Career Clusters

The United States Department of Education recently established 16 broad Career Clusters that reflect a new direction for education. The State of Tennessee, Department of Education, Division of Career & Technical Education, in accordance with this unique plan, has indentified groups of occupations within these 16 categories that have similar attributes. Each cluster can be used as an organizing factor to assist students, administrators, teachers, parents and counselors in identifying interests and setting goals for the future.

With over 900 different careers to choose from, it is often difficult for students to focus their varying interests. Dividing the job market into clusters should assist them in viewing future career possibilities more clearly. Career clusters are occupations that are grouped together because persons employed in these professions have been shown to share similar interest and strengths. Selecting a cluster to explore provides a variety of opportunities to pursue.

Explore the 16 clusters

  1. Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
  2. Architecture and Construction
  3. Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications
  4. Business, Management, and Administration
  5. Education and Training
  6. Finance
  7. Government and Public Administration
  8. Health Science
  9. Hospitality and Tourism
  10. Human Services
  11. Information Technology
  12. Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
  13. Manufacturing
  14. Marketing, Sales & Service
  15. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
  16. Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics