Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher
Career and Technical Education Teacher scores 44/100 on this site's structural exposure measure (Low confidence — only 1 of this site's 2 structural pillars currently covers this O*NET code), reflecting how much of the curriculum-planning and assessment-grading side of the job overlaps with what AI tools already handle.
We have not ingested real-world usage data for this occupation yet. We show a band only where genuine data exists, rather than estimate one.
What a career and technical education (cte) teacher actually does
Career and technical education teachers instruct high school students in the knowledge and hands-on skills required for a specific occupation or occupational field, welding, automotive repair, culinary arts, health sciences, agriculture, construction trades, and similar programs that prepare students for a trade credential or direct workforce entry alongside their diploma.
The job combines classroom instruction, teaching the technical theory and safety standards behind a trade, with direct, hands-on supervision of students actually using tools, equipment, or lab materials, real-time physical instruction a textbook alone can't replace.
CTE teachers also plan and run experiential learning activities and work-based programs, coordinating with local employers on internships, job shadowing, or apprenticeship pathways, establish classroom and shop-safety standards specific to their trade, and prepare and grade practical skills assessments alongside traditional coursework. They confer regularly with parents, guardians, and academic colleagues about a student's progress and program fit, and most bring real industry experience in their subject area on top of a teaching credential.
Why it reads this way
Career and Technical Education Teacher scores 44/100 on this site's structural exposure measure (Low confidence — only 1 of this site's 2 structural pillars currently covers this O*NET code), reflecting how much of the curriculum-planning and assessment-grading side of the job overlaps with what AI tools already handle.
What the number misses is a genuine legal wall shared with every other teaching role on this site: every state requires a teaching license to hold this position, though most states run a distinct alternative-certification pathway specifically for CTE instructors, letting someone with real, documented industry experience in the trade (welding, culinary, health sciences, automotive) qualify without a traditional education degree, still gated by a state license, not a hiring manager's discretion alone.
Beyond the credential, the core of the job is physically supervising students actually operating tools, equipment, or lab materials, teaching a welding technique, correcting a knife grip in a culinary lab, or supervising a student on live electrical work, hands-on, safety-critical instruction no AI system currently performs. Coordinating work-based learning placements (internships, apprenticeships) with local employers also depends on the teacher's own real, current industry relationships, not something a generic AI tool replicates.
The projected employment decline (-1% or lower, 2024-2034) traces to falling U. S. birth rates and secondary-school enrollment drops, a real, disclosed demographic headwind rather than an AI-driven one.
Skills this role draws on
We don't yet have task-by-task time-share data for this occupation, so we can't show which specific tasks carry the exposure score above. This is the real skill set instead.
Typical salary range (USD)
$50,040–$101,340
Average: $66,270/yr
Range source: BLS OEWS wage data via O*NET OnLine (2025 release), SOC 25-2032.00 'Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School'
Average source: BLS OEWS wage data for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School (25-2032.00) via O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data (Annual Median Wage)
Related careers
Head-to-head comparisons
Career and Technical Education Teacher scores 44/100 (Low structural confidence — only 1 of 2 pillars covers this code, AIOE ingestion was unavailable at time of research due to a source-side rate limit; Medium overall confidence given strong corroborating category-2/3 evidence). Every state requires teaching licensure for this role, though most run a distinct alternative-certification pathway for career-changers with real industry experience, still gated by state licensure rather than employer discretion alone. The core of the job is hands-on physical supervision of students operating real tools, equipment, and lab materials in a specific trade, safety-critical instruction no AI system performs, and coordinating work-based learning placements depends on the teacher's own current industry relationships. The -1%-or-lower growth projection reflects declining U.S. birth rates and secondary-school enrollment drops, a real, disclosed demographic headwind rather than an AI-driven one, as of 2026-08-17.
This is a researched judgment (checklist v1.2), not a statistical measurement — it sits alongside, not instead of, the structural exposure signal above. Next scheduled review: 2027-02-17.
Data sources & methodology
Salary data: BLS OEWS wage data via O*NET OnLine (2025 release), SOC 25-2032.00 'Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School'. Min/max figures represent the 10th–90th percentile annual wage range across the United States. Average figure sourced separately: BLS OEWS wage data for Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School (25-2032.00) via O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data (Annual Median Wage).
Automation Risk Score: Based on O*NET occupational analysis (25-2032.00) evaluating task complexity, physical requirements, social intelligence, and environmental variability. Methodology based on research from Frey & Osborne (Oxford, 2017).
Growth projections: -1% or lower (2024-2034), reflecting declining U.S. birth rates and falling secondary-school enrollment, with 6,200 openings still projected from growth and replacement (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook), based on BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.