Career, Technical Education (CTE)

Career/Technical Education Definition and Requirements

Career and technical education (CTE) provides students with the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to enter the labor market or continue with further occupational education or training.

Advisory Board

Career Education Advisory Committees play a vital role in advancing Palomar College’s Vision Plan Goals by ensuring programs remain aligned with industry standards and workforce trends while focusing on equitable access, student success, and program completion. In accordance with the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, §55601, Career Education Advisory Committees are required for vocational programs to ensure that educational offerings are directly connected to industry needs. These committees provide valuable insights into curriculum development, help identify emerging industry trends, and offer guidance on workforce demands, ensuring that students are well-prepared for employment upon graduation.

Palomar’s CTE Division has prepared a resource to guide CTE programs on running effective advisory committees. Download the guide for further information.

Labor Market Information

Any program with a Career Technical Education Taxonomy of Program (T.O.P.) Code is required to provide labor market data from the Centers of Excellence. These TOP Codes are indicated with an asterisk (*) in Maverick, Palomar’s curriculum management system. Labor Market Data is necessary for new and revised programs. Contact the CTE Dean for more information. The form to request this data is located below.

Additional information about this process may be found below:

Additional Labor Market Research Resources

The following websites provide additional labor market resource data for research purposes. An official labor market brief must be requested for new and revised programs. Please utilize the form above to request official labor market data.

Nichol Roe – Career, Technical and Extended Education Dean
Ext. 3964, nroe@palomar.edu