Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why were Career Clusters developed?

• The traditional role of vocational education was to prepare some learners with a narrow set of specific skills for certain jobs. That no longer meets the needs of learners in today's changing and demanding job market, especially those learners who wish to move past entry-level employment.
• Career Clusters and their curriculum frameworks reflect the higher State academic standards required of learners to be successful as they transition to postsecondary education and future careers.
• As a result of Career Clusters, the partnerships formed between the States, secondary, postsecondary education, and employers provide for curriculum integration and contextual learning opportunities that reflect the career goals and interests of all learners. This relevancy creates the motivation for many learners to stay in school longer and enroll in more challenging courses.
• Career Clusters identify the knowledge and skills both, academic and technical, for a broad career cluster that will allow all learners to pursue a wide range of career opportunities from entry level through management and professional levels. The organization and structure of Career Clusters provides a place for all learners, linking them to their career goals.

2. Why are there 16 Career Clusters-isn't that too many?

• The 16 Career Clusters were established by taking into account the work done by many states and other groups. Some states had fewer categories and some had more.
• The 16 Career Clusters incorporate the full spectrum of career options and provide opportunities for learners in new areas such as Human Services, and Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security.
• The most important criterion in establishing a cluster structure is ensuring a place for all occupations. If there are too few clusters, the knowledge and skills identified as important for learners to achieve become too broad, making it difficult for learners to focus. If there are too many clusters, the knowledge and skills become so specific that schools are unable to provide sufficient curriculum opportunities. The established 16 Career Clusters organize occupations into similar groups.
• Career Clusters identify the knowledge and skill requirements and organize them into two levels. The first is the foundation level (consisting of Knowledge and Skills common to all occupations/career specialties within a Cluster) for all learners interested in the broad category of occupations within a cluster. The second is the pathway level (consisting of Knowledge and Skills common to a sub-grouping of occupations/career specialties called a pathway), where cluster occupations are more narrowly grouped.

3. Will Career Clusters be required?

• Whether Career Clusters are mandatory or not is a State or local decision. However, when learners are provided opportunities to focus part of their studies in areas related to their career goals and interests, they do so voluntarily.
• The curriculum opportunities provided by each cluster are an ideal way for learners to select elective courses, especially during their senior year.
• Clusters provide learners who are unsure of their career goals an avenue to explore a wide variety of options.

4. How do Career Clusters connect to Tech Prep?

• Career Clusters can be a very good way to organize Tech Prep. While Tech Prep focuses on connecting high schools with two- and four-year college programs, a Career Cluster is not constrained by the number of years required to obtain the occupational goal. Career Clusters are designed to prepare learners to pursue careers at any level (secondary, postsecondary or adult).

5. How will Career Clusters affect programs already in place?

• Career Clusters will provide the recommended knowledge and skills identified by employers representing the scope of occupations within the cluster area as well as the educators who prepare learners for those occupations. Both employers and educators will verify the knowledge and skills across the country. Programs at both the state and local level will be able to compare what they are currently teaching with what is recommended by Career Clusters. As a result of Career Clusters, programs may either validate what they are doing or make changes to align with Career Clusters' recommendations.
• As state or local programs compare the career preparation opportunities they currently offer learners with those suggested by the 16 Career Clusters, they might find areas where many learners are not being served. Plans may be developed to expand learner opportunities.

6. How will Career Clusters affect teachers?

• The knowledge and skills, which have been identified and validated by a wide range of employer associations and educators, will provide a reliable set of standards that should be the basis for what teachers teach. Teachers will be able to compare what they are currently teaching with what is recommended by Career Clusters. This will allow teachers to eliminate those things that may not be needed or add to what they have been teaching (to include an experience that is broader in scope). The Knowledge and Skills of Career Clusters lead up to the specific career/occupational instruction as the learner begins to move toward a specific career goal.

7. Where can one find instructional materials to go with a particular Career Cluster?

• Please contact the Cluster Leader of the particular Cluster for ideas or information about instructional materials.

8. How can Career Clusters connect with state academic standards?

• Direct links to state and national academic standards can be made from the Career Clusters knowledge and skill requirements at the foundation and pathway levels. These connections, or links, provide avenues for integration between career and academic standards. Integrated activities aligned with all academic subjects and at all grade levels will provide learners with multiple opportunities to see "real world" applications and develop an awareness of career opportunities. Connecting the technical skills in Career Clusters to state academic standards provides unique opportunities for the development of contextual learning. Contextual learning is a powerful tool for demonstrating the need for mastery of state academic standards for further success in the learner's chosen field.

9. What is the States' Career Clusters Initiative?

• The States' Career Clusters Initiative (SCCI) is a national initiative intended to help states and schools organize their programs and guidance activities around clusters of similar occupations. The 16 cluster format used by the U.S. Department of Education encompasses all 970+ occupations identified by O*net and the SOC codes. By adopting this cluster philosophy, schools expand their content and offerings to better prepare learners for their futures. SCCI has three major objectives: 1) Increase learner awareness of career options so that they may make better informed decisions; 2) Increase learner understanding of the structure and function of businesses so they can be more productive, value-added employees; and 3) Increase learner achievement by setting high standards of expectations and by teaching academics in a context that interests the learners.

10. How has the business and industry sector been involved with the development of Career Clusters?

• All national Career Cluster National Advisory Committees included business and industry representatives. These groups helped identify the pathways and knowledge and skills required for each cluster. Business and industry representatives embrace the Career Clusters concept and agree that: 1) learners will be better served if they have a broad base of understanding relating to careers and business success, and 2) employers will be better served if employees have the knowledge and skills to work cross-functionally and as part of a team.

11. I'm having trouble with the registration process. Why won't the website accept my user ID and password?

• Make sure that your Internet browser is accepting "cookies."

12. Why can't I find a particular occupation in the Career Clusters Plans of Study?

• The Career Cluster sample Plans of Study address knowledge and skills to the pathway level. To fully complete a Plan of Study that addresses success to the career/occupation level, specific career/occupational knowledge and skills need to be added to the samples.

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