National curriculum framework gets a power boost with approval to launch the Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster

Phoenix, AZ (October 21, 2024) – The Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD), a nonprofit consortium of energy companies and their associations, applauds Advance CTE’s adoption of the new Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster. This is the first significant change to the national career framework in almost 25 years, and the news comes during the Advance CTE Annual Fall Meeting at the start of Careers in Energy Week.  

The new cluster will be part of the Modernized Career Clusters Framework that guides the nation’s career and technical education system, making it easier for students to connect with new disciplines and increase their exposure to dynamic career opportunities related to energy and natural resources.

 “The energy industry is expected to hire 32 million people over the next ten years. That massive hiring forecast increases even further when you include the full scope of opportunities related to careers in natural resources,” said Kristie Kelley, CEWD’s director of workforce development and member of Advance CTE’s Industry Advisory Committee. “Advance CTE’s approval of a new energy-focused program allows us to connect with today’s learners where they are, empowering them to consider how their aspirations may intersect with opportunities to fuel America.”

To support the rollout of the new cluster, CEWD and several dozen diverse subject matter experts are developing a national career framework and corresponding competencies to help educators use the new curriculum structure. The structure will be developed for high school students in 2024 and post-secondary students in 2025, with K-8 to follow. The new national career cluster also complements CEWD’s Energy Industry Fundamentals 2.0, a free curriculum for high school and technical school educators looking to expand their offerings immediately.

Recognizing the important intersectionality between the legacy career cluster model that formerly blended agriculture and natural resources, and indirectly included energy, CEWD is working closely with the National Council for Agricultural Education to support the education transition.

To learn more about the modernized career framework, visit https://careertech.org/.

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About The Center for Energy Workforce Development

The Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) is a non-profit consortium of electric, natural gas, nuclear, and renewable energy companies, and their associations, committed to the development of a skilled, diverse energy workforce. To learn more, visit https://cewd.org/.