Awards
Nebraska Excellence in Career and Technical Education Awards
The Nebraska Department of Education is proud to sponsor the Excellence in Career and Technical Education Awards to recognize outstanding Nebraska Career and Technical Education programs and outstanding partnerships. These awards will be presented each June at the Nebraska Career and Technical Education Conference in Kearney, Nebraska. They will be presented in cooperation with the Association for Career and Technical Education in Nebraska’s recognition honoring outstanding Nebraska career education instructors.
Award winners will be notified in advance and are required to be present to receive their award. Criteria and application details for the awards are explained below.
Award Nominations
Nominations are ongoing and may be submitted at any time; however, nominations need to be submitted by Dec 31st of a given year for consideration in the following year. (For example: To be considered for the 2025 NCE Awards, nominations need to be submitted on or before December 31, 2024.)
If you wish to submit a nomination, please follow the link below and complete the form:
Nebraska Excellence in Career and Technical Education Awards Nomination Form
Selection of Awardees
Recipients of Nebraska Excellence in Career and Technical Education Awards will be determined by an internal selection team composed of Nebraska Department of Education Career and Technical Education Specialists.
Award Categories
This award is open to any teacher, counselor, administrator, or community member, business person, or legislator who has demonstrated sustained and outstanding statewide leadership and advocacy for Nebraska Career and Technical Education. The leadership and advocacy must have been at a level beyond a specific community or institution and spanned a significant portion of his/her professional career.
The individual selected for the award must have made significant advancement in the mission of Nebraska Career and Technical Education to enhance lifelong learning, earning and living skills and knowledge. Other considerations include:
- Passion for career and technical education
- Outstanding leadership and guidance in creating an environment conducive to career and technical education
- Contributions to Nebraska career and technical education over a sustained period of time
- Making a very real difference for career and technical education students and programs
- Perseverance in overcoming obstacles and challenges to offering quality career and technical education opportunities for youth and adults (K-20)
- Advocacy for Nebraska Career and Technical Education
This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding collaboration and outreach to support the advancement of Nebraska Career and Technical Education. The award honors a person who has demonstrated a personal commitment and outstanding support for CTE that is “above and beyond” that his/her job or business requires. The award recognizes individual efforts and initiative that reaches beyond an individual organization, agency, school or community. The recipient of this award must have demonstrated:
- Commitment to the mission and goals of Nebraska Career and Technical Education
- Collaboration and involvement with groups, agencies, businesses, and/or educational organizations to expand opportunities for quality career and technical education
- Active engagement in efforts to enhance understanding of the benefits of quality career and technical education for all Nebraska citizens (youth and adults)
- Sustained participation in area/regional/statewide activities whose purpose is to support, improve, and expand Nebraska Career and Technical Education
This award is designed to recognize a business or partnership group that has made significant contributions to the success of Career and Technical Education at a statewide level. This may include support for a career field or career and technical education in general.
This award is presented to a Nebraska school administrator who has demonstrated visionary leadership in fostering innovation and growth of Nebraska Career and Technical Education on a local or regional basis. The award honors an administrator who has consistently demonstrated a personal commitment and outstanding support for career and technical education that enhances opportunities for students and prepares them with the technical skills and knowledge as well as the career readiness (employability) skills leading to career success. The recipient of this award must have demonstrated:
- Commitment to the mission and goals of Nebraska Career and Technical Education
- Collaboration and involvement with groups, agencies, businesses, and/or educational organizations to expand opportunities for quality career and technical education
- Active engagement in efforts to enhance understanding of the benefits of quality career and technical education
- Support for the efforts of Career and Technical Educators to enhance and grow their programs of study
- Sustained participation in area/regional/state-wide activities whose purpose is to support, improve, and expand Nebraska Career and Technical Education
This award is designed to recognize the outstanding achievement of career and technical education programs in junior high/middle schools, high schools, and postsecondary institutions. An individual instructional program within a school/college or a school/college as a whole are eligible for this award.
Criteria for this award includes:
- Instructional programs aligned to the Nebraska Career and Technical Education Model
- Programs that demonstrate quality areas such as:
- Student achievement in both career and academic arenas
- Innovative instruction based on a state model program of study
- Leadership and personal development through career technical student organizations
- Effective implementation of career guidance and work-based learning
- Alignment to Nebraska’s workforce needs and economic priorities
- Community engagement
One award for each of the following will be presented:
- Outstanding Middle School/Junior High Program
- Outstanding Secondary Program
- Outstanding Postsecondary Program
- Outstanding Rule 47 Career Academy
2024 Nebraska Excellence in Career Education Award Winners
Teri Sloup, The Nebraska Department of Education
The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Jon Cerny, Superintendent Bancroft-Rosalie Public Schools
Lakeview Community Schools
Mid-Plains Community College Nursing Program
Dr. Charlie Gregory, Dean of Instruction, Western Nebraska Community College
The Career Academies at Scottsbluff, Scottsbluff High School