The mission of Career Technical Education is to provide industry linked programs and services that enable all individuals to reach their career goals in order to achieve economic self sufficiency, compete in the global marketplace, and contribute to California’s economic prosperity.

Career Technical Education will engage every student in high quality, rigorous, and relevant educational pathways and programs, developed in partnership with business and industry, promoting creativity, innovation, leadership, community service, and lifelong learning, and allowing students to turn their "passions into paychecks"- their dreams into careers.

"A majority of students who complete career education credentials at California Community Colleges earn middle-income wages within one year of finishing their first career education program."
- Public Policy Institute of California, 2019*