Carl Perkins: Career and Technical Education (CTE) Nontraditional Occupations (NTO)
Wisconsin faces employment shortages in a number of high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations as evidenced through the New Skills for Youth (NSFY) three-year project. A focus on nontraditional occupations (NTO) is intended to increase engagement of NTO gender students to consider these career fields.
The term "nontraditional occupations" means occupations or fields of work for which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in each such occupation or field of work. One of the aims of the Perkins Act is to increase engagement and support that lead to successful outcomes of students in an NTO career pathway.
Quality NTO education depends upon community and industry partnerships in order to close the skills and wage gap between traditionally underrepresented groups (gender groups including economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and other special populations) in these occupations.