The Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education Awards Program seeks to promote excellence in career and technical education by recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the field, programs that exemplify the highest standards and organizations that have conducted activities to promote and expand career and technical education programs.

The Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education awards seek to promote excellence in career and technical education by recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the field, programs that exemplify the highest standard and organizations that have conducted activities to promote and expand career and technical education programs. 

With simple award applications and an online application process, it is easier than ever to recognize excellence among our members.  If you have questions, please contact Joe Sieczkowski, IACTE Awards Committee Co-Chair at joseph.sieczkowski@d300.org.

Criteria

These awards recognize excellence and dedication within the field of career and technical education among our association members. We seek to commemorate exceptional individuals who have contributed to the success of CTE through the quality of their work and their involvement in the CTE community.   All nominees must be current IACTE members and be employed full-time or part-time in career and technical education at the time of nomination.

The nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• Accomplishments and innovations that exhibit the quality of the candidate for the award 
• Contributions to the CTE community (can include activities within their institutions, communities, IACTE and other organizations)

Eligibility

• IACTE Carl Perkins Community Service Award
  This award recognizes individuals who have used CTE to make a significant impact on their community and demonstrated leadership in programs and activities that promote student involvement in community service. 
• IACTE Teacher of the Year
  This award recognizes the finest career and technical teachers at the middle/secondary school level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment to their students and dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities. 
• IACTE Administrator of the Year
  This award recognizes administrative CTE professionals at the school, district, county, state or federal level who have demonstrated leadership in ensuring teacher and student success and have made significant contributions toward innovative, unique and effective career and technical education programs. 
• IACTE New Teacher of the Year
  This award recognizes new CTE teachers who have made significant contributions toward innovative and unique career and technical education programs and shown a professional commitment early in their careers.  All candidates must be in their 3rd to -5th year of teaching at the time of initial nomination.
• IACTE Lifetime Achievement Award
  This award recognizes CTE professionals for their leadership on behalf of ACTE, their innovations in CTE and their contributions to the field over an extended period of time.
• IACTE Post-Secondary Professional of the Year
  This award recognizes the finest career and technical teachers at the postsecondary level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment to their students and dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities. 
• IACTE Counseling and Career Guidance Award
  This award recognizes school counselors and career development professionals who have demonstrated commitment to connecting students with opportunities for success, shown innovation in career exploration and development, and have advocated for CTE as a viable option for all students. 
• Teacher Educator of the Year
  This award recognizes teacher educators who have demonstrated innovation in teacher education, leadership in improving CTE, and commitment to preparing teachers to deliver high quality CTE programs.

Purpose

The IACTE Impact Awards recognize groups and individuals from the education, business and industry communities that enhance career and technical education by contributing to the improvement, promotion, development and progress of CTE. Individuals or entities (from within or outside IACTE) that have contributed to the success and promotion of CTE, hereby positively impacting the image of CTE, are eligible recipients of these awards. While there is no membership eligibility restriction for applicants, all nominations must be made by an IACTE member. 

Criteria

The nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• Significant accomplishments related to CTE that have contributed to the improvement, promotion, development and progress of CTE 
• Actions that have enhanced the growth and quality of CTE

Awards

• IACTE Business-Education Partnership Award 

  This award recognizes best practices and provides examples for schools and businesses to aid in the development and maintenance of partnerships that support high-quality CTE. Such quality partnerships align with ACTE’s goal of connecting education and careers, and will ultimately lead to improved career readiness and thus a stronger workforce. Eligible partnerships have been created within the last five years, are designed to support high-quality CTE programs, and exist between at least one educational institution and at least one business or industry representative group. Partnerships should be existing at the time of nomination and should have made a measurable/significant impact on student achievement and on the development of the local community and economy. Greater consideration will be given to partnerships that demonstrate sustainability and innovation (either in the partnership itself or its outcomes.)

• IACTE Champion for CTE
  This award recognizes education leaders, business and industry executives, celebrities and thought leaders who support and champion CTE programs as a vital part of developing a prepared, adaptable and competitive workforce. The words and actions of a few dedicated and influential individuals have the power to further best practices, foster supportive policies, and shape a more positive public opinion of CTE. This award showcases outstanding champions—from local leaders to national figureheads—whose models of leadership serve to inspire and inform other leaders on creative and meaningful ways to positively impact the field.

Applications for these awards must include the items below (incomplete applications will not be considered):  

• Applicant contact & membership information (all candidates must be IACTE members for at least one year to further their competition)
• A  brief overview of the applicant (ie. short biography/background information)  
  • A brief summary of the candidate’s qualifications for this award  
• Support information to summarize the strengths of the candidate for this award including the following:
  • Accomplishments/innovations that exhibit the quality of the candidate 
  • Contributions to the CTE community (can include activities within institutions, communities, or IACTE and other organizations)
• One Lettersof Support to include the following
• Photo/headshot of the candidate: should be digital, high resolution (at least 300dpi), and submitted in .jpg format. Files 2MB or larger are preferred. (Note: photographs will be used for publicity purposes only.)

Applications should be submitted electronically on the ACTE Awards Portal, https://acte.secure-platform.com/a/organizations/IL/home  by December 15.  State winners will be selected by the IACTE Awards Committee.  State winners will be commemorated at the Awards Banquet during the Annual IACTE Conference and Annual Meeting in  February. Winning applicants permit IACTE to use and edit content of the application for promotional activities.