Career Clusters

Career clusters are broad occupational groupings. They are a way to organize occupations for research and study. Many school districts in Wisconsin use this method of grouping occupations. Ripon School District was a pioneer in this effort. They use the following six groupings and many other school districts have followed their lead:

• Agriculture/Natural Resources
• Art and Communications
• Business and Marketing
• Health and Medical
• Human Services
• Technology, Engineering and Scientific

Other school districts use five clusters. The U.S. Department of Labor uses fourteen clusters. The National Tech Pre Network uses four. The number of clusters used does not matter but the concept of occupational grouping for study is a sound one.

Many school districts introduce the career cluster concept in middle school. During certain times they may be studying certain clusters. For example, sixth graders study two of the six clusters, seventh grader study two more, and eighth grade study the remaining two clusters.

For questions about this information, contact Sharon W. Wendt (608) 267-9251

Last updated on 2/25/2008 1:28:38 PM