Career and Technical Education Month, widely known as CTE Month, is observed every February. The President formally proclaims the designation each year, and schools, colleges, and workforce programs across the country use the month to highlight career-focused education pathways.
What CTE Month Celebrates
CTE covers a broad range of programs that prepare students for careers in fields like healthcare, information technology, skilled trades, agriculture, business, and engineering. These programs run at the middle school, high school, and postsecondary levels, blending academic coursework with hands-on training and industry credentials. February serves as a concentrated window for schools and districts to showcase student work, host career fairs, invite industry speakers, and draw attention to the real outcomes CTE programs produce.
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the leading national organization that coordinates CTE Month activities, provides promotional resources, and runs events tied to the observance. ACTE holds a registered trademark on “CTE Month” and maintains ctemonth.org as a central hub for participating schools and educators.
How Schools and Students Participate
Most participation happens at the local level. Schools organize open houses, student project showcases, social media campaigns, and employer partnership events. State education agencies often issue their own proclamations and run statewide themes or challenges during February.
One of the higher-profile national activities is the CTE Month and NASA HUNCH Student Video Challenge, co-sponsored by ACTE and NASA’s HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) program. Students of all ages, from elementary through postsecondary, can enter individually or in teams of up to six. Each entry is a video of two minutes or less that incorporates the CTE Month and NASA HUNCH logos and promotes career and technical education.
The submission deadline for the current cycle is April 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST, with winners announced by May 16. Winning schools receive $200 from ACTE, and each winning team member gets a $50 Amazon gift card. NASA HUNCH awards the winning schools patches that have actually flown on the International Space Station, mounted on plaques. Students can only submit one video per year, and entries in languages other than English need readable subtitles.
Why February Was Chosen
February aligns with the point in the school year when students are making decisions about course selections and program enrollment for the following year. For high school juniors and seniors, it also overlaps with the window for finalizing postsecondary plans, whether that means a four-year college, a community college CTE program, an apprenticeship, or direct entry into the workforce. The timing gives schools a natural opportunity to connect students and families with information about career pathways before registration deadlines close.
The presidential proclamation reinforces the observance at the federal level. In February 2025, President Trump formally proclaimed the month as Career and Technical Education Month, continuing a tradition that spans multiple administrations regardless of party.