The Administrator’s Guide to the National Career Clusters Framework

Since 2002, the National Career Clusters® Framework has helped shape Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs across the country, and a freshly revamped Framework launched in 2024 means its importance has never been greater.

This article looks at how local CTE administrators like curriculum directors, superintendents, and principals can use the new Framework to implement an effective CTE program.

What Is the CTE National Career Clusters® Framework? 

First launched in 2002, the CTE National Career Clusters® Framework is a comprehensive map of career paths and vocational skills, carefully sorted into categories and subcategories to help administrators navigate useful CTE courses. It was created by Advance CTE, the National Association of State CTE Directors, and related professionals.

An updated version of the Framework was launched in Fall 2024, following two years of close collaboration with CTE organizations.

What’s Changed in the Framework? 

As of 2025, the Framework consists of five Cluster Groupings, 14 Career Clusters, and 72 Sub-Clusters. Three of the 14 Clusters are defined as “Cross-Cutting Clusters,” as they relate to careers that intersect with various fields across the Framework.

The new Framework replaces the previous 16 Clusters with more helpful groupings. For example, the STEM Cluster has been removed, with engineering skills now grouped under Advanced Manufacturing and Construction. Energy & Natural Resources represents an entirely new Cluster, while some other Clusters have been combined or modified.

The 14 New Career Clusters 

Local CTE leaders (district-level CTE directors, superintendents, principals, and others) play a big role in the implementation of CTE programs based on the National Career Clusters® Framework.

Below are three key responsibilities for administrators implementing CTE programs.

Designing a High-Quality Program 

While state and local leaders determine the extent and manner of CTE adoption, administrators like superintendents and principals have a major responsibility to help design programs for their educational institutions.  

Doing so typically involves identifying and making connections with new or locally relevant employment sectors, such as hospitals, warehouses, or robotics companies, adjusting to the needs of the local and state labor market, aligning curricula with other educational institutions in the area, and generally moving programs in line with the new 2024 Framework. 

Guiding Educators

Administrators need to collaborate with their team of educators about new directions in CTE programs, informing them of new strategies while harnessing their expertise to develop curricula and deliver the best possible program in line with the National Career Clusters® Framework.

It is important to work collaboratively with newcomers to CTE, making the most of educators’ existing skills and knowledge while steering them in a career-oriented direction.

Working with Local Employers and Industry

Jobs to target after high school CTE vary depending on local and state economic needs. Outside of the educational institution, administrators need to communicate and collaborate with local industry representatives and employers to ensure that the education being delivered to students leads to opportunities in the labor market. This might involve recruiting employers to sit on educational advisory boards.

Administrators can also leverage their relationships with employers to create work-based learning opportunities for students. Such opportunities could involve but are not limited to:

• Field trips to local workplaces 

Sphero and CTE

Schools offering CTE programs can use Sphero’s educational tools, such as coding robots, to devise a modern, career-focused curriculum, particularly in the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster and the Sub-Clusters of Engineering and Robotics. 

Programs focusing on the Engineering Sub-Cluster aim to teach students key engineering principles that will ultimately help them to develop manufacturing processes, design products, and solve problems. Consider using Sphero Blueprint Engineering Kits to give middle and high school learners hands-on engineering tools to learn foundational mechanical, structural, and electrical engineering concepts as they design and build working prototypes. 

For example, building common linkages provides a basis for understanding mechanical arms and then a completing unit on control systems. Additionally, Blueprint Engineering Kits can be used to deepen understanding in other CTE clusters, such as Agriculture. Students can design their own center-pivot irrigation systems or build models of a three-point hitch on a tractor.

In a world where many bright students can’t afford the skyrocketing cost of a four-year college degree, CTE programs play an important role in the future of secondary education. Explore all of Sphero's hands-on learning tools to enhance your CTE programs. Learn more about our curriculum standards or schedule a meeting with a Sphero expert to discuss your options!