Career and Technical Education.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a planned program of courses and learning experiences that begins with exploration of career options and supports basic academic and life skills.  Career and Technical Education instruction is delivered through programs at middle and high schools, through approved online courses, and at skill centers, the regional instructional venues that provide access to comprehensive, industry-defined CTE programs that prepare students for careers, employment, apprenticeships, and postsecondary education.

Career and Technical Education instruction is provided through two general classifications of courses?exploratory and preparatory?both of which must comply with numerous standards established by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). 

Core Plus.
Core Plus is a two-year CTE instruction program that is designed to prepare students for a structured pathway to employment in one of three sectors:  aerospace/advanced manufacturing; construction; and maritime.  Core Plus instructional materials are vetted by industry partners?the Boeing Company, the Associated General Contractors Education Foundation, and the Manufacturing Industrial Council?and are approved for classroom use by the OSPI.  

According to the OSPI, more than 5,500 students participated in approximately 120 Core Plus programs in high schools and skill centers in the 2021-22 school year.

Initial Core Plus offerings for students began with the aerospace/advanced manufacturing instruction program and later expanded to include the construction and maritime programs.  State law contemplates additional Core Plus programs in health care and information technology.

The two-year high school curriculum used for Core Plus instruction is validated by the applicable industry and uses standardized certificate systems for documenting student attainment of learning goals and objectives.  The first year of the curriculum teaches basic manufacturing skills that apply to industries across all Washington industrial sectors, with the second year providing more in-depth instruction in the industry sector.

Administrative and funding provisions for Core Plus are established in the state's biennial operating budget, not in statute.  Operating budget funding for Core Plus programs was initially approved in 2017 and the funding levels have subsequently increased.  

Allied Health Professions/Core Plus Program.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in collaboration with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board), and a statewide organization representing career and technical education, is directed to develop an Allied Health Professions Career and Technical Education (CTE) Core Plus Program (Allied Health Program) for providing instruction to students who are pursuing industry-recognized nondegree credentials that:  lead to entry level positions in allied health professions; and articulate to either related, recognized nondegree credentials or two or four-year degrees, or both.

The curriculum and other instructional materials for the allied health program must be available for optional use in school districts and skill centers in the 2025-26 school year.

In meeting the obligations related to the allied health program, the OSPI must:

• consult with representatives from allied health profession employers and labor organizations representing allied health employees for the purpose of promoting industry sector partnerships and soliciting recommendations for the establishment of the program on specified topics and other issues deemed necessary by the OSPI, the SBCTC, the Workforce Board, and a statewide organization representing CTE;
• implement a process for soliciting comments about the allied health program's establishment and operation from teachers and students, including students' parents or guardians; and
• consider the recommendations of the Statewide CTE Core Plus Advancement Task Force.

After the Allied Health Program is established, the OSPI must convene and collaborate with an advisory committee consisting of industry leadership from the allied health sector, representatives from a statewide entity representing businesses in the sector, and representatives from labor organizations representing employees in allied health professions for the purpose of:

• informing the administration and continual improvement of the Allied Health Program;
• reviewing data and outcomes;
• recommending program improvements;
• ensuring that the Allied Health Program reflects needed industry competencies; and
• identifying appropriate program credentials.

The OSPI is also authorized to adopt and revise rules as necessary for the implementation for the Allied Health Program and associated responsibilities.

Statewide CTE Core Plus Advancement Task Force.
The Statewide CTE Core Plus Advancement Task Force (Task Force) is established in the OSPI with the following eight members:

• the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) or the SPI's designee;
• two representatives from a statewide organization representing CTE, at least one of whom must be a CTE classroom instructor;
• a representative of CTE Core Plus Aerospace/Advanced Manufacturing selected by an organization representing aerospace or advanced industrial manufacturers;
• a representative of CTE Core Plus Construction selected by an organization representing general contractors;
• a representative of CTE Core Plus Maritime selected by an organization representing maritime interests;
• a representative from the SBCTC selected by the SBCTC; and
• a representative from the Workforce Board selected by the Workforce Board.

The SPI or the SPI's designee must chair the Task Force, and staff support for the Task Force must be provided by the OSPI.  Provisions establishing the Task Force and prescribing its duties expire June 30, 2025.

The Task Force must develop recommendations for:

• expanding and strengthening the accessibility, stability, and uniformity of secondary work-integrated learning opportunities, including CTE, career connected learning, regional apprenticeship programs, CTE Core Plus programs, work-based learning, internships and externships, and other types of work-integrated learning;
• the successful administration and operation of CTE Core Plus programs through appropriate collaboration with industry sector leadership from program areas; and
• a CTE Core Plus model framework that can be used to guide the expansion, establishment, and operation of other CTE Core Plus programs.

The Task Force must report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, and the State Board of Education by November 15, 2024.