Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) administers, coordinates programs that are related to adult education and literacy, career and technical education, and community colleges.

For the latest news and information about career and technical education and adult education, see the "OCTAE Connection newsletter" and the OCTAE Blog.

Adult Education and Literacy

The Division of Adult Education and Literacy is responsible for enabling adults to acquire the basic skills necessary to function in today's society so that they can benefit from the completion of secondary school, enhanced family life, attaining citizenship and participating in job training and retraining programs.

OCTAE's Adult Education and Literacy initiatives are designed to:

• Administering the Adult Education formula grant program to the States.
• Providing assistance to States to improve program quality, accountability and capacity.
• Establishing national leadership activities to enhance the quality of adult education.

Career and Technical Education

The Division of Academic and Technical Education is responsible for helping all students acquire challenging academic and technical skills and be prepared for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations in the 21st century global economy.

OCTAE's Career and Technical Education initiatives are designed to:

• Administering state formula and discretionary grant programs under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins).
• Providing assistance to states to improve program quality, implementation, and accountability.
• Establishing national initiatives that help states implement rigorous career and technical education programs.

Community College

OCTAE provides national leadership to strengthen the role of community colleges in expanding access to postsecondary education for youth and adults and advancing workforce development.

OCTAE's community college initiatives are designed to:

• Build public support for community colleges as centers of innovation and providers of excellent education and training that are affordable and accessible to all Americans;
• Facilitate the dissemination of timely and actionable guidance on community college educations for teachers, administrators, students, parents, and employers; and
• Promote the development of strategies that support students in the completion of their postsecondary certification and degree programs.