Part 1: Understanding Communication Expectations in CTE
Career and Technical Education programs are crucial for preparing students for certification and industry roles. However, technical proficiency alone doesn’t guarantee success in all areas.
In classrooms and shops, educators often see this tension firsthand. Students can complete complex tasks with accuracy and skill, yet they may struggle to explain their process clearly.
This difficulty can appear in writing or speech, when justifying decisions on certification exams, or when communicating professionally with supervisors and customers during internships. Strong hands-on skills don’t always translate into strong professional communication.
This gap has implications far beyond a single assignment or assessment. It directly influences credential attainment, internship performance, and long-term workforce readiness.
Many variables shape student outcomes. Yet, language is often the invisible factor connecting technical skill to the ability to explain, justify, document, and communicate that skill professionally.
Language Demands in CTE
Language demands are the communication expectations already embedded within rigorous academic and technical tasks.
They include the words students must understand and use, the sentence structures needed to explain or compare, and the broader communication patterns expected in classrooms, shops, and industry settings.
These expectations exist whether we name them explicitly or not. When they remain implicit, some students are left to figure them out on their own.
Naming language demands does not lower expectations, it clarifies them.
The Impact of Invisible Language in CTE
Over time, this disconnect can influence certification outcomes, internship performance, and how students are perceived in professional settings.
Programs may find their technical instruction is strong, yet communication gaps still emerge in supervisor feedback, credential attainment, or student confidence during professional interactions.
Clear communication expectations strengthen learning for all students. They are particularly critical for multilingual learners, students new to professional environments, and those still developing academic language.
Clear communication expectations strengthen learning for all students. They are particularly critical for multilingual learners, students new to professional environments, and those still developing academic language.
Often, what is being evaluated is not only technical skill, but the ability to communicate that skill clearly. When communication expectations have not been explicitly modeled or practiced, students are left to infer what professional communication should look like.
If language is indeed an invisible factor influencing outcomes, the next step is to make it visible. One way to do that is to examine how communication operates across different levels within CTE instruction.
Discourse Level
This broader level reflects how language is used authentically in certification settings and the workplace. It’s where technical knowledge, reasoning, and communication intersect.
- Explaining a process from start to finish
- Reporting out on completed work
- Justifying decisions
- Participating in team-based problem solving
Sentence Level
However, knowing the right word doesn’t automatically translate into knowing how to use it within a clear and precise explanation. Students may understand the task, yet lack explicit models for how to articulate it professionally.
- Explaining steps in a process
- Describing cause and effect relationships
- Comparing tools, materials, or outcomes
- Giving clear instructions to others
Word Level
This is often where programs begin, as vocabulary is visible and concrete. In CTE, it’s functional and frequently connected to safety. Most educators already invest time at this level.
- Technical and trade-specific vocabulary
- Safety and precision terms
- Multiple meaning words such as load, ground, and balance
- Directional and spatial language
Making Language Visible Without Slowing Instruction
Making language visible doesn’t require a major instructional overhaul. In many strong CTE programs, it begins with small, intentional shifts.
Language becomes explicit when educators model explanations during demonstrations, and name key terms and sentence structures before tasks. They also show students how professionals communicate in their field.
Just as important, students need structured opportunities to practice that language themselves. Communication develops through consistent use.
When students are regularly expected to explain their reasoning, justify decisions, give directions, and reflect on outcomes in interaction with others, language moves from passive exposure to an active skill.
These adjustments do not add extra work to instruction; they sharpen it. They align naturally with industry expectations around communication, safety, collaboration, and professionalism.
When modeling and structured interaction work together, communication expectations become more consistent across an entire program.
A Resource to Support This Work
To support this work, I developed a “CTE Language Planning Framework” resource designed to help educators identify the word, sentence, and discourse level communication embedded within common technical tasks.
The goal is not to add more to instruction. It is to make existing expectations visible so teachers can model language intentionally and provide students with meaningful opportunities to practice communicating their learning.
(Click to download the CTE Language Planning Framework (PDF)
When programs clarify communication expectations across tasks, students are better positioned for certification success, professional confidence, and long-term career readiness.
Mary DeSimone
Founder, Mountaintop Education Consulting
Supporting schools in strengthening instructional clarity through a multilingual lens.
