Nebraska Career and Technical Education Conference 2026

Join a CTE Champion, Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Cheerleader, Equity Ambassador and Meaningful Career Conversationalist School Counselor from Colorado in navigating through the trees, roots and natural ecology of career development in Nebraska. Together, we’ll dive into a multitude of acronyms, initiatives and happenings both at the state and national level. We’ll make connections for creating collaborative career preparation ecosystems for our learners to thrive. We’ll also dabble in wellness for ourselves, our colleagues, our students and our communities. You will leave as Meaningful Career Conversationalists too!

Your building's CTE departments play a vital role in helping students explore and discover careers that they can pursue upon graduation. School counselors play a valuable role in aligning CTE courses to make sure students are able to become CTE Pathway completers and concentrators. This session will dive into methods of where to find the CTE pathways, how to look at your own building's pathways and compare them with NDE's and will then discuss methods of making sure your course codes are aligned. This will be beneficial for school counselors to process if they are in alignment with NDE, and can create conversations with building administrators and CTE teachers alongside school counselors to make sure you are preparing students for future careers. Discussion of CTE and Nebraska's new AQuESTT categories will also be included.

Join us for an insightful presentation on the transformative journey of implementing high school academies in small schools with student populations under 1000. This session will delve into the strategic planning, implementation process, and the impactful outcomes arising from establishing academies within a smaller educational setting.
Key Topics Covered:

• Understanding the Need:
  
  • Explore the rationale behind introducing high school academies in smaller educational institutions.
  • Discuss the unique challenges and opportunities presented by schools with fewer than 1000 students.
• Strategic Planning:
  
  • Learn about the essential steps involved in the strategic planning process for creating high school academies.
  • Gain insights into needs assessments, stakeholder engagement, and aligning academies with the school's mission and goals.
• Curriculum Development:
  
  • Examine the process of designing and tailoring curricula to suit the specialized focus of each academy.
  • Discuss how to integrate academic standards while promoting a cohesive and engaging learning experience.
• Implementing Career Pathways:
  
  • Explore the integration of career pathways within academies to prepare students for future success.
  • Hear about successful models of collaboration with local industries, businesses, and community partners.