Make every month CTE Month

Career and Technical Education (CTE) work happens throughout the year, not just in February. Pathful includes a set of tools that educators can use flexibly to support career exploration, skill development, work-based learning, and planning for what comes next.

Career discovery and self-assessment

Pathful's interest and skills assessments help students reflect on their interests and strengths as a starting point for career exploration. The Lifestyle Calculator builds on that reflection by helping students consider how career choices connect to income, living costs, and everyday expenses — supporting more realistic conversations about future planning. Students can then explore career profiles and use comparison tools to better understand different roles, industries, and pathways.

Career awareness and classroom activities

Virtual Job Shadow videos let students see professionals at work across a range of industries, and they can capture takeaways using Career Journals to support discussion and reflection. Pathful also includes Career Lessons, with resources aligned to Career and Technical Student Organizations such as BPA, DECA, FCCLA, and others.

Skill building and career readiness

Students can create and update resumes and cover letters using built-in tools as their experiences grow. Employability skills courses focus on core workplace skills across seven areas, with some courses offering micro-credentials to recognize completion.

Work-based learning and real-world application

Pathful supports work-based learning through Industry and Pathful Presents sessions, Industry-Led Projects that let students work through real scenarios designed by industry partners, and an Opportunity Board that highlights hands-on experiences. Educators can also assign recordings of past industry sessions or create custom career-video playlists.

Experience Tracker

The Experience Tracker lets students log work-based learning activities, service hours, and career-related experiences in one place — records that support reflection, documentation, and ongoing planning over time. For educators, it also provides a way to review, track, and manage student experiences, making it easier to monitor participation and support program requirements.

Postsecondary and career planning

Students can research schools and scholarships directly in Pathful, and built-in comparison tools let them view options side by side to evaluate factors such as cost, location, and program focus. Postsecondary and Employability Lessons help guide students as they prepare for life after high school.

Pathful's CTE Month resources

Pathful's CTE Month Resources include a four-week Click & Go guide that highlights career assessments, the Lifestyle Calculator, Virtual Job Shadow videos, CTSO-aligned lessons, employability skills courses, and work-based learning opportunities like Industry-Led Projects. An accompanying features checklist helps educators see what tools are available and identify areas to explore next, including Experience Tracker and postsecondary planning tools with built-in comparison features. Additional planning ideas are available in 26 Ways to Explore Careers with Pathful and Make CTE Essential Every Month — designed to be used flexibly and integrated into instruction throughout the year, whether you're planning for CTE Month in February or supporting ongoing career readiness work. If you need support or inspiration, the search bar on the Pathful Resource Center can help you quickly find guides, examples, and classroom ideas.

If you are using these tools with students, we would love to learn how. You can share Pathful stories of impact by emailing impact@pathful.com.

Sam Spiegel

Sam Spiegel is a Growth Marketing Specialist for Pathful and a BCLAD-certified educator with a Master's in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a former elementary school teacher, Sam is now a dedicated and results-oriented EdTech specialist, enjoying the intersection of his passion for education and technology.