administrators plan for CTE safety as programs add new equipment.
What this means for students and families
AI is changing skilled trades, not ending them. Students in CTE still need to weld, wire, build, diagnose and care for patients. What is changing is the technology they will use on the job and the problem-solving it demands. Students and families choosing a CTE pathway can ask:
- What equipment and software does the program teach, and how current is it?
- Which industry credentials can students earn?
- Does the program have employer partners or work-based learning?
- How does it teach students to use AI tools responsibly?
Related reading
Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.
More on Career and Technical Education (CTE)
