Advancing the National Career Cluster Framework
The National Career Clusters Framework (the Framework) provides structural alignment and a common language to bridge education and work, empowering each learner to explore, decide and prepare for dynamic and evolving careers. Currently, the Framework comprises 79 pathways organized within 16 career clusters. To learn more about the current Framework visit, https://careertech.org/career-clusters
The Framework is published by Advance CTE, national non-profit that represents State CTE Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Family and Consumer Sciences Education, along with Agriculture Education and Trade and Industrial Education, comprise the original fields within CTE, and continue to comprise a significant portion of secondary CTE programs. Advance CTE is in the process of revising the Framework from its original inception nearly 20 years ago. To learn more about the revision of the Framework visit: https://careertech.org/the-framework
The Framework is published by Advance CTE, national non-profit that represents State CTE Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Family and Consumer Sciences Education, along with Agriculture Education and Trade and Industrial Education, comprise the original fields within CTE, and continue to comprise a significant portion of secondary CTE programs. Advance CTE is in the process of revising the Framework from its original inception nearly 20 years ago. To learn more about the revision of the Framework visit: https://careertech.org/the-framework
Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education
One of the original program areas within CTE, Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education serves as an organizing field of study that supports teacher education and training, licensing, curriculum, content standards, CTE career pathway programs of study, professional network, and student leadership and career development through FCCLA. FCS represents a cross-section of occupations and industries that shares common values, perspectives, and goals that center people and their lived experience. Primary content areas within FCS include:
- Culinary arts, hospitality, and tourism
- Education and training
- Food science and nutrition
- Health management and wellness
- Housing and interior design
- Human and child development and family relations
- Personal and family finance
- Textiles, apparel, and retailing
FCS Proposals to Advance the Framework
The Framework for FCS in CTE provides a visual representation of how FCS facilitates career pathways within Career & Technical Education. As subject-matter and career-field experts, we propose the following proposals to modernize the Framework.
Education & Human Services
Education & Human Services
- Proposal: Merge Education & Training and Human Services into a single Career Cluster named Education & Human Services. Including the following pathways:
- Early Childhood Development & Services
- Teaching & Training
- Counseling & Mental Health Services
- Family & Community Services
- Personal Finance & Consumer Services
- Benefits:
- Consolidates two Career Clusters into one, thereby reducing the total number of Career Clusters
- Early childhood education (ECE) has been placed in either of these Career Clusters by states over the last 20 years. Collapsing these two Career Clusters allows for more common language and data and reporting of this critical industry that impacts a communities' economic and workforce development.
- Industries connected to pathways within these clusters share common foundational knowledge and skills, including:
- Human and child development
- Mental health, interpersonal relationships, family relations
- Community, family, and individual connections and resources
- Positive youth development
- Psychological and physical safety and security
- Education and training principles and methods
- Occupations overlap within these Career Clusters, including:
- School counselor
- School psychologist
- Social worker
- Extension, adult, and community educator
- Health educator
- Proposal: Revise Hospitality & Tourism to become Hospitality & Food Science, including the following pathways:
- Food & Nutrition Sciences & Technology
- Restaurants & Foodservice
- Travel, Tourism & Lodging
- Benefits:
- Foodservice is a dominate industry within the hospitality industry.
- Food science and nutrition share foundational knowledge and skills with culinary arts and foodservice, such as food safety and sanitation, recipe development, nutrition, food storage and preparation, marketing, and more.
- Since its inception, states have placed food science and nutrition/dietetics in Career Clusters ranging from Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources to Hospitality & Tourism to Human Services. This change would promote common language and more consistent state-by-state data and reporting.
- Non-commercial foodservice careers are not represented in the current Framework. Establishments such as child nutrition programs in schools and hospital and nursing home foodservice programs, are led by nutritionists and dietitians. The proposal reflects these careers, tying together nutrition and foodservice.
- Nutritionists, chefs, and food scientists all work within food product development and manufacturing. The proposal unites these careers within a logical Career Cluster with shared foundational knowledge and skills.