Talent Tuesday: Focus on one essential workplace soft
skill per week (communication, teamwork, problem-
solving, etc.). Watch job shadow clips from different CTE
fields, having students track how this skill appears
across various technical careers. Create a running
digital board of real-world skill applications.
What's My Path Wednesday: Students use Pathful's
career profiles to create visual flowcharts showing
different paths to CTE careers. Compare certification
routes, technical school options, and degree paths to
demonstrate multiple routes to success. Great for
understanding education ROI (return on investment).
CTE Month 2025
25 Ways to Explore Careers with Pathful
Daily Quick Activities (15-20 minutes)
Career Mystery Monday: Show clips from CTE-focused job shadow videos (from
Career) without revealing the profession. Students write down observed technical skills,
tools used, and workplace environment clues. Class discussion reveals the career and
explores required credentials. Excellent for building observation and deductive
reasoning skills.
Engage students with these career exploration activities designed to showcase the
evolving world of Career & Technical Education. Each activity uses Pathful's resources
to highlight traditional and emerging CTE pathways while requiring minimal prep time.
www.pathful.com | info@pathful.com
Skills Spotlight Thursday: Select one technical skill (welding, coding, patient care, etc.)
and watch different Pathful videos to see how it's applied across CTE fields. Students
create "skill spotlight" cards showing various applications and work environments for
each technical skill.
Future Friday: Watch job shadow videos from technology-driven careers (like robotics
technicians, digital manufacturing specialists, or healthcare technology support).
Students identify which traditional technical skills are still important and what new skills
these evolving roles require. Create a running class list of how familiar CTE careers are
being enhanced by technology. Perfect for understanding industry advancement while
connecting traditional skills to modern applications.
CTE Month 2025
Interactive Class Activities (25-35 minutes)
Speed Career Dating: Students rotate through CTE career profiles every 5 minutes,
using a structured form to note key facts about required skills, certifications, and work
environment. Conclude with students presenting their top "match" and explaining why.
Technical Skills Bingo: Create digital or printed bingo cards using common technical
skills from CTE career profiles. Play during job shadow videos, marking skills as they're
demonstrated. Winners explain how the skills they spotted are used in the career.
CTE Cluster Challenge: Teams use Pathful's comparison tools to find unexpected
connections between different careers within CTE clusters. Example: How might an
automotive technician and a surgical technologist use similar skills or tools?
Industry Reflection: Students watch job shadow videos from careers they've seen in
their own community (like healthcare workers, mechanics, construction workers, etc.).
They create presentations comparing what they learned from the Pathful videos to
what they've observed locally - noting similarities in tools, workspaces, and daily tasks.
Excellent for connecting career exploration to students' real-world experiences and
observations.
Industry Tools Exploration: Students identify and research professional tools
mentioned in job shadow videos. Create digital flashcards showing how similar tools
are used across different CTE fields.
Extended Learning Projects (35-60 minutes)
Day in the Life: After watching job shadow videos, small groups create and perform 2-
minute skits showing key moments in different CTE careers. Must include accurate
technical terminology and workplace scenarios.
Salary Scenario Planning: Using Pathful's salary data, students create detailed
monthly budgets for different CTE career paths. Factor in certification costs, starting
salaries, and career progression.
Technical Skills Lab: Students identify entry-level technical skills from Pathful videos
and create "how-to" guides for beginners. Focus on foundational skills that can be
safely practiced or simulated in a classroom setting.
Career Evolution Timeline: Teams research how specific CTE careers have changed
over the past decade and predict future developments. Create visual timelines
showing the evolution of tools, skills, and job responsibilities.
CTE Professionals Showcase: Using Pathful videos as models, students create
engaging presentations about local CTE careers, including interviews from Pathful’s
WBL sessions*, if possible.
www.pathful.com | info@pathful.com
CTE Month 2025
Assessment & Integration Activities (30-45 minutes)
Interest Assessment Partners: Students take Pathful's interest assessment, then
interview classmates about their results, focusing on CTE-related matches. Create
"career pathway maps" showing how interests connect to specific technical careers.
Skills Portfolio Builder: Students develop digital portfolios highlighting CTE skills and
interests identified through Pathful. Include career research, skill assessments, and
action plans for acquiring needed certifications.
Career Path Mapping: Create detailed visual flowcharts showing education and
certification options within CTE fields. Include time requirements, costs, and potential
salary increases with each credential.
Technical Skills Gap Analysis: Students compare required technical skills from dream
careers with their current abilities. Create specific action plans for developing needed
competencies, including courses, certifications, and practice opportunities.
Problem-Based Learning Activities (35-45 minutes)
Industry Challenge Solutions: Present real workplace scenarios from job shadow videos
or industry-led projects*. Teams research and propose solutions considering industry
regulations, technical constraints, and best practices.
Future Skills Forecast: Analyze emerging CTE careers to identify future technical skill
requirements. Create presentations about how automation and new technologies might
change traditional technical roles.
Local Industry Connections: Research how different CTE careers impact the local
community and economy. Create impact maps showing how technical professionals
contribute to various sectors.
Culminating Activities (45-60 minutes)
CTE Career Fair: Students create interactive displays about different CTE pathways using
Pathful resources. Include salary data, required skills, and local job opportunities. Invite
other classes to explore the displays.
Innovation Challenge: Teams identify a traditional CTE career and propose how
emerging technologies might transform it by 2030. Create presentations incorporating
research from Pathful's emerging careers section.
Skills Showcase: Students demonstrate and teach basic technical skills learned from
their career research. Create hands-on stations where peers can try simple industry-
related tasks.
**All activities can be modified based on class size, time constraints, and available CTE programs. Use
Pathful Explorer's built-in resources to minimize prep time while maximizing student engagement.
*Denotes features limited to Pathful and WBL module.