Career and technical education (CTE) is a term applied to schools, institutions, and educational programs that specialize in the skilled trades, applied science, modern technologies, and career preparation. CTE programs prepare students to be career-ready by focusing on three areas: academic skills, employability skills, and technical, career-specific skills.

 

Department of Education

Information on accredited programs can be found at the US Department of Education’s website. Use the search function for Regional and National Institutional Accrediting Agencies.  

 

Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)

Visit the ACTE website here.

Today’s cutting-edge, rigorous and relevant career and technical education (CTE) prepares youth and adults for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers. Learn more with our Basic Facts, Policy and Advocacy Publications and State Fact Sheets.

The ACTE STEM Parent link offers a unique experience for parents to introduce their high school students to the work world through a mentoring program.

 

Catholic Trade Schools

Exciting developments are happening with the formation of Catholic trade schools that combine technical education with spiritual formation and liberal arts studies. Although Kolbe does not partner with all of these schools, we know some of our families may be interested to learn more about them. We encourage you to explore their websites for more information.

 

Harmel Academy of the Trades

Harmel Academy is a post-secondary institution offering an integrated curriculum to develop technical experts in a skilled trade along with formation in the Catholic faith. Located on the campus of Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this is a residential trade school.

For too long, young men have been given too few options after high school: either commit to four years of college, join the military, or find work while you figure out your life all on your own.  Harmel Academy offers a different path.  At Harmel, a young man is trained in the skilled trades, schooled in a robust humanities curriculum, formed spiritually through a life of common prayer, and is prepared for excellence by living in an intentional community.

Kateri College of the Liberal and Practical Arts

 

Located in Gallup, New Mexico, this college plans to open in Fall 2025 and to offer men and women a four-year degree that provides not only a sound liberal arts education but practical trade skills as well.

According to Kateri College, the intellectual life and craftsmanship have been separated for too long to the detriment of both areas of human life.  The academic often dismisses the skilled laborer as inferior because of a lack of formal education; the craftsman often dismisses the academic as being too bookish and incompetent when it comes to doing things of a practical nature.  Kateri College will unite these long-separated educations. We are founding an independent, Catholic college in Gallup, New Mexico, that offers a new approach to higher education. Kateri College will unite the strengths of a liberal arts education with a vocational trade in order to graduate men and women who know their mission in life, who are trained to accomplish it, and who are capable of contributing to their local community and to the nation and Church at large. 

 

San Damiano College for the Trades

 

Situated in Springfield, Illinois, San Damiano College for the Trades has a non-degree program and is applying for permission to operate as a college offering an associate degree, under the authority of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.  Their emphasis is on ecclesial restoration and new construction.

Christ worked for 18 years on the wood by which he would redeem the world. Every nail Christ drove was a meditation on the ones that would pierce his hands. Our Savior, the Son of God, was a homeschooled carpenter who pounded nails, not a computer keyboard. In our age of digital distraction, San Damiano College for the Trades aims at restoring the trades to man so that he may support himself and his family through the honest work of his hands while contributing tangible goods to society.

 

Santiago Catholic Trade School

 

Located on 800 acres in the hills of Orange County, California, Santiago offers a two-year program in developing skills in the trades, practical wisdom, and spiritual Catholic formation.

Built upon the solid foundations of work, study & friendship, Santiago Catholic Trade School forms young men into excellent Christian tradesmen. We are a community committed to the tough work of gaining practical jobsite wisdom as well as the spiritual wisdom that unites men to Christ.

 

The College of St. Joseph the Worker

 

Located in Steubenville, Ohio, this college offers a B.A. in Catholic Studies, and is pursuing its accreditation, which is a multi-year process. However, they are recognized as an ICLE Premier Partner, have received provisional recognition in the Newman guide, have received the state of Ohio’s Certificate of Authorization to operate, and have partnered with ApprenticeOhio to certify its trade programs.  The College is now part of Kolbe’s College Partners. 

For homeschooling families who value a holistic approach to education, the College of St. Joseph the Worker offers a path that feels both familiar and forward-thinking. Just as Kolbe Academy integrates faith and reason in its curriculum, the college takes this further by uniting spiritual and intellectual growth with practical skills.  This approach ensures that students don’t have to choose between living their faith and pursuing a career—they can do both and do it well. Families can be confident that their children will not only thrive academically but also be prepared to serve God and neighbor through their work.