ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026

As the labor market becomes more selective, career readiness depends on more than technical skill. Students are increasingly judged on how they communicate, follow up, adapt to workplace expectations, and present themselves in interviews, networking settings, and early employment. Yet our recent research and practitioner conversations suggest a persistent perception gap: employers and career center leaders rate professionalism and business etiquette as near-critical, while students tend to underestimate their importance by 20–30%.  


This session will help postsecondary CTE leaders reframe “business etiquette” not as outdated manners training, but as a teachable, equity-centered component of market readiness. Drawing on employer interviews, practitioner insights, and campus-based examples, the session will examine how hidden expectations around email etiquette, follow-up, attire, workplace presence, and communication create barriers for students, especially first-generation and financially constrained learners. The session will also explore practical strategies for embedding these competencies into advising, career services, and broader student support systems.  


Attendees will benefit from a leadership-oriented discussion focused on what career centers and postsecondary CTE programs can do now: make expectations explicit, integrate etiquette coaching into existing student touchpoints, and build more scalable readiness supports. Audience engagement will include polling, peer discussion, and a short reflection/planning activity. Participants will leave with a practical framework, key data points, and a planning tool they can adapt for their own campus context.