Career Clusters: Educational and Occupational Information: Career Development
Career Clusters Prepare All Students for College and Careers
Technological advances and global competition have transformed the nature of work. Tomorrow's jobs will require more knowledge, better skills, and more flexible workers than ever before. Tomorrow's workers must be prepared to change jobs and careers several times, continually updating their knowledge and skills.
To prepare today's students for tomorrow, schools are working to help students achieve in challenging subjects. One key approach to this goal is to provide students with relevant contexts for learning.
Career clusters link what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and careers.
Career clusters identify pathways from secondary school to two- and four-year colleges, graduate school, and the workplace, so students can learn in school and decide what they can do in the future. This connection to future goals motivates students to work harder and enroll in more rigorous courses.
The Department of Education has identified 16 clusters in which all occupations can be classified.
Career Clusters provide a way for schools to organize instruction and student experiences around sixteen broad categories that encompass virtually all occupations from entry through professional levels. Resources such as KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS STRUCTURES and BROCHURES are available for each of the sixteen clusters. Click on the cluster title for access to resources. The sixteen clusters are:
| Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources | The production, processing, marketing, distribution, financing, and development of agricultural commodities and resources including food, fiber, wood products, natural resources, horticulture, and other plant and animal products/resources. |
| Architecture and Construction | Careers in designing, planning, managing, building and maintaining the built environment. |
| Arts, A/V Technology and Communications | Designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing, and publishing multimedia content including visual and performing arts and design, journalism, and entertainment services. |
| Business, Management and Administration | Business Management and Administration careers encompass planning, organizing, directing and evaluating business functions essential to efficient and productive business operations. Business Management and Administration career opportunities are available in every sector of the economy. |
| Education and Training | Planning, managing and providing education and training services, and related learning support services. |
| Finance | Planning, services for financial and investment planning, banking, insurance, and business financial management. |
| Government and Public Administration | Executing governmental functions to include Governance; National Security; Foreign Service; Planning; Revenue and Taxation; Regulation; and Management and Administration at the local, state, and federal levels. |
| Health Science | Planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnology research and development. |
| Hospitality and Tourism | Hospitality and Tourism encompasses the management, marketing and operations of restaurants and other foodservices, lodging, attractions, recreation events and travel related services. |
| Human Services | Preparing individuals for employment in career pathways that relate to families and human needs. |
| Information Technology | Building Linkages in IT Occupations Framework: For Entry Level, Technical, and Professional Careers Related to the Design, Development, Support and Management of Hardware, Software, Multimedia, and Systems Integration Services. |
| Law, Public Safety and Security | Planning, managing, and providing legal, public safety, protective services and homeland security, including professional and technical support services. |
| Manufacturing | Planning, managing and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products and related professional and technical support activities such as production planning and control, maintenance and manufacturing/process engineering. |
| Marketing, Sales and Service | Planning, managing, and performing marketing activities to reach organizational objectives. |
| Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics | Planning, managing, and providing scientific research and professional and technical services (e.g., physical science, social science, engineering) including laboratory and testing services, and research and development services. |
| Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | Planning, management, and movement of people, materials, and goods by road, pipeline, air, rail and water and related professional and technical support services such as transportation infrastructure planning and management, logistics services, mobile equipment and facility maintenance. |
For more information, visit the Career Cluster web site
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