The Information Technology Career Cluster encompasses careers that focus on the design, development, support, and management of hardware, software, and multimedia, along with systems integration services. Like careers in business management, careers in IT are found in virtually every sector of the economy.

Career Pathways

The instructional content for this cluster is organized into four career pathways:

• Information Support and Services
• Interactive Media
• Network Systems
• Programming and Software Development

 

 

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Teacher Resources

To help students learn more about careers in Information Technology, download and distribute the Information Technology College and Career Planning Guide. The guide makes an excellent critical reading assignment for students interested in a career in the IT field.

There are two practicum courses in the Information Technology Career Cluster.

 

 

 

Click each course title below to learn about the two practicums in the IT Career Cluster.

 

The Practicum in Information Technology course is recommended for students in Grade 12. To enroll, students must have completed a minimum of two high school information technology (IT) courses.

The Computer Technician Practicum is recommended for students in Grades 10-12. Recommended prerequisites for this course:

• Principles of Information Technology
• Computer Maintenance and Computer Maintenance Lab
• Networking and Networking Lab

You should always discuss safety and legal considerations with the training sponsor and then incorporate appropriate training and individual class study into the training plan. A good sponsor will be able to direct the teacher-coordinator and the student to appropriate resources for occupation-specific safety and legal considerations.

Typically, the responsibilities are as follows:

• Training sponsors provide job-specific safety training.
• Teacher-coordinators are responsible for providing general safety instruction to all students enrolled in the course and for ensuring that all training occurs according to schedule.
• Teachers may assign students to research and report on specific safety and legal considerations for their job or industry.

The IT field has some unique legal and safety issues.

Click each topic below to learn more.

To promote educational excellence in career and technical education, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) launched the Texas CTE Resource Center.

 

 

 

 

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Take a moment to bookmark the Texas CTE Resource Center website. Later, be sure to explore curriculum guidelines and instructional resources for the AFNR Career Cluster.

Career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) provide students with additional opportunities to acquire and demonstrate skills and abilities related to their chosen career field.

There are several CTSOs related to the IT field. Become familiar with those that are closely related to information technology so you can help students select the organization that best supports their career goals.

 

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Take a few moments to bookmark the CTSO websites below to explore later. 

SkillsUSA Texas
Texas Technology Student Association (TSA)
​Business Professionals of America (BPA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

 

Get involved in at least one career and technical education (CTE) professional association. They are excellent sources of career cluster-specific teaching tools, ideas, networking, and mentors.

There are several professional association related to information technology, including those listed below. You may also want to check with your colleagues for advice.

 

 

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Take a few moments to bookmark the CTE professional association websites below to explore later.

Texas Technology and Engineering Educators (TTEE)
Texas Industrial Vocational Association (TIVA)
Texas Business and Technology Educators Association (TBTEA)