As 2024 comes to a close, we celebrate another meaningful year of ECMC Foundation’s CTE Leadership Collaborative (LC), an initiative that began in 2018 with the goal of connecting a diverse group of postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) leaders to form a collective centered on advancing the field from all angles, including research, data, administration, policy, human resources and journalism.

Since its launch, the program has grown to include more than 400 dedicated postsecondary CTE professionals (known as ECMC Foundation Fellows, or Fellows) across six fellowships programs: The CTE Research Program at Old Dominion University; The Strategic Data Project – CTE at Harvard University; The Postsecondary Leadership Success Program at ACTE; The Postsecondary State Leaders Fellowship Program at Advance CTE; The CTE Industry Fellowship Program at JFF; The Higher Education Media Fellowship at the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. Fellows work within community colleges, state agencies, national publications, universities, large companies and data departments across the country to strengthen postsecondary CTE programs and improve student outcomes. For more information, click here. 

This year, ECMC Foundation funded exciting new projects, facilitated networking opportunities and deepened connections in the Fellow community through the annual Mini-Grant Program, CTE LC Convening, Fellow Conversations series, a new directory tool and more.

A Record Year for the Mini-Grant Program

The Mini-Grant Program is a funding opportunity for Fellows who wish to initiate projects related to postsecondary CTE. The program’s focus on innovation and cross-segmental collaboration allows Fellows’ ideas to introduce new approaches to postsecondary CTE that generate advancements for the field. This year, ECMC Foundation chose to support 20 excellent proposals, distributing a total of $98,500 in funding to project leads from all six fellowship programs. The number of submissions and funding awarded topped previous years, making this the biggest year for the Mini-Grant Program to date.

This year’s funded projects represent a range of activities designed to promote equity and improve the field. To read about each project in detail, click here.

2024 CTE Leadership Collaborative Convening

More than 200 Fellows convened in Chicago this year to gather in person with one another. A throughline in this year’s 2024 CTE LC Convening was the power of community. The annual event is an opportunity for our passionate community of postsecondary CTE leaders to convene for in-person connection, share new ideas, engage in professional development and have fun!—all with an eye toward making meaningful systemic change.

For a recap of the sixth annual CTE LC Convening, including photos from the event and resources shared on-site, click here.

Connections

The CTE LC community is a culmination of meaningful professional connections, and ECMC Foundation maintained an active LinkedIn group and offered two new platforms for connection in 2024: Fellow Conversations and a new Fellow directory, both initiated at this year’s CTE LC Convening.

Fellow Conversations

At the 2024 CTE LC Convening, our partners at Show the Good sat down with five pairs of Fellows and filmed their conversations. Each discussion paired Fellows from different programs who had never met before; each individual representing different industries, approaches, geographies and job titles. In their conversations, they discussed their personal takes on solutions to challenges facing postsecondary CTE. The results are an illuminating showcase of the work being spearheaded by the Fellows. 

 Click here to learn more and watch.

New Fellow Directory

This year, ECMC Foundation introduced a new digital tool designed to facilitate ongoing connections between Fellows throughout the year. The tool, Kumu, allows users to search for others in the network based on fellowship program, organization, job title or location. Fellows who have started using the program had this to say: 

“I appreciate having tools like this available.”

“It is an easy way to connect and link you to [others’] LinkedIn profile[s]. I like the various ways you can search for people.” 

“It is a great visualization tool for networking purposes.”

“I enjoy using the new directory. I am able to connect and speak with subject matter experts in other states.”

“I have used the directory to look up contact information for people I connected with in person at the last Convening. I also plan to use this for potential new contacts that may have expertise in locations where we are looking to expand our talent pipelines.” 

We are energized by the great work we accomplished together in 2024 and look forward to another productive year of making big waves in the field of postsecondary CTE.