Reimagining Career Readiness through Digital CTE

Next-gen platforms make career exploration earlier, easier, and more impactful.

GUEST COLUMN | by Bethlam Forsa

OKAN EKINCI

The momentum behind career and technical education (CTE) continues to grow. According to recent data from the Department of Education, 85% of high school graduates earned at least one credit in a career education course. That trend is echoed by educators themselves: in a national survey conducted by Savvas Learning Company, 75% of K-12 teachers and administrators cited CTE as a leading solution for postsecondary success.

That signals a growing recognition of the value of these programs, but we have an opportunity to channel that awareness into greater impact for even more students.

‘…we have an opportunity to channel that awareness into greater impact for even more students.’

One powerful solution: digital CTE. By offering high-quality, skills-based career preparation programs through digital platforms, we can make career readiness more relevant and accessible than ever before.

Here are three keys to effectively implement a digital CTE strategy:

1. Expand thinking from one path to many

The days of a one-size-fits-all approach to students’ future after high school are over. Supporting students today means embracing models that prioritize optionality and offer multiple personalized pathways, whether that’s a four-year degree, technical certification, apprenticeship, or immediate entry into the workforce. It’s about giving students not only choices, but early, supported opportunities to explore and evaluate those choices wisely.

‘It’s about giving students not only choices, but early, supported opportunities to explore and evaluate those choices wisely.’

This is where digital CTE plays a vital role. By bringing career-connected learning into more classrooms, it lowers the barrier to exploration, allowing students to engage with real-world content and skills earlier, more flexibly, and in ways that reflect their personal interests.

2. Choose the right tools

Of course, it’s not just about increasing adoption of digital CTE. It’s about adopting the right kinds of platforms.

The best solutions deliver context as well as content. They reflect workplace experiences, enable students to test-drive career paths, and support project-based skills that matter across industries: essential skills like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

They also modernize career prep itself, equipping students with skills that map directly to emerging tech fields and modern tools. Programs in areas like AI, coding languages such as Java and Swift, drones, and app development give students exposure to fast-growing career paths that will define the future workforce.

‘…give students exposure to fast-growing career paths that will define the future workforce.’

These solutions also support educators by integrating easily into existing school technologies, offering intuitive dashboards for tracking progress and built-in instructional supports. The right digital CTE solutions don’t replace teachers; they further amplify their impact.

3. Start earlier, think bigger

If we want to keep up with a world that’s changing fast, we need to adapt earlier and more intentionally.

That begins with exposure. We’re seeing more and more districts introduce digital career exploration in middle school, helping young learners connect what they’re studying to how the world actually works. Whether it’s designing a prototype, coding a game, or solving a real-world problem, early experiences with digital CTE spark curiosity and confidence.

But to truly help students meet the moment, early exposure must be paired with a broader shift in mindset. Digital CTE can’t be treated as a supplement. It should be seen as foundational—a key strategy for building future-ready learning.

Career readiness has always mattered, but today, it can’t wait. Digital CTE is how we meet this moment with urgency, with innovation, and with a future students can see themselves thrive in.

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Bethlam Forsa is CEO of Savvas Learning Company, a global next-generation learning solutions leader in K-12 education. One of a few women at the helm of a major learning-solutions company, Bethlam has guided Savvas to take an industry-leading position with its innovative and award-winning product lines, highest-quality curriculum—including Savvas CTE for career readiness—and assessment tools that empower educators and meet the needs of all learners. Connect with Bethlam on LinkedIn.

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