IA SSB3163

Aligns Iowa's six career and technical education (CTE) content areas with a national framework representative of all career pathways, reorganizing categories to include agriculture/food/natural resources, information systems, applied sciences/technology/engineering/manufacturing, health sciences, human services, and business/finance/marketing/management.

Adds statutory definitions for "high-demand occupation" (where labor market forecasting shows demand exceeds employer metrics), "high-skill occupation" (requiring credentials, training, or degrees), and "high-wage occupation" (where at least 3 of 5 wage measurements exceed statewide averages).

Requires the Department of Education to develop a list of industry-recognized credentials attainable by high school students (grades 9-12) that align with CTE service content areas.

Mandates career exploration and development instruction incorporate foundational CTE concepts aligned with the six content areas, twenty-first century skills, and introduce students to local and statewide career opportunities.

Establishes standards for CTE teachers across the six content areas and permits school districts to use multi-occupational courses and core courses across multiple CTE service content areas to meet sequential unit requirements.