United States: Technical and Vocational

Technical and Vocational

Overview

Information on key aspects of a country’s education system, including governance, instructional language, and other structural features defined by national or regional regulations.

Ministry Responsible

Local school districts, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), State and territorial departments of education

Language of Instruction

English

Duration

2 to 4 years

Qualifications, Curriculum, Grading

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Qualification Name	Career and Technical Education (CTE) Certificate
1	Awarding Body	Local school districts State departments of education
2	Admission Requirements	Completion of lower secondary education
3	Length of Program	2 to 4 years
4	Streams	Consumer and homemaking education General labor market preparation Specific labor market preparation in: agriculture business and office marketing and distribution health occupational home economics trade and industry technical and communications
5	Graduation Requirements	4 to 6 credits in vocational concentration Completion of general high school diploma requirements Work-based learning, industry-recognized credential, or capstone project
6	Post-graduation Pathways	Access to: employment in skilled trades apprenticeships military service further vocational training (non-tertiary)

Institutions

Types and number of officially recognized institutions providing secondary education.

No.	Institution Type	Number of Institutions	Qualifications Offered	Ministry Reponsible
1	Public school	~23,800 (2021)	High School Diploma	State departments of education
2	Private school	~30,500 (2021)	High School Diploma	Independently governed Subject to state oversight
3	Charter school (publicly funded)		High School Diploma	State departments of education Charter authorizers

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Enrollment

Enrollment Share

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational programs.

N/A

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics