Action Plan to Revise and Refocus CTS
Plans for the future
Alberta Education announced a plan to review and refocus the CTS program in the fall of 2004.
The vision for a refocused CTS program is:
- a more focused program of studies based on credible learner career pathways
- updated printed and digital resources that support focused learning experiences in career fields
- enhanced access to CTS programming through classroom, online, off-campus and other combined approaches to instruction
- sustainable in-service and professional development for CTS teachers, counsellors and administrators.
Career pathways will provide an umbrella framework for restructuring existing and new 1-credit CTS courses around 4 to 8 career clusters (rather than the existing 22 CTS strands). Input received during consultation clearly indicated support for focused learning experiences to be of an exploratory nature during junior high school
(4 career clusters) and to become more specific and of a preparatory nature at the senior high school level (8 career clusters) to help students move smoothly through school to further education and satisfying work.
One of the principle changes being planned is to replace the current 22 CTS strands with the following "career clusters":
Junior High
- Arts and Culture
- Science and Technology
- Business
- Human Services
Senior High
- Business, Administration and Finance (NOC #1)
- Natural and Applied Science (NOC #2)
- Health and Human Services (NOC #3 and 4)
- Arts and Communication (NOC #5)
- Tourism, Sales and Service (NOC #6)
- Construction and Transportation (NOC #7)
- Agriculture, Forestry, Oil and Gas (NOC #8)
- Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities (NOC #9)
(NOC – National Occupational Classification)
Why make changes?
Since the world of work is continually changing, career-oriented programs such as CTS also need to change.
Predictions are that in the future most Albertans may have approximately 25 different jobs during their careers.
These jobs could be in up to five different sectors of the economy, and workers may often be asked to take on a variety of concurrent roles. In addition,
workers may need to deal with planned and unplanned gaps in their employment. The bottom line: workers of the future need to be prepared to make numerous transitions into, within and across the learning system and the world of work.
Concerns have also been expressed that some CTS strands are no longer enabling students to benefit from today's technologies as they prepare for further study and the workplace.
Other activities and conditions that have contributed to the decision to review and refocus the CTS program are:
- Alberta Education's work to implement Learner Pathways is having a direct impact on CTS.
- The ongoing work of the CTS unit continuously calls for change (evergreening), as do recent changes in other secondary programs and courses.
- Recommendations for changes to CTS are included in the report of the Alberta Commission on Learning.
- Current and emerging career opportunities are creating a need for a refocused program.
Click here for the Career and Technology Studies brochure in pdf format.
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Contacts: Send comments to our curriculum contact.
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