KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Kansas Career Cluster Guidance Handbook 2025-2026

Kansas Career and Technical Education (CTE) includes organized educational activities that offer a sequence of courses that provide individuals with rigorous academic content and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions, which may include high­-skill, high-­wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations. Please find the Kansas Career Cluster Guidance Handbook 2025-2026 with the QR Code displayed. This handbook is updated each year and includes Kansas Career Clusters and Pathway design models.

2025 KSDE CTE Resource Guide

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Resource Guide is a comprehensive guide containing relevant information regarding career opportunities available for Kansas families and students to explore. This includes information about the Kansas Career Cluster and Pathways, courses within those pathways, industry recognized credentials, postsecondary programs, Kanas Labor market information and resources that provide content about Kansas occupations.

Kansas Career Posters

The Kansas Career Posters are produced by the Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KOOL). These posters are updated each year. They highlight potential career paths across various career clusters. Each poster provides examples categorized by now, next, and later which highlight occupations students can obtain immediately after high school along with future jobs they can work towards with more education, training, or work experience.

Today's Occupations in 2025

This is a collection of high demand, high wage occupations requiring less than a bachelor's degree. For each occupation you will find annual openings, the average annual growth rate, wage information, training and work experience information, a brief description of the occupation, and potential job titles for the occupation. In addition, you will find a listing of knowledge, skills, abilities, and technology commonly associated with each occupation.

HirePaths

HirePaths.com offers Kansas­based career exploration resources to help parents and educators. Their mission is to inform and excite parents and guardians, as well as K­12 teachers, about options young people can pursue after high school to quickly and affordably launch a successful, well­paying career. This includes on­the­job training programs, apprenticeships, and technical and community college education.

KansasWORKS

Staff from the KansasWORKS Workforce Development Regions are available to assist schools statewide with work­based learning activities including mock interviews, coordination of job or career fairs, job shadowing and internships.

The Students' Right to Know Act

Ensure the distribution of the degree prospectus information published by the state board of regents in accordance with K.S.A. 74­-32,303, the Kansas training information program report published in accordance with K.S.A. 74­-32,418, and any other information relevant to students' understanding of potential earnings as determined by the department of labor and the potential earnings published by each branch of the armed services of the United States military to students 7­12 grades and their families by October 15th each year.

Degree Stats Kansas Board of Regents

Kansas Training Information Program (K­TIP)

Please find postsecondary degree and career option information at www.ksde.gov, Students’ Right to Know Act.

Kansas State Department of Education
900 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 102
Topeka, Kansas 66612­-1212

The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: KSDE General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, KSDE, Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W.Jackson, Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612, (785) 296-­3201